Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board Continues to Increase
E-Commerce Sales, Deliveries Through FineWineAndGoodSpirits.com

Harrisburg – Now fulfilling e-commerce orders from 49 facilities across Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has significantly increased the number of orders it is accepting on a daily basis at FineWineAndGoodSpirits.com.

“After ramping up 46 additional Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores and licensee service centers in the last few days and aiming to have 121 fulfillment centers picking and packing e-commerce orders this weekend, we’ve made significant progress in improving service to Pennsylvania consumers seeking access to wines and spirits,” said Board Chairman Tim Holden. “Today, we’re accepting 6,500 orders through our website, an 850 percent increase since April 1, when limited e-commerce sales resumed, and a 261 percent increase over the 1,800 orders we had been consistently accepting each day for a number of days.”

As order fulfillment capacity increases, the PLCB will continue increasing the number of orders it takes each day, expecting to be able to accept 10,000 or more orders daily in coming days.

Daily sales since FineWineAndGoodSpirits.com resumed limited operations April 1 through Wednesday, April 15, are detailed below. For context, e-commerce sales in all of fiscal year 2018-19 totaled about 39,000 orders and $5 million dollars. The PLCB expects e-comm sales to exceed those annual records as early as next week, just considering sales since April 1.

All PLCB locations remain closed to the public and are using limited staff, a combination of PLCB employees and contractors, to process e-commerce orders. Beginning April 1, three fulfillment centers supported e-commerce operations, and 46 additional facilities have been brought into operation in recent days. On Friday, 26 more fulfillment facilities will be added, with the balance of the 121 total locations expected to be operational this weekend.

The 121 fulfillment facilities anticipated to be operational by this weekend are located in the following counties: 1 in Adams, 18 in Allegheny, 2 in Berks, 1 in Blair, 9 in Bucks, 1 in Butler, 2 in Centre, 10 in Chester, 1 in Clearfield, 1 in Crawford, 4 in Cumberland, 4 in Dauphin, 10 in Delaware, 1 in Erie, 1 in Franklin, 1 in Indiana, 1 in Lackawanna, 4 in Lancaster, 4 in Lehigh, 1 in Luzerne, 1 in Lycoming, 2 in Monroe, 17 in Montgomery, 3 in Northampton, 11 in Philadelphia, 1 in Union, 1 in Washington, 1 in Wayne, 3 in Westmoreland, and 4 in York.

Access to www.FineWineAndGoodSpirits.com continues to be randomized 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.”

Orders at FineWineAndGoodSpirits.com are limited to up to six bottles per transaction from a reduced catalogue of top-selling wines and spirits. All orders must be shipped to home or non-store addresses, and only one order per address will be fulfilled per day.

All fulfillment facilities are implementing public health best practices to protect employees, including enhanced facility sanitation, social distancing protocols, and limiting the numbers of employees working in any facility at a time.

The PLCB is not considering reopening stores at this time, although the agency continues to monitor the situation in consultation with the Wolf Administration and public health officials.

Pennsylvanians are also reminded of the following places and means for obtaining beverage alcohol during the current public health crisis.

• Nearly 1,000 licensed producers in Pennsylvania – including breweries, wineries, and distilleries – may still sell their own products for off-premises consumption.
• Restaurant and eating place licensees (bars, taverns, bottle shops, pizza/sub shops, supermarkets, convenience stores, etc.) can sell beer to go, up to 192 ounces (generally two six packs) per transaction.
• Restaurant licensees that also have wine expanded permits – including grocery stores and convenience stores – may also sell up to three liters of wine to go, per transaction.
• Beer distributors in Pennsylvania may continue sales for off-premises consumption.
• Residents remain able to purchase wine from more than 1,200 licensed direct wine shippers.

Consumers are reminded that the sale of alcoholic beverages without a license is strictly prohibited under Pennsylvania law.

The PLCB regulates the distribution of beverage alcohol in Pennsylvania, operates nearly 600 wine and spirits stores statewide, and licenses 20,000 alcohol producers, retailers, and handlers. The PLCB also works to reduce and prevent dangerous and underage drinking through partnerships with schools, community groups, and licensees. Taxes and store profits – totaling nearly $18.5 billion since the agency’s inception – are returned to Pennsylvania’s General Fund, which finances Pennsylvania’s schools, health and human services programs, law enforcement, and public safety initiatives, among other important public services. The PLCB also provides financial support for the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, other state agencies, and local municipalities across the state. For more information about the PLCB, visit lcb.pa.gov.