Liquor Stores In One US State Are Facing Barren Shelves — Here's Why

There's nothing like kicking back with a cocktail to celebrate, well, many things. And there's nothing worse than being told you're out of luck when you go to the liquor store to purchase the main ingredient for your beverage. Sadly, that's what some folks in Mississippi are currently experiencing. The state hasn't gone completely dry, but it effectively made booze a rare commodity via a series of state-sanctioned snafus.

Mississippi is one of 17 states that have total control over liquor sales, which is why you won't find liquor sold in grocery stores in those states. All the hooch in the Magnolia State flows from a wholesale warehouse in Gluckstadt (ironically known as Lucky City), near Jackson. A few years back, the state decided it wanted a private company to run the warehouse and hired Ruan Transport Corporation for the job. In January 2026, Ruan Transport Corporation closed for two weeks to do inventory — but that wasn't all RTC was up to.

It also installed new software. However, that system didn't mesh with the existing infrastructure at the warehouse, namely the conveyor belts that transported cases of alcohol from one area to another. So, RTC removed some of those automated conveyor belts and replaced them with a new system that relied on people transporting the cases of square bottles of Jack Daniel's and spirits destined for stirred or shaken cocktails.

Yet, some business owners claim that RTC forgot the most important step in switching to a human labor solution: actually hiring said humans. By the time temporary workers arrived at Mississippi's state-run wholesale warehouse, it already had roughly 200,000 backorders that needed to be filled, and, of course, it didn't have enough supply to meet demand.

Months after the initial catastrophe occurred, business owners are still feeling the pain. Sometimes purchase agreements get filled; sometimes they are only partially filled after a company paid for a full order. Sometimes they get what they requested, and other times, they get products that they didn't even order.

Top-shelf liquor hasn't been a huge problem to secure, but more affordable spirits are scant. While the state and RTC attempt to figure out a solution that gets booze back on the shelves, restaurants, bars, and liquor stores are struggling to stay afloat. One business had to put a sign on its door telling customers it wasn't closing — it's just waiting for its orders to show up. There are huge amounts of merchandise just waiting to be delivered to some businesses. Smaller establishments without room to store extra stock are left with empty shelves and frustrated customers. 

When deliveries are short, the businesses are just taking whatever they can get because they need to have something to sell to keep the doors open. The latest solution proposed by the state involves the creation of a new warehouse to beef up supply. The thing is, it isn't expected to be fully operational until 2027. Many mom-and-pop corner stores in Mississippi argue they can't navigate this storm for that long, but with the state providing no other options, they may attempt to do just that. So if you're enjoying a cocktail tonight, lift your glass to all the thirsty Mississippians out there, because it may be a while before they can do it themselves.