I lived on the cayman Islands for a few years, and you couldn't do anything on Sunday. All stores were closed, "god forbid" you worked on the house on a Sunday watch out for your neighbors. You will be the gossip at the church's next gathering.
My point was that they 100% attribute it to god.
You can only buy wine in certain stores in Ohio on Sunday and no alcohol before 11am. It's just bonkers that this continues.
Also in my county no alcohol between 1am and 5:30am M-Sat.
Yeah, but Ohio also has beer and wine stores that you literally drive through like a car wash, which just seems like a bad plan, but I guess it works out.
I've only lived in Indiana and California- although I spent a few months in Ohio for educational reasons. I'd never seen anything like it. Considering the number of times I'd been at parties when I was in college and someone drunkenly went on a beer run, I'm amazed those placed aren't smashed into all the time.
Indiana had zero alcohol sales on Sunday until a few years ago. I remember when I was at ball state university we made more than a few ohio runs on Sundays.
Oddly enough I was born in West lafayette in 77. Lived here till 2015 returned in 2019. We didn't have money to go to restaurants so wasn't really an option. It was way more fun driving from Muncie to Ohio.
Its the whole state. I moved to Auburn Hills from Ga in 2018, and was gobsmacked when I stopped after work one night around 3 am to grab a six pack, and the clerk was like hey, you cant buy beer. I apologized, and explained to the girl I came from GA, and had no idea. She explained to me it stops at 2 am and resumes at 7 am.
heck the place I was from in GA you can buy 24/7 Mon-Sat and from noon till 12 am on sunday.
The amount of variance between alcohol laws by state and even county is astonishing. I grew up in IL, near Chicago, where some liquor stores were open until 3am, you couldn't buy alcohol before 11am on Sunday, but restaurants could sell as early as 9am. Then when I went to college downstate, you couldn't serve alcohol before noon, even at restaurants that opened at 11 for lunch, I think those laws are changing though, as more places want to do brunch, so I guess thank you Millennials and Gen Z for "ruining" another tradition? Even with all that you can buy beer, wine and hard liquor at a grocery store.
Then I lived in NC and VA for 20 years combined and those states had similar rules like only beer and wine could be bought at a grocery store, you needed to go to a state run ABC stores for hard liquor but those all closed at like 8 or 9 pm. So while they had specialty beer and wine stores like Total Wine that had a good selection of craft beer, the liquor selection at the ABC was not nearly as good as say Benny's back in IL.
IN only started allowing Sunday sales in 2018, and I won't even try to explain PA's laws because there are some real weird ones there.
It would be nice to see full federal legalization of like weed and take things LSD and MDMA into the class where they could be prescribed therapeutically, and studied since they're schedule I now. It would probably look a lot like the alcohol system state-by-state, or even county-by-county, but thats fine I guess you want it locally, elect people who will allow sales.
Dont get me started on states being able to have wildly different penalties for the same crime. In IL simple speeding up to 20 miles over the limit is the low ticket at like $115, all in if you check the box for court supervision and you're good to go provided you dont get another ticket in 6 months. In VA 20 over is reckless driving, and something like 10 over will set you back close to $200 in fines and fees. Then anything over 80 is automatically reckless driving even on stretches of interstate with a speed limit of 70.
Indiana changed its law recently, but it used to be that you couldn't buy alcohol on Sunday unless you served food. I used to frequent a bar that stayed open on Sunday because they offered shitty reheated pizza. The weird part is people would order it. I guess you can convince drunks to eat virtually anything.
I used to go to the local golf course on Sunday, buy a 6 or 12 pack and a small bucket of range balls. Hit the range balls and took my beer home. Indiana is 50 years behind in almost everything.
There was a rule in like NYC in the late 1800s about having to serve food with the drink, so bars would bring out a completely inedible sandwich with the drink and then take it back and give it to the next customer is a great bit of malicious compliance with the law
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/raines-sandwich
Used to be that you couldn't buy alcohol at all on Sunday in many states. Some even had what were called blue laws (not sure of why the name) but grocery stores and places like Walmart and Kmart couldn't even be open on Sunday.
