New trend: ordering alcohol online on installment

A striking new trend has been spotted, and it is getting so out of hand that experts want the government to intervene. What is this trend? Buying alcohol on installment from online stores. I didn’t even know it existed myself, but actually it makes quite a lot of sense. These days, many of your online purchases allow you to choose to ‘pay later’, for example with Klarna. I did know that concept, but I occasionally use it for clothes or furniture.

But apparently ordering alcohol online and paying for it later has become so popular that people have started to worry. Experts believe that paying later for addictive substances, such as alcohol, is absolutely unacceptable.

“Legally speaking, it is allowed, but this runs completely contrary to the spirit of the Alcohol Act”

That is what the experts think. They are referring to the amendment to the Alcohol Act introduced last year: the rules on discounts on alcoholic beverages and promotional pricing were considerably tightened. The government supported these amendments because it wants to prevent people from buying too much alcohol — more alcohol than they need and than they would actually want to buy.

The possibility of ordering a (large) quantity of alcohol online and paying for it later would be completely at odds with that. After all, people can buy alcohol on impulse without immediately facing the (financial) consequences, because they do not have to pay right away. Since it would not immediately feel as though they were spending money, experts are very concerned about, for example, people addicted to alcohol and/or people with financial problems.

Paying with Klarna or Riverty

Admittedly, paying later can indeed be made very appealing. For example, there are no additional costs as long as you pay on time. If you do not, you will receive various fines (as with Klarna) or immediately face a higher €40 penalty (with Riverty, which many online liquor stores work with). “Research shows that the price incentive is precisely a decisive factor in the decision whether someone buys alcohol or not, and how much,” says Carmen Voogt, an alcohol policy researcher at the Trimbos Institute. She therefore believes that deferred payments for addictive substances should not be allowed; payment for them should really be a crucial moment.

Source: RTL Nieuws