Bank Statement Analysis for Liquor Stores and Package Stores

Liquor Store Cash Flow: Steady but Cash-Heavy

Package and liquor stores are among the most stable retail businesses — alcohol demand is recession-resistant and margins are predictable. But heavy cash usage and pronounced seasonality require context when reading the bank statements.

How Liquor Store Revenue Shows Up

• Card settlements: Daily card batches, typically 50-70% of sales as card use rises.
• Cash deposits: Regular, sizeable cash deposits — a normal and healthy feature, not a red flag.
• Distributor ACH payments: Recurring outflows to beverage distributors; many states require timely payment, so these are predictable.
• State license and excise payments: Periodic regulatory outflows confirming a licensed operator.

Seasonality That Lenders Should Expect

Liquor stores spike hard around Thanksgiving through New Year's and again on summer holidays. A December that's double a February is normal. Underwriters applying a flat monthly expectation will misjudge the business; a 12-month average smooths the pattern correctly.

What Lenders Focus On

• Cash-to-card ratio consistency (sudden cash drops can signal skimming or reporting issues)
• Distributor payments staying current
• Holiday-quarter lift as a sign of healthy demand
• NSF count — should be near zero for a well-run store

Bottom Line

Liquor stores make strong borrowers when lenders read cash deposits as legitimate revenue and average across seasons. Tools like StatementScrub normalize the seasonality and separate distributor outflows automatically.

Related reading: Convenience store analysis | Seasonal income analysis | How to detect MCA loans