A new online-based ordering system hasn’t worked out for some local store and restaurant owners who are still reporting problems when it comes to getting the alcohol they ordered from Montgomery County.
On Friday, the County Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Alcohol Control focused on issues resulting from the use of the Department of Liquor Control’s new Oracle ordering and inventory system that went live in February.
The county operates under a unique control model in which the county agency distributes all alcohol products to restaurants and beer and wine stores out of its warehouse, effectively acting as a wholesaler with no competition.
Liquor control officials said they won’t have detailed suggestions for fixing the problems until the ad hoc committee meets in June.
Some councilmembers said that’s not soon enough for business owners who might rely on the delivery of certain alcohol products to fill their shelves.
“The problems that people are having now are problems that affect their ability to earn income,” councilmember Hans Riemer said. “It’s one thing if a library book isn’t on the shelf. It’s another thing if a business owner doesn’t have a product on the shelf.”
Some DLC licensees have complained of incomplete or inaccurate deliveries from the department, an ongoing issue the county said would be corrected with the implementation of the new Oracle system in February.
DLC Director George Griffin said that the department delivered 488 units since February to Capital Beer and Wine, a Bethesda store that was highlighted in a previous committee hearing. Griffin said that of those 488 products, only 47 were returned, meaning the vast majority of DLC’s deliveries were accurate.
Some licensees have complained that deductions from their bank accounts aren’t matching up with invoices for deliveries and that the wait time and accuracy of so-called special order items is still an issue.
During Friday’s hearing, councilmembers scoffed at a presentation of the long and multi-faceted process for accessing the DLC’s online ordering system.
“I don’t even know why they have to go to the Montgomery County government [website] page to do this,” councilmember Marc Elrich said. “Please fix this stuff. These are the things that are going to drive people crazy, if they’re not already doing so.”
The DLC is set to present a detailed action plan on fixes for the new ordering system when the committee meets in June. The committee will also delve into the idea of privatizing special order sales only, an option that would allow the county to continue making some revenue from selling regular stock items.
