Drizly, The Alcohol Delivery App That Started It All, Is Shutting Its Doors
Once upon a time, the idea of getting alcohol delivered to your home with the push of a button seemed like a fantasy. When the pandemic hit, though, many things that once seemed unlikely were suddenly vivid possibilities, like seeing your doctor online without waiting weeks for an appointment, or ordering your groceries in advance then pulling up for someone to load them into your trunk. Along with all the peculiarities we grew accustomed to, being able to order our favorite wine or beer from Drizly to be delivered within the hour was one of people's favorites. Drizly may not have been created as an answer to the pandemic (it was founded in 2012), but that's what many associate it with. Unfortunately, on January 16, 2024, Drizly announced that it was shutting down.
"The dinosaurs. Malt liquor with caffeine in it. Drizly. Turns out, it's true what they say ... all good things must come to an end," @drizlyinc began in a statement posted to Instagram. For those who need time to process the inevitable, Drizly's departure will happen slowly, giving customers the chance to get used to the news. The company will still take orders until the end of March. Drizly also plans to offer promotions for consumers to use over on Uber Eats, with several rolling out in emails in the coming weeks.
The app's marketing skills were to be admired
"Thank you for great service. You guys legit got me through the worst of the pandemic and then some," wrote one customer on @drizlyinc's post. "It won't be the same but thank you for pioneering this awesome concept! Cheers to the next chapter," wrote another. Others pointed out that Drizly has just been absorbed into Uber Eats, which bought it in 2021. "Just retiring the brand and Drizly app. All the merchants were migrated to Uber," claimed a commenter.
Drizly has had quite a run and participated in some interesting shenanigans to promote itself. Who can forget the stars of "Breaking Bad" delivering booze straight to your door in 2020, when Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston began virtually dropping in on birthday parties while Drizly provided bottles of their Dos Hombres mezcal bottles?
While there are many other alcohol delivery services to choose from — and Drizly wasn't the first alcohol delivery service — what made Drizly stand out from the others was the fact that Drizly was buying your booze from community stores and liquor shops. Unlike Winc or Harry & David, you weren't getting wine packed and sent from a different state, but from your favorite corner store a few blocks away. Especially during the pandemic, knowing that you were buying locally made everyone feel a little better about the extra alcohol being purchased. Luckily, with Uber Eats absorbing Drizly, your alcohol purchases may still benefit your local community.