Liquor inventory computer a bust; JobsOhio, state promise to address problems
Ohio replaced a 40-year-old computer system for tracking liquor sales and distribution two years ago at a cost of $21 million, with the promise that the system for running the state-controlled liquor business would be more accurate and reliable.
It's been anything but.
The new system has been a disaster of inaccurate inventory data, unreliable purchasing orders and incorrect sales information, according to about a dozen distillers, retailers and distributors, as well as state documents.
Problems have been so great that one medium-size distiller said it is owed $1 million, while another said it is out several hundred thousand dollars. Both said the numbers certainly are higher for the largest liquor producers.
"The level of frustration has been high," said Kristin Mullins, chief executive of the Ohio Grocers Association, whose members hold most of the state's liquor retail contracts. "With the new modernization program, things didn't work the way they thought it would work."
Read more: http://www.dispatch.com/news/20170319/liquor-inventory-computer-bust-jobsohio-state-promise-to-address-problems