Wegmans pulls plug on wine sales through kiosks

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Wegmans Food Markets Inc. is telling Pennsylvania’s government liquor agency that it’s canceling an agreement to sell wine through automated kiosks at 10 of its stores.

The Rochester, N.Y.-based grocery chain informed the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board of the decision in a scathing letter made public on Thursday.

The letter from Wegmans official Craig Hoffman says the machines have not been reliable and the company’s been getting too many complaints from customers.

That will leave 22 other wine vending kiosks in operation in Pennsylvania, with another 24 potential locations at Walmart stores.

Since the state’s first pilot kiosks went online about a year ago, consumers have used them to purchase 82,505 bottles at a total cost of $875,000.