Article content continued

To order a case of each premium liquor he needs is just not possible, said Thienes.

“We don’t have massive amounts of sales where we can hold a $20,000 liquor inventory. We can’t pay our employees in (alcohol).”

Goulet said it would hurt his business to bring in premium products that will be difficult to sell.

“We can’t just bring a couple bottles in. We’re a little leery of bringing certain things in if they’re going to be too expensive. If the price is within reason, it’s not a problem. “

According to SLGA spokesperson David Morris, shipping full cases of product to liquor retailers is a standard practice for consumer goods.

“Manufacturers sell their products in full cases rather than individual bottles,” he said in an email.

“Many retailers, including SLGA stores, will sell individual bottles to commercial customers like restaurants. It’s up to individual retailers to decide.”

Previously, Thienes was able to order a single bottle from the Shaunavon SLGA store. If it wasn’t in stock, SLGA would arrange for a store-to-store transfer of one bottle.

Now, buying individual bottles isn’t an easy option.

Theoretically, Thienes’ can have product shipped to Shaunavon. Or he can drive to the nearest SLGA location in Swift Current to get that bottle of Macallan. It’s a two-hour round trip though, and one he’s now forced to make.

He said it’s a shame that money isn’t being spent in Shaunavon.

“I’m taking money that should have been spent in the community and taking it outside … because we’re not servicing the businesses within our own sector. We should be able to.”

At the end of the day, Thienes wants Shaunavon to prosper. And the new privatization model is not helping to make that happen.

“We chose to live here. We love being in our small towns. We’re trying to encourage growth, (but) we’re really feeling the frustration. It’s difficult enough to get things done out here.

“Either help us or get out of the way and let us manage ourselves.”

There are 46 new private retailers since the privatization model was rolled out in mid-2016. SLGA also operates 36 retail liquor stores in the province.

www.twitter.com/JennKSharp