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Mississippi Liquor Deliveries Still Lag as State Warehouse Works Through 172,000-Case Backlog

A software change at the state’s lone alcohol warehouse exposed the risk of a centralized system.

Overview

  • The revenue department says the warehouse is back at full capacity with about 172,000 cases pending and average delivery times near 17 days, improving from a March peak of more than 220,000 cases and 25 days.
  • A new warehouse program clashed with the old conveyor system, forcing a slower pallet-pick process and causing orders to show as shipped even when they had not left the building.
  • Retailers report four to five week waits, daily order caps near 100 cases, and gaps in 30% to 40% of usual items that push customers to visit multiple stores.
  • Lawmakers dropped a stopgap plan to let stores buy from out-of-state distributors, and at least four retailers have sued operator Ruan over losses with one case later withdrawn.
  • Officials say a higher-capacity warehouse is slated to open by year’s end to more than double throughput, though some reports point to 2027, underscoring how one facility can bottleneck the entire market.