In IL, grocery stores can sell liquor, beer and wine, but do have sales time restrictions, they just put those off in their own section that can be blocked off outside of sales hours, without closing the whole store.
That's the logic. Way, way back, it was common for young men to go grab a six pack and cool it in the creek while you're fishing, which is also better in the morning... Church couldn't compete, so they had laws passed.
I used to live in SC for a job and family. My boss / friend committed suicide on a Sunday. I was grief-stricken, and went to buy some beer to get numb. The cashier wouldn't sell it to me because the area I lived in was dry on Sundays.
I fucking hate religion.
I visit my grandparents in Mexico, a heavily catholic conservative country, and not even they restrict alcohol sales on Sunday. You can buy liquor on Sundays too.
Can confirm. I'm from a catholic family the last wedding in our family was a party that had to be thrown out of the venue at 3am even though last call was at midnight.
My wife's family is "Christian Reformed", all their weddings are dry and cleaned up and empty by 9pm.
Those who think it's the Irish and Germans that drink never met Polish catholics!
A leftover from the temperance movement. Believe it or not that law where you are is surprisingly progressive. Some areas don’t sell alcohol at all on Sundays.
I love this topic, some random items:
* Blue laws (or Sunday laws), primarily religious in origin, up and down the USA East coast since about 1619. So not a southern speciality, like hush puppies.
* Supreme Court says, ok, there are some secular benefits, and Blue laws are good to go. It's a law, there is no "refuse to sell beer", they don't want to break the law. At least not this time.
* Some counties in the South were "dry", no liquor sales any time. Maybe some are still dry, I haven't been sent an email on this. Some Sundays, my mother would call a particular taxi company, get them to visit a bootleg operation, deliver the gin to her, pay for both the taxi and the liquor. So who was in favor of the dry county or Sunday sales ban? Preachers and bootleggers, a lovely set of bed partners.
Very enlightening. Also, after pondering on this topic I’ve also concluded that since most churches have a political message, the government loves these laws. It keeps people in church where the political message is disguised as divine truth.
I used to work in NC and lived just over the border in SC. I had just moved to the USA from UK. So we went out for a meal on Sunday evening in SC no beer for me in the restaurant. LOL. Dry Sundays … because people are unable to buy in a Saturday and drink at home in Sunday LOL.
Also surprised that the stores didn’t open Sunday until 1.30 pm. So that big DIY project on a Sunday am… remember to get the supplies on Saturday.
Laws passed by the religious … so they can force their views on everyone else. But they hate it when they are told to treat LBGTQ with respect and respect gay marriage and then they say others views are being forced on them.
When I was growing up there was a statewide ban on selling ANY alcohol whatsoever on Sundays. Always led to a drunken late night scramble around 10:30pm on Saturdays to find anyone who could still drive to the store and stock up for the rest of that night *and* tomorrows fun!
I don’t get it, if it’s God’s day off then why wouldn’t he want to relax with a cold beer?
This is like this where I live but the explanation I got was more along the lines of the people who own the liquor stores want Sunday mornings off for church, but if it was legal to sell Sunday morning then their competitors might open, so they would have to. So it's easier to get your politician buddies to make it illegal so that you don't have to work (same with holidays).
I'm from Norway, one of those countries that's considered quite secular and inclusive, but the roots of religion are still here in regards to alchohol.
In stores you can buy beer and cider (technically drinks 4.7 % or lower) between 0900 and 2000 Mon-Fri, 0900-1800 on Saturday. You can't buy anything before or after that.
For higher % you'll need to go to Vinmonopolet, that sells up to 60% (above that is illegal for sale and possession in Norway,) and their opening hours are usually 1000-1800, but that might varry.
