After the closing of the liquor store near campus, students are seeking alternatives for procuring alcohol.
Last week, College senior Alex Ball created Penn Delivers, a new alcohol delivery service. In addition to the retail prices of the alcohol, Ball is charging an addition $2 per bottle and $5 convenience charge for the entire order. Orders can be placed through email or text message.
Ball’s delivery service is a recent endeavor inspired by a conversation with a friend. They discussed how the venues for purchasing alcohol on campus are limited. “It’s potential for a business opportunity,” Ball said.
“We’re building buzz,” Ball, a former Daily Pennsylvanian staff writer, added. The Facebook page for the site currently has 21 likes. Ball is also seeing more traffic on the website. While the site had eight views last Friday, there were 360 views on Saturday. “We’re letting this grow organically with publicity,” Ball said.
As of right now, he is “cautiously optimistic … riding the wave while it’s still up.”
However, Ball is wary of the potential consequence of the nature of his business.
“I do plan to be serious about checking ID,” he said. If anyone under the age of 21 attempts to use his service, Ball will decline to refund the delivery charge and keep the alcohol for himself.
College senior Kevin Karande said he is unsure whether this would be a cost-effective option for students.
“Personally, it would just be more efficient for me to go to Center City and stock up,” he said, adding that he knows that many fraternities go to New Jersey to buy alcohol because it is cheaper there.
College freshman John Cheo, who is 22 years old, said he would consider using the service. After the closing of the liquor store on 41st and Market streets, Cheo finds this service “attractive.”
Engineering freshman Jevon Yeoh, on the other hand, said he will buy his alcohol downtown. “It’s too pricey and too expensive,” he said of the delivery system. If he did order from this service, “it wouldn’t be a frequent thing,” he added.
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