The ABC warehouse disaster continues to claim victims among restaurants, bars, casinos, and package stores throughout Mississippi. Big or small, they are all suffering. Several have closed shop. Meet one casualty of the mess.
Kingfish: This is the Kingfish of Jacksonjambalaya.com and what you are seeing right now is the empty shelves at Arrow Wine and Spirits out here in Clinton, Mississippi. It's a fairly large store, but right now as you can see, the shelves are kind of empty right now. We are with Shaun Blakeney, owner and manager of the store.
Kingfish: Manager of the store. So tell us what's been going on.
Shaun Blakeney: Well, since the second week of January, we've been, um, we've been pushed back and been not getting stock on the regular. Um, they had inventory the first couple of weeks of, of January and then they had a, um, they were moving or disassembling some equipment is what we were told. And, um, then they had issues. (Addressing customers) Hey y'all. And um, they didn't, couldn't get it back together or something to that effect. We're not sure what exactly, but we're not getting stock on the regular. Um, there, to as of today, there's over 1,200 out of stocks available in Mississippi. Um, so that's the staples, all your Tito's, your Taaka, your Burnett's, some of the Crown Royal is still out. I mean, the things that people want to buy. There's plenty of stuff to buy, but not the things that the customers are wanting and asking for right now.
Kingfish: What are the popular ones that you can't get right now?
Shaun Blakeney: Right now it's Taaka and all the 50 mL's, the little bitty tiny bottles, those are popular. Any Margarita, you know, I don't have, the premixed Margaritas, the 1800, the Jose Cuervos, they're not available right now. And they're having shipment issues, they're saying they're still having issues at the warehouse. we're not allowed to go there, so I don't know what it looks like. I can just go by what's been told to me. And we don't see, we're only open five hours on Friday.
Kingfish: Yeah, that's, that's another thing. You've had to cut your hours back. You're normally open six days a week.
Shaun Blakeney: 10 to 10 normally.
Kingfish: And what are you now?
Shaun Blakeney: Five hours on Friday.
Kingfish: That's it.
Shaun Blakeney: That's it.
Kingfish: And what are those hours? Put in, put in a plug.
Shaun Blakeney: It's two to seven.
Kingfish: Okay.
Shaun Blakeney: Yeah.
Kingfish: Two to seven.
Shaun Blakeney: Two to seven.
Kingfish: And... Every Friday, two to seven?
Shaun Blakeney: Every Friday, two to seven.
Kingfish: Normally, how many cases would you be ordering a week?
Shaun Blakeney: Well, we'd probably get anywhere between three and 400 a week.
Kingfish: So you normally order 3 to 400 cases.
Shaun Blakeney: Yeah, in good times we would order between 300 and 400 cases a week.
Kingfish: And so what, how many are you actually getting right now?
Shaun Blakeney: I am not getting any orders right now because we're not ordering right now.
Kingfish: Oh you're not?
Shaun Blakeney: We're not ordering right now because the, the only thing they're, they have in there for us to buy are the things that the customers, our customers are not interested in buying. And instead of wasting my money to put That was just some customers that couldn't find something, yeah. Um, they, they want the stuff they want. They don't want stuff that I'll sit on. I need something that's going to turn a profit fast. That's the name of the game. I mean, this economy is terrible. Um, we need something that's going to sell quickly. I don't want to be sitting on money that's just sitting on the shelf, which is what I have in here now. I have plenty of bourbon. I have plenty of, of some wine, some high end wines and stuff. That's not what, that's not what sells right now. It doesn't sell at all. So.
Kingfish: So what's your opinion right now of the ABC?
Shaun Blakeney: Ruan?
Kingfish: and Ruan.
Shaun Blakeney: I mean, you know, well, I don't, I don't really know much about, I just hear bits and pieces. We don't get to talk to a lot of people since we're not here every day. The reps don't come by. We have one dedicated rep that comes and sees us and kind of keeps us in the loop. Um, the owner, he gets emails and has all the ins and outs of all that. I don't get to see those things. So I just, uh, I just hope that it's getting better before it gets worse.
Kingfish: Anything you want the people to know?
Shaun Blakeney: Please come buy from me. I got stuff! And Roddy's here and Kevin and the whole gang, and we're fun. So, yeah.
Kingfish: All right, and you're open again when?
Shaun Blakeney: Next Friday, 2 to 7.
42 comments:
It's embarassing what the "pro-business" government leaders are doing to these folks. Shame!
Fire Chris Graham.
"Hi, I'm from the government and I'm here to help you." Leadership is not Tater's middle name.
Fire Tater.
privatize alcohol distribution in MS
A B O L I S H A B C
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Damn thats wild. At least the baptists are happy. This is a bigger story than most people realize
Go see Phillip Gunn! He is running for Governor and secured that sweet heart land development deal for his Clinton buddies before leaving the Lt Governor"s office.. It's just around the corner from you so Im sure that he wants to help you out!
All the good stuff is gone-
Does anyone know where I can get one of those t-shirts?
Save the liquor!
MS state government is not even capable of running a lemonaid stand.
