The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s phone-in order plan turned into a fiasco (“Pennsylvania liquor stores begin call-in orders with some confusion,” April 20, TribLIVE), just like the online process following the statewide liquor store closings.
LCB spokesman Shawn Kelly said as the state tries to increase its capacity to sell online and by phone, the board is also looking for ways to increase business out of stores.
You want a solution? Here’s the solution:
1. Open all wine and spirit stores for pickup orders only.
2. Open up the website so customers can search for item(s) they want.
3. A customer searches the site to find the nearest store to call, place and pay for an order.
4. Customer picks up the order at that store.
Seriously, very simple. Shortens call time, increases business out of the brick-and-mortar locations, and great potential to reduce customers’ growing frustrations with this archaic system. Win-win-win.
James Dougherty
Murrysville