Booze delivery app Drizly makes Calgary debut
A Boston-based booze delivery service is coming to Calgary.
Like Uber for alcohol, Drizly lets users choose their wine, beer or spirits from a smartphone app.
The booze is then picked up from the Liquor Depots in Mount Royal or Brentwood and delivered to the customer's door, within an hour, for a flat fee of $5.
Drizly regional manager Matthew Erley says it's all about convenience.
"If you wanted to learn about how to make a certain cocktail, you can do that on Drizly and then you can add all those items into your cart and order and have those brought to you," he said.
"So I think it's definitely a mixture of convenience and also just the discovery and the ability to browse online."
Drizly started in Boston more than three years ago and now operates in 24 cities. The company expanded to Canada earlier this year, partnering with Liquor Depot and Liquor Barn in Edmonton.
Erley says the app could help get drunk drivers off the road.
"It's definitely making a decision a lot easier for someone who's had a few drinks and is thinking about driving to a store," he said.
But Dr. Michael Trew, medical lead for addictions special projects with Alberta Health Services, believes there could be risks.
"I wonder whether it's really a good thing for somebody who's already consumed however much alcohol they took to a party, to order more," he said.
Trew says he also worries about alcoholics using the service.
"It's more likely as you increase access and ease of access to just increase some of those problems," he said.
"The only time I hear about people using home delivery liquor services is when I talk about people who have serious problems with alcohol."
The service will operate seven days a week from 2:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The delivery driver will check IDs at the door.
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