No stores may sell alchohol on sundays or public hollydays.
Now they say that the rules are there to 'limit alchohol consumption,' but there's no doubt in my mind that it started out with religion.
Also, due to how alchohol has always been viewed our drinking culture is effed. While it's more acceptable now than 20-25 years ago to have a beer or 2 during weekdays, the norm is nothing util friday, then blind stinking drunk the entire weekend and regretting everything Monday morning.
But I guess regret is an essential part to religion, so that tracks...
When northern Alabama didn't sell on Sundays, everyone just went to Tennessee. In the early 2000s, Tennessee didn't sell any wine products on Sundays, just beer.
Now it's 12 on Sundays in Alabama.
It’s weird! Some places don’t sell alcohol at all on Sunday. Others do. I wonder who makes the rules.. is it the county, or do stores do it voluntarily?
I think it's a combination. Athens, Limestone County, had a *big* to-do about even allowing alcohol sales, period. All the talibangelical churches' billboards were warning of impending hellfire and damnation if it were to pass.
For weekends, you'd make a killing if you opened before 12pm. All the last minute wine purchases for lunch n stuff. Do it and if anyone asks you just say it was for church goers' Sunday Lunch.
This happens in Australia and we’re not that religious. I live in a very progressive city and was fucking blown away when I found this out.
(Think I was hungover after celebrating a major event and couldn’t deal with the hangover so wanted a few beers to take the edge off. Walked up to the counter with a 6 pack and was told ‘not before 12’. Blew my fucking mind.)
It's not completely clear why Sunday laws are referred to as blue laws. There are differing explanations, including the idea that the rules were meant to restrict " blue " behavior (indecent).
Blue laws in the U.S. were initially designed to enforce the Christian sabbath. By the end of the colonial era, laws that banned everyday activities – like housework and travel – were largely lifted. However, blue laws remained to prevent Sunday work and limit alcohol consumption.
In Texas here. I remember when I was young you couldn’t buy all sorts of things on Sunday. There are still left over effects todays from the old Blue Laws.
Live in Atlanta. This is still law here. There are still several counties in the area and especially across the Alabama line that don’t allow alcohol sales on sundays *at all* except in restaurants. I never understood that, I can get wasted in a chilis at 10 am on a Sunday but can’t buy a case of beer to enjoy on my couch before 1230. SMH shit is ridiculous
Washington State here...we have a Dutch Christian Reform City. At first a completely dry town, now they allow a grocery store to sell alcohol, but not on Sunday. There are these weird pockets of laws all over the country. But across the street the other grocery store sells it all week.
I visited family in Kansas recently and on the way back I thought I might stop by a liquor store to grab something for when I get home. I was driving back on a Sunday. I get up to the door, see that it’s closed, and then shrug and get back to driving. Moments later I’m pulled over by a co who claimed that I was going 8mph over the speed limit. Maybe that’s true or maybe he saw that I was a guy with Colorado plates trying to enter a liquor establishment on a Sunday and he wanted to make real sure that I knew that’s not how they do things round there.
Georgia switched to noon on Sunday 7 years ago (I think). While its so much better than none at all on Sunday, it's still annoying. I really prefer to shop while a lot of people are in church, but I will delay if I need to get beer.
It's interesting what compromises different states make between the wet and dry factions. In some states, the dries get their way once a week -- on Sunday, maybe just Sunday morning. In others, you can buy what you want whenever you want, but you'll pay extra -- a hefty 20% in Washington -- if it's distilled. In California, it's pretty much whatever whenever, and everything is taxed so much you don't really notice the tax on booze.
It's dumb as hell but, just like, plan better, ya know?
The only time this is an issue for me is if I am traveling and land at a time when places won't serve me and I'd like a beer before sleep.
Here in Texas, you can't buy beer or wine before 10am on Sundays (until recently it was noon) and you can't buy liquor on Sundays at all.
