For those who’d like beer delivered at their doorstep, and with just a few clicks of a button, the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation may soon make this dream a reality. After much consideration, the Crown corporation is looking to start a home delivery service for some of its most sought after alcohol products.
The move comes as a response to the growing trend of online shopping and home delivery along with evolving customer expectations. NSLC spokesperson Beverley Ware highlighted this by saying, “Customers expect to be able to shop for products online and then to have these products delivered directly to their homes … we would like customers to be able to shop with us in a way that’s convenient for them.”
The company already delivers cannabis directly to customers through Canada Post. However, the process and cost of delivering alcohol is quite different from delivering cannabis. Not to mention more challenging as well.
“When you are delivering packages of cannabis, they’re small and they’re light. Whereas looking at delivering beverage alcohol, they’re large containers, they’re heavy, they come in cans of various sizes and, of course, breakable glass containers,” emphasized Ware. She also added that it was still in its preliminary stages and therefore too early to say whether or not a fee will be included with delivery.
Quite naturally, the home delivery facility will not pertain to all products. Out of thousands of products, 400 will be eligible for home delivery along with a focus on top-sellers and locally made products.
In the last week of October, the NSLC posted a tender requesting information from potential delivery partners. Whilst requesting information, the company asked potential partners about their ability to deliver to all areas of the province between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. all seven days of the week. The document also requested for information pertaining to turnaround time, order status communication and verification of the buyer’s age. The NSLC mentioned that the national postal service – Canada Post too, would be considered as potential delivery partners for alcoholic beverages if they made a submission to the NSLC’s request form.
Those hoping to be spared from the winter chills during their beer runs this year will have to be patient though. Ware was confident to say that deliveries could only start as early as spring 2021 if all goes according to plan. In the interim, tasks that remain in the pipeline include finalizing the details of the service, finding a delivery partner and ensuring its workers are trained to handle a controlled substance.
