Tamil Nadu liquor staff face operational hurdles as bottle return system stumbles

Staff at Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) outlets across the state are encountering persistent challenges with the implementation of the bottle return scheme, officials said. The difficulties centre on malfunctioning point-of-sale machines and complications in processing the empty bottle redemption system, which has created operational bottlenecks at retail counters.

Salesmen have reported that the technical glitches with POS devices are hampering transaction processing, while the procedures for handling returned bottles remain cumbersome. These issues persist despite TASMAC staff having returned to regular working schedules, suggesting that backend system integration remains incomplete.

The bottle buyback scheme, introduced to incentivise customers to return empty liquor bottles, has faced implementation challenges since its rollout. The convergence of hardware malfunctions and process-related difficulties has created friction points at the point of sale, where customers and staff must navigate both purchasing transactions and bottle returns simultaneously.

TASMAC management has not issued a public statement on the timeline for resolving these technical issues. The problems highlight the broader challenges faced by state-run retail enterprises in India when deploying new operational systems across geographically dispersed networks.