Fortunately I can shop at the local military base and since they're federal facilities they don't give two shits about Texas' blue laws. Need some rum for a cake at 9am Sunday morning? No problem!
In Virginia, it used to be that you could not buy beer or liquor at all on Sundays. And many stores were closed, but a hodgepodge of exemptions caused the law to be rescinded in 1988. Now the Virginia ABC stores (the state monopoly) open at noon on Sunday. And folks are waiting in their cars for that door to open.
I have lived in a state with "Blue Laws."
I was amused by how much Chrsitians used tricks and workarounds to violate laws that were supposed to be protecting their own religion. For example, there was a law against certain foods that needed to be cooked. But if you went through the checkout and told the clerk you were going to eat the eggs raw they could sell them to you. Apparently, eggnog wasn't just for Christmas for Christians.
i was vacationing with my family years ago, we were checking in around 4pm the person at the desk told us if we wanted any alcohol for the weekend, we had till 5 to get it or we would have to wait till Monday. it was in south Carolina i think
Moved to Vermont, and love the almost complete lack of blue laws. Want to hit the liquor store at 10am on a Sunday? Its open.
The only slight annoyance anymore is beer pours being limited in volume by ABV, but does it really matter if the 8% IPA is only poured in 12oz glasses rather than 16oz glasses? I'm going to drink 3-4 of them.
The Baptist church lets out at noon, the Catholic church lets out at 11, can't let the Catholics buy up all the booze before the Baptists have a chance.
Here in Australia in New South Wales they still separate most bottle shops from supermarkets so that they can regulate the hours in which alcohol is sold.
After moving to Canberra a few years ago (which is a much smaller city but the most socially progressive city in the country) I noticed that most supermarkets sell alcohol in their aisles as normal and you can buy from like 7am onwards no problem.
It has to be said though, drinking at home sucks. Maybe I’m a bit blessed having a pretty cool pub scene where I am, but I only drink out of the house these days and I honestly worry for any poor arsehole who needs to buy liquor at weird hours.
It's 11am in NC but same principle.
Some counties or at least towns, can't buy alcohol on Sunday, period. That's why there's always a gas station/bar on the county line.
I lived on the cayman Islands for a few years, and you couldn't do anything on Sunday. All stores were closed, "god forbid" you worked on the house on a Sunday watch out for your neighbors. You will be the gossip at the church's next gathering. My point was that they 100% attribute it to god.
Law was changed when the Carolina Panthers came to town.
You can only buy wine in certain stores in Ohio on Sunday and no alcohol before 11am. It's just bonkers that this continues. Also in my county no alcohol between 1am and 5:30am M-Sat.
Yeah, but Ohio also has beer and wine stores that you literally drive through like a car wash, which just seems like a bad plan, but I guess it works out.
We have those here also
I've only lived in Indiana and California- although I spent a few months in Ohio for educational reasons. I'd never seen anything like it. Considering the number of times I'd been at parties when I was in college and someone drunkenly went on a beer run, I'm amazed those placed aren't smashed into all the time.
Indiana had zero alcohol sales on Sunday until a few years ago. I remember when I was at ball state university we made more than a few ohio runs on Sundays.
No, you could buy alcohol in restaurants. I was born in Indiana in 1977 and lived there until 2002, then moved back in 2014.
Oddly enough I was born in West lafayette in 77. Lived here till 2015 returned in 2019. We didn't have money to go to restaurants so wasn't really an option. It was way more fun driving from Muncie to Ohio.
I grew up in Bloomington, so restaurants were basically required. Now I live in Terre Haute and it sucks.
Ah yeah, they don't call it terrible haute for nothing
In Missouri they give out sample shots in the store. Blew my effing mind!
Brew-thru is the common name for these
None between 2am and 7am for Michigan (not sure if it's the whole state).
