Beer, malt beverage and cider sales volumes fell 6.3 percent in the four weeks ending May 2, Nielsen<\/a> reports. The steepest declines came from convenience stores and gas stations<\/a> such as 7-Eleven, Wawa, Shell, and Exxon, where volumes are down about 9 percent year over year for the two weeks since April 26.<\/p>\n This is a clear step down from earlier in the year, when declines were only around 3 percent between November and mid-April, according to the data, as fuel costs weigh on impulse purchases.<\/p>\n \u201cWe find a negative correlation between the absolute price of gas in a given state today and the sequential change in beer\/FMB\/volume growth,\u201d Bernstein analyst Nadine Sarwat told CNBC<\/a>.<\/p>\n California saw the biggest drop in beer sales in the country, with volumes falling 16 percent, according to Nielsen. The decline lines up with the state\u2019s persistently high gas prices, which average about $6.147 per gallon, driven by higher taxes and stricter fuel rules requiring a special cleaner-burning blend.<\/p>\n Beer sales fell 6.3 percent in the four weeks ending May 2, with the steepest declines at convenience stores and gas stations, where volumes are down about 9 percent year over year since late April (Getty Images)<\/p>\n Outside of California, Arizona and Texas also saw notable declines in beer sales, down about 10 percent and nearly 7 percent, respectively, over the same period.<\/p>\n At the same time, the Midwest<\/a> is taking the brunt of soaring gas prices in the country amid the Iran-related oil shock, with Ohio<\/a> leading the increase at roughly 72 percent since the conflict began 10 weeks ago, about double California\u2019s rise, according to Bloomberg<\/a>. Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin are also seeing steep jumps as fuel inflation spreads across the region.<\/p>\n Analysts say convenience stores are especially affected because they depend on commuter traffic and impulse purchases, both of which are slowing as average U.S. gas prices hover around $4.52 per gallon and have risen around 52 percent since the start of the Iran war, according to AAA<\/a> data.<\/p>\n![\"Beer](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_the_independent_us_877\/571386839149cd288431dae252e04337.jpeg\"\/)
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