Chennai: What was projected as a digital upgrade to give liquor buyers greater choice and transparency has instead exposed the deep-rooted nexus of Tasmac retail employees and suppliers to promote sales of certain brands. Buyers across Tamil Nadu said outlets refused to hand over brands booked online though the app showed stock availability.The state govt launched tasmac.tn.gov.in as an initiative to let buyers check real-time stock at outlets, select brands and book them online before visiting the shop. But the rollout has been marred by complaints, with buyers being told either that staff were not trained to handle online orders or that the liquor they had booked was unavailable at the outlet.Tasmac officials said that they received orders worth ₹7 lakh on Friday when the portal went live and Chennai topped the list with ₹3.5 lakh. Yet, Tasmac had to reimburse ₹50,000 as shops refused to supply liquor to many who booked online.Jerome S, of Mogappair, booked four pints of a particular beer brand online from shop No. 440 at Aminjikarai on Friday night, only to be told stock had run out. But when he checked the app at around 9.30pm, it showed 143 bottles were available. “There were representatives of liquor suppliers who seemed to decide what should be sold, while the salesmen remained mute spectators. When I asked one of them if he was a staff member, he left the shop,” said Jerome.Tasmac officials said the stock shown on the app is 30-minutes old and if the liquor is available at the shop at the time of booking, the bottles would be reserved and cannot be sold to others. Only what was booked can be sold to the buyers, not alternatives, they said.V Sankar, of Madipakkam, said staff at shop No. 4125 at Sadasivam Nagar mocked him for booking online and claimed the beer was unavailable. “Later, they said the stock was stuck somewhere. I got only one of the two varieties I booked and had to settle for an alternative,” he said.Sudarshan N, of Vandalur, said he booked liquor worth ₹910 on the website from shop No. 701 at Guindy, but when he visited, he was told that the staffers were not trained to supply liquor online. “I complained on Tasmac’s WhatsApp number and was assured reimbursement,” he said.Prohibition and excise minister K Vignesh said he has received complaints regarding refusal by salesmen to supply liquor for online orders. “ I will review the implementation of the scheme with the management on Monday, and issue suitable instructions,” he said.
