Consultant begins review of Lindstrom municipal liquor store; council told to expect data and staffing analysis

Karnowski Consulting presented an initial, high‑level scope to analyze the Lindstrom municipal liquor store's operations, market position and systems. The consultant said the review will cover customer data, point‑of‑sale and inventory reporting, ordering and transaction fees, product assortment, staffing and human‑resources analysis, and a market analysis to define the store's target customers.

The consultant told the council the work is at an early stage and that some store data are currently anecdotal rather than data‑driven; they recommended capturing point‑of‑sale metrics and conducting a job analysis to determine staffing efficiencies. "We're gonna be looking at their advertising, CRM, and customer engagement," the consultant said, and added that the work would include a broker‑opinion valuation to understand options for operations or disposition.

Council members asked about the timeline and whether the study will address hours of service, Sunday sales and marketing/branding opportunities. The consultant said they expect to produce usable reports in a couple of months and recommended that council consider reserving budget capacity in the 2025 process for a possible operational restructure.

Councilors also raised the importance of product lines such as pull tabs and lottery tickets as income sources and asked staff to monitor those revenue streams. Staff and the consultant agreed to meet with store leadership and to collect point‑of‑sale data to inform recommendations.