Visitors to the State Store, euphemistically named “Wine and Spirits Shoppe” at the Hawthorne Center on Fruitville Pike, were greeted by stacks of wine cartons stacked three high ever six to eight feet in the middle of the narrow aisles throughout the entire store.
Moving about resembled an obstacle course, and pushing a cart a driving test. Shoppers politely waited for others to make selections since there was no way to pass.
An outspoken older ‘gentleman’(giving him the benefit of the doubt) asked to see the manager. When queried, the manager-on-duty said it was necessary to restock the shelves. It was pointed out to her that there were better times to restock than at 5 PM on Saturday afternoon and, in any case, there would be no reason to stock the entire store simultaneously.
The displeased customer went on to express his opinion that this was a marketing effort instigated by a dull witted executive in Harrisburg or the local manager. In any case, he observed stacking cartons in the middle of narrow aisles was likely violations of both the local fire code and almost certainly the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The customer only did a portion of his intended shopping, finding the experience of dodging carts and delaying other shoppers unpleasant.
Perhaps the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has been infiltrated by saboteurs who want to bring about the systems long threatened privatization.
The PLCB and our state store system are yet another casualty of union politics run amok and those same unions will guarantee that we never see the end of the state system in favor of a private system which would include an element of customer service!
I too have witnessed the same obstacle course in that same store. Do you really think the union will have them restocking when they should….doing closed hours? Don’t hold your breath.