JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi’s ABC warehouse is facing a backlog of 199,000 cases, leaving stores and restaurants with dwindling shelves and customers frustrated as they search for their favorite wine and liquor.
The House State Affairs Committee held a hearing Tuesday to address the warehouse problems that have left business owners running out of both patience and product.
“How in the hell did we get here?” said Rep. Hank Zuber, chairman of the House State Affairs Committee.
The current crisis stems from simultaneous changes to the warehouse’s software and delivery system, according to testimony at the hearing.
Business owners struggle with shortages
Brandi Carter, who owns Levure Bottle Shop and manages Elvie’s wine program, is experiencing the issue from multiple angles.
“We know the rules of the typical system, but there are no rules anymore with the system we’re currently in,” Carter said.
She has been forced to shrink Elvie’s wine list due to lack of shipments. At her wine shop, increasingly bare shelves have customers asking what’s happening.
“I’ve had orders that have been in the queue since mid-January, and we’re getting a trickle of things here and there, but not enough to run a store or a wine program for a restaurant,” Carter said.
State seeks solutions
Revenue Commissioner Chris Graham reminded the committee that while the state owns the ABC warehouse, it has been operated by a private contractor since 2023. A new warehouse is under construction, but will not be operational until next year.
Graham said officials expect the current backlog to be reduced by half by the end of March, with the remainder worked through by May.
“We think at the end of March, they will have the backlog that exists right now reduced in half,” Graham said. “And we’re convinced that if they are able to do that, then by the time we get to May, they will be able to continue and work through the remainder of the backlog.”
However, stores and lawmakers argued they cannot wait that long. Rep. Trey Lamar, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, mentioned a possible temporary solution.
“Purchase directly from manufacturers during that time frame and really just cut ABC out of it till it gets its act together,” Lamar said.
Questions were raised about allowing will-call orders, but Graham said the warehouse lacks space for such arrangements.
Proposals are expected from lawmakers based on what they learned in the hearing.
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