A pedestrian walks past a boarded up Wine and Spirits store in Philadelphia, Friday, March 20, 2020. (Matt Rourke/AP Photo)
Residents in the Keystone State will have one more way to buy wine and liquor starting Monday.
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board announced customers will be able to call in an order and pick them up at the curb. That’s in addition to the limited online ordering system at the Fine Wine and Good Spirits website.
Of the 600 state-run liquor stores, only 175 will offer curbside pickup. Caps on in-person pickups are the same as those imposed on online orders — only six bottles per order.
People will be able to place their orders between 9 a.m to 1 p.m. Monday through Saturday, or until the store has reached the number of orders it can fulfill that day.
The PLCB announced it would close all its stores and stop all online sales mid-March and began taking limited online orders on April 1. In its first two weeks, the website was taking up to 1,800 orders a day. Last week, the PLCB announced it would increase its order intake to 6,500 after ramping up operations at fulfillment centers.
On Wednesday, the PCLB processed close to 4,500 orders that totaled more than $400,000 in sales.
The agency hopes to be able to process even more orders in the coming days and has brought back staff to help fulfill them.
Limiting Pennsylvanians’ access to booze has been a point of contention between residents and government officials.
“For now, mitigation of the public health crisis must take priority over the sale of wine and spirits, as the health and safety of our employees, customers and communities is paramount,” read a message for customers on the PLCB’s website.
A full list of curbside pickup locations by county can be found here.