* Shared on behalf of ABLE BC
The British Columbia General Employee’s Union (BCGEU) and the BC Government reached a tentative deal earlier this week and that, as a show of good faith, the BCGEU is standing down strike action at the Liquor Distribution Branch’s (LDB) warehouses and ending its ban on overtime.
The LDB has begun its restart plan and, as of August 31, is shipping outstanding orders placed prior to job action. This includes:
- Orders received by email and phone before 3:30 pm on August 15
- Orders placed on Web Store before 3:00 pm on August 17
Once these orders are shipped distribution will shift to new orders. Due to high order volumes, delivery of new orders is expected to be delayed.
Please note that delivery windows and ETAs for deliveries are unavailable at this time and that deliveries may arrive outside regular delivery windows.
The current purchasing limits at BC Liquor Stores will remain in place until further notice. As a reminder, all customers are limited to no more than three of any individual item (ie SKU) per day, with the exception of beer. This restriction will be lifted once BC Liquor Stores are sufficiently restocked to handle increased demand.
We understand that industry is eager to see shelves re-stocked quickly, but we want to remind you that the restart process will take several weeks. We are working with LDB to ensure deliveries are filled quickly, efficiently, and fairly. Your continued understanding, flexibility, and patience is greatly appreciated.
EXPECTED DELAYS
- Customers serviced by the Kamloops Distribution Centre (KDC) may see separate deliveries for KDC and Delta Distribution Centre (DDC) portions in an effort to ship available product as quickly as possible.
- Single bottle pick service is suspended until further notice.
- Non-stock wholesale products (NSWP) are being delivered, but will be delayed.
- Returns are now being accepted, but may not be processed for some time.
ORDERING
Web Store is now available, but with high volumes you can expect to experience delays when placing orders and processing transactions. LDB Wholesale Operations kindly asks for users experiencing challenges to try using Web Store again before contacting the Wholesale Customer Centre (WCC).
Email and phone orders are now being accepted, but processing times are delayed due to high volumes. Customers are encouraged to use Web Store where possible.
- In order to help with efficient order fulfillment, please consider these suggestions:
- Review available inventory frequently and order what is currently available.
- Where possible, order beer and refreshment beverages in full pallet quantities (approximately 110 cases). Pallet quantities by SKU can be found here.
Click here to read a memo from LDB.
We will offer further updates as soon as they are available.
The BCGEU strike exposed the vulnerability of the monopoly distribution system in BC. Over the past two weeks we have had several questions from members about distribution reform options including licensee-to-licensee sales, direct delivery of RTD products, and diversification or privatization of the distribution system. Rest assured, we understand the need for logical distribution reforms and have already begun talks with government, our Board of Directors, the LRS and LP committees, and the Business Technical Advisory Panel (BTAP) on the appropriate strategies and priorities moving forward.
QUANTITY LIMITS REMAIN IN PLACE AT BC LIQUOR STORES
As you know, it will take some time to restock alcohol inventory at all business types across the province, including BC Liquor stores. While BC Liquor stores have resumed accepting and coordinating orders from hospitality customers, the purchasing limit of three items per SKU per day (expect for beer) will remain in place while these stores work to replenish inventory.
This limit is only for product purchased off BC Liquor stores shelves. It does not extend to hospitality orders submitted for LDB wholesale distributed products.
Click here to read a memo from LDB.