Business - Business News

POSTED: Thursday, Jul. 02, 2009

Glitch at warehouse delays liquor delivery to some Bellingham bars

A recent computer glitch at a Seattle distribution center could make it harder to get liquor for Fourth of July celebrations in Washington.

On June 8, a state distribution center discovered that new software it had been using to get the right number of liquor cases to businesses at the right time was calculating incorrectly, said Brian Smith, communications director of the Washington State Liquor Control Board.

Since the problem was discovered, only 65 to 70 percent of orders have been filled. Usually the center is able to send out 95 percent of all orders, Smith said.

The glitch has been fixed, but the south Seattle distribution center is still behind schedule, Smith said. Extra warehouse workers are being paid overtime by the state to help speed up the process of moving boxes into trucks and across the state to liquor stores and businesses.

"We've seen a huge volume of requests coming in for the holiday weekend," Smith said Wednesday, July 1. "The day before yesterday we had a request for 41,000 cases, and the average we're able to send out is 18,000. Just to keep up, the demand is huge. It's overwhelming."

Businesses in Bellingham including Dos Padres, the Copper Hog and Bayou on Bay have been affected by the delivery delays.

Aaron Matson, owner of the Copper Hog, said his business has been running low on Seagram VO whiskey, Beefeater gin and tequila. But the delays haven't been frequent enough to cause problems for customers, he said. The same has been true at the other businesses.

Management at other local establishments such as Bob's Burgers & Brew and the Horseshoe Cafe weren't even aware of the problem.

Though distribution won't be completely back to speed until after the holiday weekend, Smith said production hasn't been down enough to hinder party plans.

"Don't worry," Smith said. "This won't be a dry Fourth of July."