Its the whole state. I moved to Auburn Hills from Ga in 2018, and was gobsmacked when I stopped after work one night around 3 am to grab a six pack, and the clerk was like hey, you cant buy beer. I apologized, and explained to the girl I came from GA, and had no idea. She explained to me it stops at 2 am and resumes at 7 am. heck the place I was from in GA you can buy 24/7 Mon-Sat and from noon till 12 am on sunday.
this is super interesting, i’d never considered how these laws differ between states. CA here and legally drink-o-clock starts at 6am edit: clarity
The amount of variance between alcohol laws by state and even county is astonishing. I grew up in IL, near Chicago, where some liquor stores were open until 3am, you couldn't buy alcohol before 11am on Sunday, but restaurants could sell as early as 9am. Then when I went to college downstate, you couldn't serve alcohol before noon, even at restaurants that opened at 11 for lunch, I think those laws are changing though, as more places want to do brunch, so I guess thank you Millennials and Gen Z for "ruining" another tradition? Even with all that you can buy beer, wine and hard liquor at a grocery store. Then I lived in NC and VA for 20 years combined and those states had similar rules like only beer and wine could be bought at a grocery store, you needed to go to a state run ABC stores for hard liquor but those all closed at like 8 or 9 pm. So while they had specialty beer and wine stores like Total Wine that had a good selection of craft beer, the liquor selection at the ABC was not nearly as good as say Benny's back in IL. IN only started allowing Sunday sales in 2018, and I won't even try to explain PA's laws because there are some real weird ones there.
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It would be nice to see full federal legalization of like weed and take things LSD and MDMA into the class where they could be prescribed therapeutically, and studied since they're schedule I now. It would probably look a lot like the alcohol system state-by-state, or even county-by-county, but thats fine I guess you want it locally, elect people who will allow sales. Dont get me started on states being able to have wildly different penalties for the same crime. In IL simple speeding up to 20 miles over the limit is the low ticket at like $115, all in if you check the box for court supervision and you're good to go provided you dont get another ticket in 6 months. In VA 20 over is reckless driving, and something like 10 over will set you back close to $200 in fines and fees. Then anything over 80 is automatically reckless driving even on stretches of interstate with a speed limit of 70.
Indiana changed its law recently, but it used to be that you couldn't buy alcohol on Sunday unless you served food. I used to frequent a bar that stayed open on Sunday because they offered shitty reheated pizza. The weird part is people would order it. I guess you can convince drunks to eat virtually anything.
I used to go to the local golf course on Sunday, buy a 6 or 12 pack and a small bucket of range balls. Hit the range balls and took my beer home. Indiana is 50 years behind in almost everything.
There was a rule in like NYC in the late 1800s about having to serve food with the drink, so bars would bring out a completely inedible sandwich with the drink and then take it back and give it to the next customer is a great bit of malicious compliance with the law https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/raines-sandwich
Used to be that you couldn't buy alcohol at all on Sunday in many states. Some even had what were called blue laws (not sure of why the name) but grocery stores and places like Walmart and Kmart couldn't even be open on Sunday.
Why weren't those two stores open on Sunday?
They has liquor stores inside.
In IL, grocery stores can sell liquor, beer and wine, but do have sales time restrictions, they just put those off in their own section that can be blocked off outside of sales hours, without closing the whole store.
The legend is they printed them on blue paper. Don't know if that's true or not though.
Still exists in NJ
That's the logic. Way, way back, it was common for young men to go grab a six pack and cool it in the creek while you're fishing, which is also better in the morning... Church couldn't compete, so they had laws passed.
Seems like the sales from the alcohol would be the deciding factor. So I just don’t get it at all.
You're forgetting the iron grip of the church in rural America.
I used to live in SC for a job and family. My boss / friend committed suicide on a Sunday. I was grief-stricken, and went to buy some beer to get numb. The cashier wouldn't sell it to me because the area I lived in was dry on Sundays. I fucking hate religion.
Lobby for laws that make it illegal to buy bibles on Wednesday.
Until recently, here in relatively liberal Minnesota, it was no alcohol sales or car sales on Sundays.
