While I am sure that small package store owners are wonderful people, I can’t figure out why governments should be protecting them.
The only reason that Connecticut forbids alcohol sale Sundays, after 8 p.m., on holidays, is to protect the store owners who would have to hire help to stay open longer.
Do you see Connecticut helping restaurants or other businesses the same way? I don’t.
I think wine should be sold in grocery stores, just like in Florida.
Some town officials are catching on. Three mayors in Connecticut this week asked that the General Assembly permit the sale of alcohol on Sundays as a way of raising extra revenue.
As it stands now, Connecticut residents living near New York or Massachusetts can simply cross the border and get their booze on Sundays.
First of all, everyone has until 9pm (not 8pm) 6 days a week, except holidays, to buy that bottle of wine. That’s fine I’ll hire some help to open Sundays, but that $10 bottle of wine is gonna now cost you $15 and that 6pk that was $5.50 will now cost you $7. Those discount prices that you were use to will be long gone, prices will have to go up for us to afford that hired help and all the additional overhead cost.
I guess if 78hours a week isn’t enough time to pull you away from your computer to get out and buy that bottle of wine it isn’t that important to you. Therefore we don’t need to be here on a Sunday waiting for you.
The problem here is that people who don’t know anything about the subject are giving their opinion. Everyone, including the Mayor, should stop and ask us ‘package store owners’ what we think and Sunday Sales will really do for the state.
Lastly, optional Sunday Sales are NEVER optional when your competitor down the block opens his doors and you don’t. In the business world that’s not called an option.
I agree with Jen. By allowing Sunday sales we would be giving the supermarkets an advantage over the mom and pop stores. The supermarkets are already open so they would not have to hire more help so their expenses would not increase. I also don’t think adding Sunday sales is going to increase the amount of alcohol people consume so I don’t see how this is going to help with the state budget deficit.
real simple..open an hour later, and open for 6 hours on sunday. one of the two days in the weekend should not be “planned” for!!!!!
Jen
Thanks for taking the time to respond. I understand your position. The reality is though that liquor stores are given a special protection by the state that other mom and pop businesses don’t enjoy. The price of wine will GO DOWN instead of go up if all these regulations are removed. Why do people go to Mass to get their booze? Its cheaper. And liquor stores are open seven days a week and every grocery chain can sell wine in 3 of its outlets – like Trader Joe’s in Framingham where we get our Charles Shaw at $3 a bottle. I would rather get my wine at Trades Joes in West Hartford, but that store, like all grocery stores in Ct, are prohibited from selling wine.
There doesn’t seem to be a shortage of mom & pop liquor stores in MA, NY and FL and their prices don’t seem to be any higher than here. Like many families we do most of our grocery shopping on the weekend–either Saturday or Sunday and it would be nice to buy alcohol on either day when we’re out and about. I rarely buy beer at the grocery store–I prefer to go to the local place.
Fine, keep your stores closed Sundays, but tell your lobby to relent and not object to grocery stores selling wine. That’s the case in most other civilized states. I’m sick of the “mom and pop” stores holding all the cards.
I totally agree with you George. Remove all the day and time restrictions. Let’s go a step further and remove the price fixing in CT. This special group has had it made for years. As you pointed out, no other group gets protection like the liquor store owners. It sure would be nice to drive through New Hampshire on I-95 and not have to stop and stock up. I’m sure this would help CT bring in more tax dollars.
If we should be able to buy booze on Sundays, why shouldn’t we be able to buy alcohol after nine every day of the week? Most other states in the Union permit alcohol to be sold until at least midnight.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_alcohol_laws_of_the_United_States_by_state
If we’re going to do away with one “antiquated” blue law, let’s do away with all of them. If permitting alcohol sales on Sunday will increase our tax revenue because CT residents won’t go to Mass to buy it, think of all the Mass residents who would come to CT to buy liquor if we allowed sales after 11:30PM!
Why not let bars stay open past 1AM or 2AM? As it is, people just drive over to NY for cocktails when bars close in CT. Think of the tax revenue we generate!
George-
Huge chains like Trader’s Joe’s and other’s such as BJ’s, Stop & Shop…etc, are selling that bottle of wine for $3 because they can, they are buying it for $2.50, and purchasing them by the pallets. They can afford to only make 50cents or sometimes even less…It’s a marketing trick!! You come in to buy that $3 bottle but while you are there you will purchase another $100 or more in groceries!! They will pick a few big brand items slap them on the front of their weekly flyer and now they’ve got you!!
By the way, FYI, I sell the same items that these chains are famous for and my prices are only a dollar more, I don’t think that I’m breaking the bank. Plus I offer my customers free tastings of new items, sometimes that cost comes out of my pocket and at the same time I give my customers great service. I dare you to try and find that in a big chain store!
Tell me this, the grocery stores, variety stores…aka corner store/deli’s can sell beer but I can’t sell groceries, not even a piece of candy or gum! What type of protection is the state giving me?!?! How do I grow my business, not only are there 5 other liquor stores in a 3 mile radius but there are probably another 20+ corner stores/deli’s that sell beer…and who knows what else after hours and on the weekends, including Sunday’s, which as of yet is ILLEGAL!! On top of all that I still have to worry about the chain stores and other threats like this Sunday Sales idea.
In my opinion instead of trying to get us to open on Sunday, they should be closings these Variety Stores, aka Corner Stores, aka Deli’s…they hide behind these deli licenses and sell on Sundays and after hours in urban cities. That sounds like a big loop whole that the state created to protect them NOT me. These stores have an 80%+ mark up on Sunday. I have heard from varies customers that on a Sunday that have paid up to $42 for a 24pk of Corona… I make $5 on the same case if I buy in on this item when it’s on sale through the distributor. These guys make an additional $10, that’s $15 on one case of beer…how many do you think they move? The state knows but they turn their head. All they would have to do is pull their invoices, why do they move so much volume, are they a liquor store or a grocery store? Then put them on watch until they are caught red handed. Then revoke their license and the one at the address of their business permanently…that way they don’t have a chance to transfer the permit to another relative. Again protected by the state, NOT me, them, doing illegal business yet still protected! I can go on and on….
Why aren’t Mayor Finch of Bpt, Mayor DeStefano of New Haven and Mayor Perez of Hartford looking to solve the problems in their cities vs. trying to open doors that will create new ones!! The 5 or 8 million they think will come in to the state is going to cost their cities much more in the long run!
Why is it that only the Mayors from these huge urban areas want this law passed? Why aren’t cities and towns from suburbia coming forward and pushing the idea of Sundays sales. The reason is that they like the tranquility of their neighborhoods, that’s why they live in suburbia. The little in tax revenue that they will see is simple not worth it. There are plenty of other places to make cuts…try city hall.
Our big cities are already held down enough by the stigmas that are created around them, the people we put in office should be concentrated on lifting those stigmas instead of drowning their cities deeper into them.
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Wow, someone (Jen) has been drinking the Kool-Aid. I would back my answer more but I don’t have to, Governor Malloy is doing it for me.
Wow. Dumb. Might as well ask package store owners & employees to work 24/7. Oh? That’s ridiculous & they should take days off if they need? Well, who’s going to work in their place? And revenue will simply spread through the days rather than rise any significant amount because new or extended hours don’t directly increase customer count? Therefore the money lost on payroll/heating/cooling/etc negate those open hours? Not to mention the new competition between stores due to lack of regulations on the number of stores that are allowed to operate in a given population. And you also want bars open till 4am or later like NY? When will those who work both professions have a life or sleep then? And no. Working at a bar does not equate a social life. DUMB!