525 FW&GS stores across Pennsylvania will be open for retail sales
Harrisburg – The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board today announced that 176 more Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores in counties designated in the yellow phase of COVID-19 mitigation efforts will resume limited in-store public access beginning Friday, June 5, abiding by guidance for businesses issued by the Wolf Administration detailing social distancing requirements and other best practices in the interest of public health and safety.
Effective Friday, 525 Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores across Pennsylvania will allow limited in-store public access. The 176 stores that will open Friday are located in the following counties: 14 in Berks County, 31 in Bucks County, 19 in Chester County, 17 in Delaware County, 13 in Lackawanna County, 19 in Lancaster County, 17 in Lehigh County, 33 in Montgomery County, and 13 in Northampton County.
The following mitigation efforts will be in place as these stores resume limited in-store public access:
- Stores will limit the number of customers in a store at any time, allowing no more than 25 people (employees and customers) in any location and further restricting numbers of customers in smaller stores.
- The first hour each store is open each day will be reserved for customers at high risk for COVID-19, including those 65 years of age and older. Voluntary compliance from all customers is encouraged in the interest of protecting the health and safety of our most vulnerable community members.
- Customers and employees will be required to wear masks and practice social distancing, guided by signage throughout the stores.
- Signage will also direct customers to follow one-way patterns to avoid cross-traffic and encourage them to refrain from touching products unless they intend to buy them.
- Store employees will perform enhanced and frequent cleaning and disinfecting, and store hours will be modified to ensure appropriate time for cleaning and restocking.
- All sales are final, and no returns will be accepted until further notice.
Prior to opening to the public, each location was professionally sanitized, and Plexiglas was installed at registers to provide a physical barrier between employees and customers at checkout. All Fine Wine & Good Spirits employees are being provided masks, gloves, and frequent opportunities to wash hands.
The PLCB had intended open all Fine Wine & Good Spirit stores across Pennsylvania on June 5, however store damage and looting, primarily in Philadelphia, has disrupted operations at a number of stores. Although all Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores in Philadelphia have been closed since Monday, curbside pickup will resume on Friday at 17 stores in Philadelphia.
Thirty-one stores in Philadelphia and one store in Delaware County will remain closed for the foreseeable future due to extensive damage. Additionally, one store in downtown Pittsburgh damaged by looting is expected to reopen Friday.
Stores reopening to limited public access will continue offering curbside pickup to the best of their ability, as they operate with limited staff. Statewide curbside pickup sales from April 20 through June 4 total more than 1 million orders for $72.1 million, including sales tax, according to preliminary, unaudited figures.
The PLCB will also continue accepting online orders at
FineWineAndGoodSpirits.com. According to preliminary, unaudited figures, e-commerce sales from April 1 through June 4 total more than 212,000 orders for $20.3 million, excluding sales tax. In fiscal year 2018-19, e-commerce sales between July 1, 2018, and June 30, 2019, totaled 39,000 orders for $5 million.
The PLCB regulates the distribution of beverage alcohol in Pennsylvania, operates nearly 600 wine and spirits stores statewide, and licenses 20,000 alcohol producers, retailers, and handlers. The PLCB also works to reduce and prevent dangerous and underage drinking through partnerships with schools, community groups, and licensees. Taxes and store profits – totaling nearly $18.5 billion since the agency’s inception – are returned to Pennsylvania’s General Fund, which finances Pennsylvania’s schools, health and human services programs, law enforcement, and public safety initiatives, among other important public services. The PLCB also provides financial support for the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, other state agencies, and local municipalities across the state. For more information about the PLCB, visit
lcb.pa.gov.
MEDIA CONTACT: Elizabeth Brassell, 717-919-1905
EDITOR’S NOTE: Media are encouraged to honor the following guidelines to protect Fine Wine & Good Spirits store staff and customers.
- Follow social distancing guidelines, remaining at least six feet away from any other individual.
- Respect the wishes of store staff or customers who do not want to be photographed, recorded, or approached.
- Direct all questions to the PLCB Communications Office, as store staff will be busy assisting customers.