The increased energy on the Dartmouth campus translates to increased consumption of all Hanover has to offer, according to Jack Stinson, owner of Stinson's Village Store. Stinson is gearing up for Dartmouth's 2008 Homecoming the same way he does every year, by stocking up.
Stinson intends to order more alcohol to accommodate the projected increase in sales, he said, adding that he looks forward to the added visitors since he owns Hanover's only alcohol store.
"The students drink a little more because they are done with classes," Stinson said.
The presence of alumni and other guests on campus significantly increases sales of all products during Homecoming, not just alcohol, he added.
"What makes this school different is the Greek system and the alumni that support it," Stinson said. "The alumni that come back certainly add to the increased alcohol sales, since everyone is of age."
Keystone Light is the store's best seller, according to Stinson, with Pabst Blue Ribbon second in sales. Although beer is cheapest and most popular, other alcohol sales spike as well, most notably champagne, he added. Graduate students and alumni on campus have a tendency to purchase higher-end liquor.
Besides an increase in the sale of alcoholic beverages, Red Bull sales also triple over Homecoming weekend, and the store sells significantly more of the other energy drinks it carries.
Because of the increased drinking on campus, Stinson's also takes extra precautions in checking to make sure customers are over 21.
"We make sure that everyone that buys alcohol has I.D. and is of age," he said. "This includes who is driving the car, who comes to pick it up, and making sure there are no underage people in the car."
Stinson added its always important to know "who is around the alcohol," and Homecoming weekend is notorious for stricter alcohol policies.
"Liquor inspectors know when all the big weekends at colleges are," Stinson said. "There's an increased number of police and an increased chance of stupid activity, like more people buying beer without thinking of the rules."
In the past Stinson's Village Store delivered kegs to residence halls and fraternities, but after working with a thorough liquor inspector who was "very good at his job and willing to put in extra hours" to catch the illegal consumption of alcohol, the increased risk of legal trouble for Stinson's forced the store to stop making deliveries. Since then, all customers must come to Stinson's Village Store's physical plant to make purchases.
Stinson said he is "fortunate to be the beer store of choice in town" especially during Homecoming weekend when the size of the population triples.
"Everyone is downtown. You just got to step it up and operate in those conditions," he added.
Stinson's Village Store is only one of many establishments in Hanover that feels the rush of Homecoming affecting its sales every year.
"It's a big weekend for all the stores in town, especially the restaurants, too," he said.
Stinson's was formerly the number-one seller of kegs on the East Coast, he said, before other liquor stores opened locations in the Upper Valley.
