Hyderabad: Sobered up tipplers find wine too costly on 3rd day of shop opening

Hyderabad: The third day after the reopening of the wine shops shocked the shop owners as tipplers failed to show up even it is falling on a mid-summer Sunday. Raju, a regular customer at a wine shop in Ramnagar says two days of making merry with his friends after 50-long days of lockdown is no longer possible.

Being a mechanic by profession, with no work and little left in his savings, he says, "I could manage to buy for the lost two days along with my friends. But, with the little money left and no work, with prices hiked, I find it tough to pick up another bottle of wine tomorrow," he said. At Om Sai Wines, the first day was tough for the police on duty to maintain social distancing. But, on Sunday, "since morning till evening, the number of people coming to purchase is very few," pointed out the cops on duty.

It is no different at the wine shops in Bakaram, Chikkadapally and Himayatnagar. At Balaji wines, the shop owners claim that Friday, Saturday and Sunday are usually making good business. But, leaving the first day, the number of customers turning up has gone down. Particularly, on Sunday, it is too low when compared to the first and second days, he added.

Mallaiah, who works as a helper said, most of the people coming to pick up their booze are like him. S Nathan, who works as a programmer in an IT firm said, "It is for the first time that I have come to this wine shop after a long time. I did not venture on the first day of reopening, after seeing the long queues. Also, the gap of more than one and half a month going without a sip seems developed some kind of resistance and made me not to tempt too much," he added.

The cops on the duty pointed out most of the middle class and upper-middle-class customers from the residential areas nearby are not visible on Sunday.