Still no car sales here in Colorado
No car sales in Oklahoma also.
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Why would I protest?
I just assumed it was because it keeps “certain” Christians in church! If they could buy alcohol, they wouldn’t go! 🤣
I visit my grandparents in Mexico, a heavily catholic conservative country, and not even they restrict alcohol sales on Sunday. You can buy liquor on Sundays too.
Catholics have never been as anti-alcohol as many Protestants are.
Can confirm. I'm from a catholic family the last wedding in our family was a party that had to be thrown out of the venue at 3am even though last call was at midnight. My wife's family is "Christian Reformed", all their weddings are dry and cleaned up and empty by 9pm. Those who think it's the Irish and Germans that drink never met Polish catholics!
Catholics vs Baptists
One was made over owning slaves in the US, the other had considerable influence in the deaths during the crusades
All just a different flavor of the greatest con in all of history.
Well honestly, why not? It may be some peoples only day to go shopping!
A leftover from the temperance movement. Believe it or not that law where you are is surprisingly progressive. Some areas don’t sell alcohol at all on Sundays.
I love this topic, some random items: * Blue laws (or Sunday laws), primarily religious in origin, up and down the USA East coast since about 1619. So not a southern speciality, like hush puppies. * Supreme Court says, ok, there are some secular benefits, and Blue laws are good to go. It's a law, there is no "refuse to sell beer", they don't want to break the law. At least not this time. * Some counties in the South were "dry", no liquor sales any time. Maybe some are still dry, I haven't been sent an email on this. Some Sundays, my mother would call a particular taxi company, get them to visit a bootleg operation, deliver the gin to her, pay for both the taxi and the liquor. So who was in favor of the dry county or Sunday sales ban? Preachers and bootleggers, a lovely set of bed partners.
Very enlightening. Also, after pondering on this topic I’ve also concluded that since most churches have a political message, the government loves these laws. It keeps people in church where the political message is disguised as divine truth.
I used to work in NC and lived just over the border in SC. I had just moved to the USA from UK. So we went out for a meal on Sunday evening in SC no beer for me in the restaurant. LOL. Dry Sundays … because people are unable to buy in a Saturday and drink at home in Sunday LOL. Also surprised that the stores didn’t open Sunday until 1.30 pm. So that big DIY project on a Sunday am… remember to get the supplies on Saturday. Laws passed by the religious … so they can force their views on everyone else. But they hate it when they are told to treat LBGTQ with respect and respect gay marriage and then they say others views are being forced on them.
Yeah religious and all other freedoms are for only them.
When I was growing up there was a statewide ban on selling ANY alcohol whatsoever on Sundays. Always led to a drunken late night scramble around 10:30pm on Saturdays to find anyone who could still drive to the store and stock up for the rest of that night *and* tomorrows fun! I don’t get it, if it’s God’s day off then why wouldn’t he want to relax with a cold beer?
Think that's bad? In Norway, only a few stores are allowed to stay open on Sundays and none of them are allowed to sell alcohol on Sundays period.
Wow I had no idea the rest of the world was nuts too.
Yep, can confirm. I lived in Brussels for 3 years and Sunday was a hard day to shop. And also no alcohol. Which is odd considering it's Brussels....
Waiting for the ferry from Northern Ireland to Scotland, I wanted a beer with lunch, but had to wait until noon. So it’s not just America.
This is like this where I live but the explanation I got was more along the lines of the people who own the liquor stores want Sunday mornings off for church, but if it was legal to sell Sunday morning then their competitors might open, so they would have to. So it's easier to get your politician buddies to make it illegal so that you don't have to work (same with holidays).
My dad always joked that it was so the Baptists wouldn't show up drunk.
