With the deadline for negotiations between the LCBO and its employees looming over the end of the weekend, Toronto shoppers seized what could be their last chance to load up on booze from the store ahead of a potential strike.

“Everyone is kind of freaking out this weekend, (and) going to stock up,” Danica Bennewies said, while toting a “nice big bottle of tequila,” some coolers and wine at the LCBO’s underground PATH location near Union Station.

Bennewies said she and her friends want to have their liquor supplies full for the Canada Day long weekend.

“What I need to stock up on is the hard liquor,” she said, adding that she will have options for the rest. “I’m not concerned with beer or wine because of Loblaws, Wine Rack, the Wine Shop; it’s all covered.”

The LCBO and Ontario Public Service Employees Union have said they planned to negotiate around the clock ahead of the union’s threat of job action at 12:01 a.m. Monday.

Details of the bargaining are under a “media blackout” that OPSEU says was imposed by a conciliator Saturday morning.

The union says it won’t be providing any information about the talks while the blackout is in effect.

At the LCBO on Cooper St. near Yonge St. and Queens Quay Saturday, at least three employees pushing carts loaded with booze circled the store, refilling the blank spaces left by customers stocking up.

There were few morning shoppers, but by 4:30 p.m., every cash register was full with long lines reaching the shelves.

“We’re expecting guests over the next few weeks, and so we want to make sure that we have enough liquor to entertain them,” said Andrew Reddon, who left the shop with a box of vodka, gin, tequila, rum and wine in tow.

It’s more than he would normally buy, he said. Expecting to need to make more wine purchases soon, he said he’s willing to make a trip to Niagara Falls “if we get desperate.”

“I certainly want to see the union members get what they’re due, so if that requires a strike, we’ll live with it,” Reddon said.

The union is asking for more certainty from the LCBO over scheduling and guarantees about eventually gaining full-time jobs for its workforce, 84 per cent of whom work part time.

“I’m hoping they don’t strike, but I feel for the employees,” said Brian Kellett, a regular customer at the Maple Leaf Square location.

Kellett said that while union demands are important and its radio advertising campaign to get the message out was effective, he’d like to see stores stay open for the season.

“I think the timing of it is really funny because it’s the summer and it’s Canada Day coming up, so that’s kind of sad,” Kellett said.

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And while some local shoppers listed their “Plan B” stores to buy alcohol, others said they would hit up pubs in the event of a strike.

“We go to the Firkin. They won’t run out of beer . . . we have a backup plan,” said Jason Vanderholt, who picked up some white wine to pair with a fish dinner.

“My thoughts are to roll with it because I don’t really stock up to offset,” he said.

“I’ll just suffer along with the strike.”