The Kamloops Liquor and Cannabis Distribution Branch, located on Dallas Drive, is going behind picket lines indefinitely on Monday afternoon alongside the three other distribution centres located across the province.

This means, retailers and restaurants will need to stock up on booze before Liquor and Cannabis Distribution Branch wholesale and distribution centres will be in a strike position at 3 p.m. Monday.

The B.C. General Employees Union (BCGEU) served the 72 hour strike notice Friday and union President Stephanie Smith says the two sides aren’t talking to each other currently.

“We hope that’s going to be enough to incentivize the employer – government – to invite us back with a meaningful proposal around protections for wages against rates of inflation. If that doesn’t happen then our committee will have to look at escalating.”

Escalating potentially she says to other government services beyond liquor and cannabis distribution.

“It is a full picket at the four distribution centres and our escalation – there are lots of different ways that we could escalate and as I keep repeating and I hope someone in government is listening, we’re hoping this is enough to pick up the phone and call us.

Smith adds this is not rotating job action, as B.C.’s the four distribution centres, located in Kamloops, Delta, Richmond, and Victoria will be shut down.

“You know that’s a strategy discussion that the bargaining committee needs to have. If we feel that there’s a good faith offer that is something that would be considered. It may be that we’ll need to maintain some form of job action until we have a tentative agreement.”

However, Smith says the resumption of bargaining does not necessarily mean pickets would come down.

So how long can inventories last in bars, restaurants, private liquor stores and at cannabis retailers?

While responses vary, Dino Bernardo whos one of the owners of Fiore Fresco Cannabis, and the Commodore nightclub in Kamloops says the BCGEU strike is tough, particularly after the last two years.

“It’s really bad timing for us. It just seems every time you come back from the pandemic issues then something else happens and then you’re slowed down again. Like if this is prolonged and we can’t get product than I think this is going to effect us drastically.”

Bernardo says he put in a larger-than-normal liquor order when strike notice was issued Friday.

However, he explains its a different situation with cannabis.

“With alcohol, we can still go and purchase from the specialty liquor store on Columbia, but we just got an email saying that there’s no warehouse deliveries coming from the cannabis so I don’t know if we’ll be able to get cannabis products.”

Bernardo says he usually has enough cannabis products in inventory to last 2 -3 weeks, however other retailers may have less.

Additionally, he says the last four years have been a “perfect storm” on how to kill small business.

“You know with the cost of inflation – like the little things that used to cost a little bit are now costing a lot. You’re having a hard time finding staff. It’s kind of like the last four years have been a perfect storm of how to kill small business.”

-With Files from Abby Zieverink