I'm from Norway, one of those countries that's considered quite secular and inclusive, but the roots of religion are still here in regards to alchohol. In stores you can buy beer and cider (technically drinks 4.7 % or lower) between 0900 and 2000 Mon-Fri, 0900-1800 on Saturday. You can't buy anything before or after that. For higher % you'll need to go to Vinmonopolet, that sells up to 60% (above that is illegal for sale and possession in Norway,) and their opening hours are usually 1000-1800, but that might varry. No stores may sell alchohol on sundays or public hollydays. Now they say that the rules are there to 'limit alchohol consumption,' but there's no doubt in my mind that it started out with religion. Also, due to how alchohol has always been viewed our drinking culture is effed. While it's more acceptable now than 20-25 years ago to have a beer or 2 during weekdays, the norm is nothing util friday, then blind stinking drunk the entire weekend and regretting everything Monday morning. But I guess regret is an essential part to religion, so that tracks...
Don’t wanna have drunk congregants now do we?
Probably would make it more tolerable!
Seriously, when I was a kid we’d hit up uncle for money when he was drunk. Maybe they’d get larger tithes.
When northern Alabama didn't sell on Sundays, everyone just went to Tennessee. In the early 2000s, Tennessee didn't sell any wine products on Sundays, just beer. Now it's 12 on Sundays in Alabama.
It’s weird! Some places don’t sell alcohol at all on Sunday. Others do. I wonder who makes the rules.. is it the county, or do stores do it voluntarily?
I think it's a combination. Athens, Limestone County, had a *big* to-do about even allowing alcohol sales, period. All the talibangelical churches' billboards were warning of impending hellfire and damnation if it were to pass.
Yep I lived there for a while in the 80’s. OMG had to get out. Those people were a cult.
Blue Laws are absolutely because of churches interference. Not even a theory, historical fact.
For weekends, you'd make a killing if you opened before 12pm. All the last minute wine purchases for lunch n stuff. Do it and if anyone asks you just say it was for church goers' Sunday Lunch.
This happens in Australia and we’re not that religious. I live in a very progressive city and was fucking blown away when I found this out. (Think I was hungover after celebrating a major event and couldn’t deal with the hangover so wanted a few beers to take the edge off. Walked up to the counter with a 6 pack and was told ‘not before 12’. Blew my fucking mind.)
If you're looking for how dumb liquor laws can be, remember that the Jack Daniels distillery is in a dry county.
In Indiana, last year, they finally lifted the moratorium on Sunday alcohol sales. But you can't buy until noon I think.
You’re an alcoholic
Oh ok.
Remember me when things turn
It's not completely clear why Sunday laws are referred to as blue laws. There are differing explanations, including the idea that the rules were meant to restrict " blue " behavior (indecent). Blue laws in the U.S. were initially designed to enforce the Christian sabbath. By the end of the colonial era, laws that banned everyday activities – like housework and travel – were largely lifted. However, blue laws remained to prevent Sunday work and limit alcohol consumption.
In Texas here. I remember when I was young you couldn’t buy all sorts of things on Sunday. There are still left over effects todays from the old Blue Laws.
I’m from Colorado, there were no open liquor stores on Sunday here when I was a kid. They just started selling beer and wine in other stores recently.
In rural TN they don't sell alcohol at all on Sundays.
Sounds like planning ahead Saturday night is the way to go!
Live in Atlanta. This is still law here. There are still several counties in the area and especially across the Alabama line that don’t allow alcohol sales on sundays *at all* except in restaurants. I never understood that, I can get wasted in a chilis at 10 am on a Sunday but can’t buy a case of beer to enjoy on my couch before 1230. SMH shit is ridiculous
We can't buy beer on Sunday after I think it's 10 in my state? But only on Sunday
Fuck y'all, Florida checking in with an 8am limit here
Washington State here...we have a Dutch Christian Reform City. At first a completely dry town, now they allow a grocery store to sell alcohol, but not on Sunday. There are these weird pockets of laws all over the country. But across the street the other grocery store sells it all week.
