Congratulations to Monical Corcoran from the Los Angeles Times who should win a prize for the most creative story about online retail this year or perhaps this decade.  Ms. Corcoran’s Shopping while drinking: retail happy hour profiles the impact of drinking while shopping online, or, as the article refers to it as BUI - buying under the influence.  Maybe you saw this article in the Friday, April 25 Shop.org SmartBrief.

“These boxes show up, and I am, like, ‘Oh, my God. I did it again,’” says one of the afflicted in the article.  There’s even a book published in the UK called Shopping While Drunk: Confessions From Modern Life. Too funny!

I see a Shop.org opportunity here.  A partnership with the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States and/or the Beer Institute might be just what our industry needs to remain resilient in the face of the sluggish economy.

I can be found tonight juggling a beer and my laptop while I watch the Penguins take on the Rangers in the first game of Round 2 of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs and shop for surfing equipment between periods and during commercials.  Go Pens!