ALMOST ONE IN FOUR jewelers say they found themselves drinking more or using other substances to relieve stress during the coronavirus pandemic. According to the 2020 INSTORE Big Survey, four percent of jewelers said their consumption had risen “a lot” and a further 19 percent described the increase as moderate.
Women jewelers were much more likely to say they had increased their use of alcohol (and other substances) than men, with 31 percent of women store owners or managers saying this was the case compared to 18 percent for men.
The numbers were in line with a recent survey by The Journal of the American Medical Association of the wider US population, which found overall frequency of alcohol consumption had increased by about 14 percent this year compared with 2019.
The JAMA research did not determine why drinking frequency was up, but various health experts have speculated that more people are turning to alcoholic beverages to cope with pandemic-related stress, anxiety, depression, isolation and boredom.
Such a theory was supported by one of the participants in the INSTORE survey. “I was drinking more than usual — life got overwhelming,” he said, adding that he had now been sober for three months.
The 2020 INSTORE Big Survey was conducted from September to October and attracted the participation of more than 750 owners or managers of jewelry stores in the United States and Canada. For the full results, please look out for the November edition of INSTORE.
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