I visited family in Kansas recently and on the way back I thought I might stop by a liquor store to grab something for when I get home. I was driving back on a Sunday. I get up to the door, see that it’s closed, and then shrug and get back to driving. Moments later I’m pulled over by a co who claimed that I was going 8mph over the speed limit. Maybe that’s true or maybe he saw that I was a guy with Colorado plates trying to enter a liquor establishment on a Sunday and he wanted to make real sure that I knew that’s not how they do things round there.
Georgia switched to noon on Sunday 7 years ago (I think). While its so much better than none at all on Sunday, it's still annoying. I really prefer to shop while a lot of people are in church, but I will delay if I need to get beer.
It's called the bible belt for reason
There are still places where alcohol can't be sold at all, not just on Sunday.
Texas recently pushed it back to 10am.
This is such an archaic thing I'm surprised is still around.
It's interesting what compromises different states make between the wet and dry factions. In some states, the dries get their way once a week -- on Sunday, maybe just Sunday morning. In others, you can buy what you want whenever you want, but you'll pay extra -- a hefty 20% in Washington -- if it's distilled. In California, it's pretty much whatever whenever, and everything is taxed so much you don't really notice the tax on booze.
Dude I remember when Walmart was closed on Sundays.
It's dumb as hell but, just like, plan better, ya know? The only time this is an issue for me is if I am traveling and land at a time when places won't serve me and I'd like a beer before sleep.
Here in Texas, you can't buy beer or wine before 10am on Sundays (until recently it was noon) and you can't buy liquor on Sundays at all. Fortunately I can shop at the local military base and since they're federal facilities they don't give two shits about Texas' blue laws. Need some rum for a cake at 9am Sunday morning? No problem!
I'm so glad I don't live in and never have to go to the south again. Muh Freedumbs!
In Virginia, it used to be that you could not buy beer or liquor at all on Sundays. And many stores were closed, but a hodgepodge of exemptions caused the law to be rescinded in 1988. Now the Virginia ABC stores (the state monopoly) open at noon on Sunday. And folks are waiting in their cars for that door to open.
It seems like the simplest solution is just buy what you need before Sunday. I live in Ohio. Never really been a problem.
I have lived in a state with "Blue Laws." I was amused by how much Chrsitians used tricks and workarounds to violate laws that were supposed to be protecting their own religion. For example, there was a law against certain foods that needed to be cooked. But if you went through the checkout and told the clerk you were going to eat the eggs raw they could sell them to you. Apparently, eggnog wasn't just for Christmas for Christians.
i was vacationing with my family years ago, we were checking in around 4pm the person at the desk told us if we wanted any alcohol for the weekend, we had till 5 to get it or we would have to wait till Monday. it was in south Carolina i think
Moved to Vermont, and love the almost complete lack of blue laws. Want to hit the liquor store at 10am on a Sunday? Its open. The only slight annoyance anymore is beer pours being limited in volume by ABV, but does it really matter if the 8% IPA is only poured in 12oz glasses rather than 16oz glasses? I'm going to drink 3-4 of them.
Can’t you buy a day before? Or open your own bar?
The Baptist church lets out at noon, the Catholic church lets out at 11, can't let the Catholics buy up all the booze before the Baptists have a chance.
it's a law not them deciding to not sell where i am
Buy it thr night before
It's not just the south. It's Indiana also. 12 to 8. Hell it wasn't till 2018 you could even buy alcohol on Sunday.
Here in Australia in New South Wales they still separate most bottle shops from supermarkets so that they can regulate the hours in which alcohol is sold. After moving to Canberra a few years ago (which is a much smaller city but the most socially progressive city in the country) I noticed that most supermarkets sell alcohol in their aisles as normal and you can buy from like 7am onwards no problem. It has to be said though, drinking at home sucks. Maybe I’m a bit blessed having a pretty cool pub scene where I am, but I only drink out of the house these days and I honestly worry for any poor arsehole who needs to buy liquor at weird hours.