Wine Kiosks on Track for PA Grocery Stores

The head of Pennsylvania's state liquor agency says a test of two wine vending kiosks at supermarkets is going well and it's likely that 98 more machines will soon be approved for operation across the state. Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board hief executive Joe Conti says a final decision should be made within two or three weeks, though he says a few bugs still have to be worked out before more kiosks are installed. Those glitches include wiring in the doors and the doors inability to seal during a power surge. If they are approved statewide, all of them could be up and running within three to six months. Conti says a plan to start installing them in western Pennsylvania first and then move east is being changed, so instead they'll be installed one grocery chain at a time. Sales at the two test stores in the Harrisburg suburbs are running 20 to 30 percent higher than anticipated. The kiosks have sold more than 3,300 bottles since June 21.