Mississippi staying last, one bottle of booze at a time. Way to go Tater. Isn't the Republican party the PRO-BUSINESS PARTY?
K.F. needs to interview Chris Graham!
It would never happen but each unsuccessful attempt to contact them to arrange an interview or ask questions could be posted here.
If the ABC and Ruan are in hiding and refuse to answer questions about their debacle then shame them for it!
Speaking of Chris Graham and the State Tax Commission, I have a B16 tag on my truck. Renewed it in September at my local county tax collector's office. Tag never came in. I went to local tax collector(Rankin County) and told them it didn't come in. They made me go to the Sherrif's dept to fill out an affidavit that it was lost or stolen. I told them I didn't know if it was lost or stolen because it never reached me. I did it anyway. Then they wanted me to pay for a replacement, on something that was never in my possession. I then went to Clinton. Lady said I didn't need to pay that as I never received the tag and she'd mail me the renewal. This was in late October/November. It's April and I still don't have a tag. The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing, that applies to all MS Government. Seems all of the state tax commission is ran like the ABC.
Have you made all your required political donations to your local politicans and political appointees? This kind of 'problem' can sometimes be a 'reminder' to keep current with the local fixers.
If the state has a logistics problem due to equipment failure, just let the store owners come and get the stuff. WTF is wrong with doing that? Reminds me of Katrina.
We have to many package stores in our state
The remedy comes in the form of Mississippi palm grease.
I'll drink to that.
The problem at ABC is everything before actually driving the delivery truck down the road to the customer.
The warehouse is in some sort of major chaos and the systems either don't work together or at all.
They couldn't find the stock or properly account for the stock in any way if the stores showed up at the warehouse to pick up the orders.
We don't have "to many" package stores if they are all making a profit and staying open.
Supply and demand will handle that problem.
As a reminder, these package store, bars, and restaurants are mostly small, local businesses. You know, the ones we're supposed to be supporting.
Just go to Louisiana and get whatever you want at any grocery store. I have friends that can buy Buffalo Trace by the case at their grocery stores way cheaper. If I was a liquor store owner, that is what I would do, and dare them to write me a ticket.
Maybe use AI to run the warehouse. Yea, that's the ticket. What could go wrong?
Many of you voted for the governor who made it his mission to gut his own government. And you giggled with glee as fElon slashed the federal government. So what do you want? You are expecting top notch service from a bare bones government? Doesn’t work that way, hoss.
What land development deal are you talking about? And when did he serve as Lt Governor? Geez
Buy local and support small businesses, they say. But did I see some local politicians making a booze run across the river from Vicksburg? Does Tater send a driver on booze runs?
Not really, it’s alcohol. You sound like it’s a vital ingredient to the life cycle. It really isn’t that big of a deal like most people think.
I recommend that we name all whiskey after Tate and all gasoline after Trump. "I'm gonna fill up with Trump Gas and then stop by the liquor store for some Tate Whiskey." (Trump loves to have his name on stuff so gasoline is an excellent choice for him.)
Cannabis consumption on the rise, continued increase in the number of ABC stores allowed given new state dry laws. This means some are going to fail as the demand for products decrease and there is multiplying competition. Yes ABC Warehouse is an issue, but real business metrics tells you demand was being met before the change in the liquor laws and cannabis laws.
If this were actually accidental, then I'm pretty sure SOMEONE (be it the State, or the company contractually obligated to run the warehouse) would have hired TEMPS, who would have moved the damn liquor around, using forklifts or dollies or wheelbarrows or little red wagons or....
But this situation is clearly not accidental. Mistakes were NOT made. Once it's too late to stop whatever's planned, we'll find out what what this was about.
Chris Graham, Director of DOR, which oversees this mess, also just happens to the chairman of the National Alcoholic Beverage Control Association.
"NABCA’s mission is to support member jurisdictions in their efforts to protect public health and safety and assure responsible and efficient systems for beverage alcohol distribution and sales."
https://www.nabca.org/news-release/chris-graham-voted-incoming-chair-elect-nabca-board
How embarrassing.
@April 20, 2026 at 11:13 AM - DOGE exposed $175B in government waste including most notably the USAID slush fund. However, that is not relevant to this blog topic, as ABC is funded and staffed - they just failed in the implementation of a new order processing and inventory control system.
It's a vast Baptist conspiracy.
Next thing you know some joker will be asking if his middle name is "GetPaid" as in Tate GetPaid Reeves.
Less government is always a better offer. We all bitch about how nothing gets done in government. If you depend on the government to supply you what you need, you are already behind.
@10:03 is just one of many stories of dealing with MDOR. The most incompetent, ANTI-business agency in the state.
Lemonaid!! Like Medicaid!!!
I can assure you Graham has already siphoned off his share of allocated bourbons from the little bit the state receives. Perk of the job is getting to it first before us peasants can get our hands on some PVW or the like.
Sounds like an interview with Jack Webb:
So, you're open next Friday, Huh?
Yep, Friday, Mr. Friday, 2 to 7.
2 to 7, huh? That right?
Yes sir, 2 to 7, Friday, Mr. Friday.
Where are the bootleggers when you need one or a hundred.
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