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When Sarah Brenna and Stefan McTee arrived at the liquor store in Taylorsville on Thursday, they encountered such a big crowd of shoppers that they didn't even go inside.
"There was a line out the door, so we headed out this way," McTee said outside the Utah Wine Store at 280 W. Harris Ave. in Salt Lake City.
That store had a steady stream of customers, but Brenna and McTee said they got through the checkout line relatively quickly.
The two were among the shoppers who flooded liquor stores this week in preparation for Christmas.
On Wednesday, Utah's 44 state-run liquor stores sold $3,323,319 in beverages, breaking the record for a day's sales. The previous high was set about a month ago on the day before Thanksgiving, when the sales amount reached $3,223,259.
"We were surprised yesterday that we broke the record," Vickie Ashby, spokeswoman for the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, said Thursday. "Usually the day before Thanksgiving is our biggest day."
Although customers spent $100,000 more Wednesday than on Thanksgiving's eve, they bought fewer bottles, suggesting Utahns saved their pricier splurges for Christmas.
In general, retail totals are growing faster than bottle totals, Ashby said.
"People are purchasing more expensive product … especially due to the explosion in the craft beer industry and specialty distilled spirits," Ashby said.
The state sold 324,751 bottles on Wednesday. The day's most robust sales were at the Cottonwood Heights store, near Fort Union Boulevard and 1800 East — typically the highest-selling store, Ashby said.
"All of our stores did a lot yesterday," Ashby said. "It was pretty consistent throughout the state."