Want to End the Ban of Alcohol Sales on Sundays?

[chizzle]

I just got this email from Hoosiers for Beverage Choices. They're trying to End the Ban on Alcohol Sales on Sundays at grocery, liquor and convenience stores. As someone who grew up in a state that didn't ban alcohol sales on Sundays, I would love to see an end of this Ban here in Indiana. It'd be nice to know that I could just grab a 6 pack of beer when I'm getting groceries on Sunday

"I hope you are doing well. I wanted to let you know that Hoosiers for Beverage Choices and the Change It Indiana campaign just reached a significant milestone- we now have 50,000 signatures on our online petition!
The support that exists throughout Indiana for modernizing our outdated alcoholic beverage laws has been overwhelming. Hoosiers clearly want more convenience, more choices, and better prices when they purchase their alcoholic beverages. And your demand for these common sense changes is being heard by lawmakers.
But the liquor store lobby continues their strong opposition to Sunday carryout sales and competition in the cold beer market. The only way we will be able to overcome their opposition is through growing our numbers.
Please take just a couple of minutes to forward this email to 3 friends that have not already signed the petition, and urge them to join the effort! Tell them to visit Hoosiers for Beverage Choices to sign the petition and send a note to their lawmakers. Let's see if we can double or triple our signatures before the next legislative session!"

 

[rambone]

Yes, please. One of the silliest bans ever.

 

[mrjarrell]

We were in Huntsville, AL two weeks ago and even they have Sunday sales. The people who are really against it here are the bars and the liquor stores, (lobbied for by John Livengood). They like things the way they are and don't want any more competition and they're quite willing to use government to squash the competition.

 

[tradertator]

Some alcohol laws have changed this year, and I forsee more in the near future.

 

[JJGatesE30]

Seems like a good link. Thanks, and cheers!

 

[christman]

Meh.. Don't much care either way.

 

[chizzle]

I hope you're right!

Some alcohol laws have changed this year, and I forsee more in the near future.

Hopefully lawmakers see that ending the Ban on Alcohol Sales on Sundays will really benefit the average Indiana resident (increasing our liberty by removing a needless restriction), and will make us just like many surrounding states that don't have the Ban.

 

[chizzle]

Beer Run...

Seems like a good link. Thanks, and cheers!

The sad part is, I barely drink! I just don't want to have to make a special "beer run" (insert song chorus here) because I often get my groceries on Sunday afternoon.

 

[beararms1776]

I've never been much of a drinker and never kept beer in the fridge around my son but there have been occasions I felt like a Long Neck Coors on Sunday. Heck, a 12 pack would last me a full year.

 

[JJGatesE30]

The sad part is, I barely drink!

Same here really, I work monday thru friday and dont really do much else during the week besides work. Drinking is for the weekends as far as I'm concerned, my time to let loose and have fun. The current law is just stupid and way outdated.

 

[pathfinder317]

I never have understood it , if you want to drink on sunday you just buy it on saturday , or go to a restaurant that sells on sunday , this is one ban that has never really done much of anything.

 

[04DarkShadowGT]

I dont drink, but it seems that those who want booze on Sunday shouldnt have to suffer for stuff they dont even believe in.

 

[chizzle]

I dont drink, but it seems that those who want booze on Sunday shouldnt have to suffer for stuff they dont even believe in.

Well said. While I fully respect the rights of other people to not partake on Sundays (I grew up in an area where this was fairly common) people still enjoyed the right to at least get groceries without the government intervening in their buying decisions. This law seems to add a restriction on the people of Indiana, without having any real benefit for the average citizen.

 

[printcraft]

It's an annoyance at best.
Like has been stated earlier we have a very busy family life and work
schedule and it seems like the only time we catch a small break to do
the shopping is on a Sunday.
If we are having and impromptu family dinner and my adult family members would like a glass of wine with their dinner it's a pain if I don't already
have one on the shelf. Sorry guys BYOW.

