Bucks County Fine Wine and Good Spirits stores remain closed to the public, but nine in Bucks County will reopen for workers as fulfillment centers by the weekend.
Across Pennsylvania, 121 stores and warehouses will be used to fulfill online orders by the weekend, according to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. The exact locations of the stores were not announced.
The increase in operations at warehouses and closed stores used for online order fulfillment will help the state-operated liquor near-monopoly ramp up operations after a much criticized reopening for e-commerce two weeks ago.
Frustrating consumers has been the fact that access to order on the Fine Wine and Good Spirits website continues to be randomized in what officials said is an effort to “avoid overwhelming the site with high traffic, prevent order abuse, and prolong access throughout the day so that order availability isn’t exhausted in seconds or minutes each day.”
“While consumer interest and site traffic continue to outpace our ability to process orders, we ask consumers’ patience as we explore options to serve our customers while honoring public health guidance during this unprecedented disruption,” said Holden. “We believe that continuing to expand access to FineWineAndGoodSpirits.com in a controlled manner will allow us to provide access to consumers while also protecting our employees and consumers from unnecessary risk, but we acknowledge our website can’t handle the daily volume our network of nearly 600 stores supported.”
Holden further stated that the state agency has made “significant progress in improving service” to residents. He noted that 6,500 orders were taken on Wednesday with 10,000 or more likely in the coming days.
Based on their expectations, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board plans to exceed last year’s 39,000 orders and $5 million dollars in online orders during the period between the start of April and early next week. So far, online orders have brought in $2.1 million since April 1.
Customers can order six bottles per transaction from a limited catalogue of top-selling wines and spirits. Orders have to be shipped to home or non-store addresses and only one order per address will be fulfilled per day, officials said.
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board said all fulfillment centers are using social distancing protocols, limiting the number of employees working, and enhancing facility sanitation.
As of Thursday, the state is not considering reopening Fine Wine and Good Spirits stores for the public due to COVID-19.
In the state, breweries, wineries, and distilleries can sell their own products to customers for off-premises consumption. Restaurant and eating place licensees are able to sell what amounts to two normal six packs per a transaction, while restaurant licensees – meaning grocery stores and convenience stores – are able to sell up to three liters of wine per transaction. Beer distributors can continue operations and wine may be purchased from approved direct shippers.
