A new home delivery service, offering alcohol, cigarettes and condoms is set to begin trading, despite Police fears that the business will encourage irresponsible drinking.
‘Alco-Call’ was granted a twenty-four hour alcohol licence on 16th February and is now preparing to begin its service delivering a range of wines, alco-pops and mixers, to customers’ homes, seven nights a week.
As an element of the licensing agreement the company accepted a 16-point list of conditions recommended by police, including a Think 30 clause, which dictates that the company must ask for identification from anyone who looks under 30 years.
Yet police remain concerned at the potential effects of the business, which will operate between 10pm and 4am on weekdays and from 10pm to 5.30am at weekends.
Tony Cope, the Thames Valley Police licensing officer for Oxfordshire, commented: “the big worry is that this alcohol service may fuel further drunkenness, because it’s likely to be serving people who are already heavily under the influence once they’ve left a pub or club.”
Student feeling regarding the company is mixed. Although much hype surrounds Alco-Call, which already has over 4,000 members on its Facebook group, some are critical of the service.
A second-year student from Somerville argued that the company was “a bad idea”.
They added, “Students will use the service when they are already drunk in the middle of the night and are therefore more likely to spend a stupid amount on more alcohol.”
Others observed that the company could pose a threat to vulnerable drinkers. A fourth-year physics student stated: “their claim that they urge you to drink responsibly clashes with some questionable wording on the website like ‘so you don’t ever have to go thirsty!”.
Yet many suggested that the company was unlikely to impact upon their drinking habits at all and few were concerned that a new ‘post-lash’ culture was set to emerge.
Second-year history student Helena Powell argued: “I can see why the police and locals would be concerned, but I don’t think it’ll have a huge effect on how drunk people get.
“Drinks are pretty expensive in Oxford and most people ‘pre-lash’ before a night out anyway because of the fact that it’s cheaper.
“Obviously the 10% discount will attract students more than anyone else, but the prices are definitely premium, which will put off casual drinkers.”
Many suggested that prices were enough to prevent the service from having a dramatic impact on student drinking.
An Alco-Call price list advertises a 24-pack of lager for between £25 and £28, while a litre bottle of gin or vodka is £25. Customers must spend a minimum of £15 for free home delivery.
A spokesperson for Oxford University responded to the arrival of Alco-Call by stating: “The University expects students to behave responsibly; to avoid bringing the University into disrepute; and to avoid causing a nuisance to the local community.”