 

[IndyBeerman]

We were in Huntsville, AL two weeks ago and even they have Sunday sales. The people who are really against it here are the bars and the liquor stores, (lobbied for by John Livengood). They like things the way they are and don't want any more competition and they're quite willing to use government to squash the competition.

I've been in the wholesale beer business for 25 years both as a salesman and a driver this goes deeper than Joe Public being able to buy a cold six pack on Sunday.

I think everyone is missing the point on Sunday sales and them saying that they don't want anymore competition.

How about we make it a level playing field.

Liquor stores can't legally sell candy but do (gray area) they can't sell any cold pop, OJ or cold mixers. Food products such as bread, milk, deli meat or anything of the such, are not allowed, and by law they are not to have ANYONE inside the store under the age of 21 for any reason.

But grocery stores are allowed to sell beer/wine/liquor under an old antique law using a pharmacy license that says alcohol is for medicinal purposes (this license is several thousands cheaper to purchase).
They can sell a multitude of items including cold pop, OJ and anything that can be used as a mixer. They may also sell food products which a liquor store may not.

Now they are also allowed to have people under the age of 21 wandering the aisles where the product is.

They want Sunday sales, well how about them following the same laws as Liquors stores, purchase a regular retail license costing tens of thousands of dollars more, have a dedicated store front in-assessable from the main store and follow the same laws, this goes for convenience stores also.

You want your cold six pack on Sunday (they want cold sales also) from a grocery store, but you're willing to put hundreds of private business owners out of business that are already at a disadvantage because of the differing laws.

Let's put this in a better perspective, we'll just start letting grocery stores operate little side business out of the stores and maybe that side business just might be exactly what YOUR JOB is, then we'll see how you feel when you lose your livelihood because of that.

 

[chizzle]

Excellent post Beerman!

I really like the insight from IndyBeerman's post, but I take a slightly different call to action from it. I see both the Ban on Sunday Alcohol Sales and the Restrictions on Liquor Stores as two seperate problems; both are excessive restrictions on Indiana citizens. Thus, I don't see the point in keeping the former to make the latter's excessive restriction seem more equal.

My thought would be that we need to eliminate the Ban on Sunday Alcohol Sales, and then focus on a uniform and fair regulation for both grocery stores and liquor stores. I completely understand where IndyBeerman is coming from, that it doesn't seem to make any sense that Liquor stores are scrutinized so much more heavily, especially when they sell the same exact products (beer, liquor) that the grocery stores are selling.

Question for IndyBeerman; is there a reason more Liquor stores don't get a "grocery store" license? Just curious if there was a legal way around it for them.

A fair playing field is the right thing for Indiana citizens; thanks for your insight, IndyBeerman!

 

[Hoosier Gun Coat]

Makes no difference to me. Yeah it's a silly law but I always have beer in the fridge.

 

[IndyBeerman]

Question for IndyBeerman; is there a reason more Liquor stores don't get a "grocery store" license? Just curious if there was a legal way around it for them.

They can't, most if not all grocery stores operate under a pharmacy license and grocery stores are prohibited from cold sales.

Another thing that a lot of people also want to compare Indiana to is other states.

In South Carolina the "Liquor" stores (Liquor, because that is all they sell) are state owned, least that was the way it was the last time I was in SC 14 years ago (I'm sure that a lot of other states have their fingers in the liquor side to one extent or another) but everyone is allowed to sell cold beer, even grocery stores.

 

[Armed Eastsider]

Ive always thought the ban of alcohol sales on Sunday was extremely stupid.

 

[Blackhawk2001]

Seems to me when I came to live in Indiana in 1987, there were a number of things that couldn't be sold in Indiana on Sundays. It's a holdover from a time when the family worked six days and, even on farms, the Sabbath was reserved for church activities and rest. Such "blue laws" were not unknown in the southern states when I was passing through (military training at various bases) in the 70's. As I remember it, Louisiana had Parishes (county equivalents) where this was so, as did East Texas and Alabama. As it is here, the pressures to keep the bans in place were traditional and financial, and the pressures to overturn the bans were mainly financial.

In fact, I remember a time when you could not legally purchase Coors beer East of the Mississippi river.