This weekend marks the third of Ontario's famous LCBO strike, and though the sunshine is calling for park beers and cottage cocktails, people are having a hard time getting their hands on alcohol in the province.

Grocery store and bottle shop shelves are being emptied out, bars are unable to get adequate stock of certain drinks, and those ordering from the LCBO online are finding themselves waiting far longer than anticipated.

Shelves at grocery stores empty as LCBO strike shows no signs of ending https://t.co/a69pTFptCz

— blogTO (@blogTO) July 15, 2024

Even though all locations of the retailer closed its doors on July 5 — all standard locations, that is, as LCBO Agency partners are still selling — the LCBO website remains a viable option for those looking to stock up.

But, inevitably, demand is at an all-time high, meaning lengthy delays and backlogs, especially as business customers like restaurants are being prioritized.

Some online have said that despite being given 2-5 day delivery windows when they purchased, they are still waiting for orders more than 10 days later.

"Site warns that due to high volumes it'll take longer — wondering what the actual timeline is," one person said in one Reddit post asking what others' experience with the system has been this week.

LCBO shipping
byu/Reasonable-Egg887 inontario

One commenter said that after ordering on July 8, they received a notification that their products had shipped on July 12. But, they wrote, "It still hasn't budged. I don't expect it any time soon." Another said their order from early in the strike arrived five days later, but that "Stock of everything I looked up this week is now unavailable."

"I ordered July 9th. Tracking says it's shipped and has been sitting in an Oakville warehouse since July 15," one frustrated resident wrote. Others suggested planning for "at least 8-10+ days" at this point in the work action is probably wise.

Others shared stories of their orders making little progress with few-to-no updates, no tracking information, and waits of anywhere from a few days to more than two weeks.

"I had placed my order last Thursday, the 11th. Only received shipping confirmation on the 16th and haven't really received updates since," one wrote. "At first the tracking said guaranteed delivery yesterday which didn't happen... no estimate for delivery time now."

Has anyone ordered from the LCBO website in the last week?
byu/Hilerrible inontario

In a comment to blogTO, an LCBO representative said "given the impact of OPSEU's strike, we are experiencing a high volume orders."

"We appreciate our customers' patience should delivery take longer than anticipated," they added.