Wine Racks in Toronto are closing early after running out of stock during LCBO strike

The provincewide LCBO strike has provided a huge boost to competitors who’ve been absorbing all of Ontario’s alcohol sales for the last two and a half weeks, but business has been perhaps too good, with shelves emptying out too fast for stores to keep up.

Grocery stores, indie retailers, and agency stores have been running low while customers have also been waiting weeks for online orders amid a rush of demand.

Now it seems that this far into the work action, chains like the Wine Rack and Beer Store have been having similar issues, with one Toronto outpost even having to close its doors because it ran out of product.

Shoppers hoping to grab a bottle at the High Park Wine Rack at 1721 Bloor Street West over the weekend were greeted with a locked door and a sign indicating that the shop had been forced to shutter, having absolutely “no stock” left.

“Sorry, we are CLOSED,” read a handwritten poster on the door, photographed by one local on Friday evening. It also stated that the outlet would be opening late the following day, at 3 p.m. instead of the usual 12 noon.

“Amazing times in beautiful Ontario,” the resident joked, sharing the photo to X.

Others chimed in with their own experiences of trying to secure bottles and cans amid the strike, with one person saying they “went to a beerless Beer Store today.”

Fortunately, after the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) and the LCBO reached a tentative deal on Friday and then went back on that deal, the two sides eventually settled on and ratified an agreement on Sunday, with LCBO stores set to open again on Tuesday.