Some high-end men's clothing stores in New York and other big cities are using free beer and liquor to attract potential purchasers, Newsweek reported July 8.

Billy Reid in New York's Bowery district, for example, recently held a promotional party where Modelo Especial beer was served; the company also serves free Woodford Reserve and Pappy Van Winkle bourbons to customers.

"It's like spending time with a friend, hanging in the parlor of a Southern home," said company publicist Megan Maguire.

J. Crew is perhaps the best-known store combining alcohol and shopping for men. The theory is that men hate to shop and creating a social context around a visit to the store can help overcome this aversion. Drinking also can create an air of "manliness" around an activity not traditionally viewed as masculine. (Similarly, some salons now serve alcohol to entice male customers.)

Baumans, a men's shop in Little Rock, Ark., that serves Budweiser to patrons, enforces a two-drink limit.  "We don't want to take advantage of anyone," said owner Wayne Ratcliff.