The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board announced on Friday that 88 Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores in Bucks, Chester, Montgomery, and Delaware counties will be closed by Tuesday March 17, 2020, in effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in these hardest-hit counties.
On Monday, March 16, 2020, only a handful of stores will remain open during normal business hours.
The Fine Wine & Good Spirits in East Norriton was packed with hundreds of customers stocking up on various liquor.
Employees struggled to meet the demand of customers, as the line wrapped around the entire store.
Chris, a Montgomery County resident, “waited in line for almost 30 minutes” he said.
Some patrons ultimately walked out empty-handed, like Ellen from Whitemarsh. She wanted to buy a bottle of whiskey but was unprepared for the crowd.
“There’s just too many people. It’s just a frenzy. It’s not worth it” she said. She believes the state should not have announced the closure on a weekend.
Pete, who needed to buy five bottles of wine to prepare for the impending closures, was standing outside for about a half-hour until he found a cart.
Morgan from Norristown is taking extra precautions when she goes out amid the spread of Coronavirus, but ventured out to buy wine in bulk, just in case Fine Wine & Spirits decides to close for the long-term.
“The fact they’re shutting down everything, I think sends people into more of a panic because now we’re like ‘how long are we going to shut down, is it going to get worse?’ So, I think there is a need to stock up now” she said.
According to The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s statement, they will “re-evaluate its operations, guided by the strategy developed by the Governor’s Office and the Pennsylvania Department of Health.”
However, online e-commerce activities will still be available to customers.
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