Local Liquor Stores Express Concerns About Sunday Sales Proposal

A new legislative proposal could soon bring an end to state restrictions prohibiting the sale of alcohol on Sundays and certain holidays, but liquor store owners across the region are concerned that the bill being presented would have long-lasting negative effects on the economy and liquor industry in Connecticut.

"This is liberal for the state, but not individual businesses," Charul Kothari, store manager of in Riverdale Farms, a store that opened in Avon on Aug. 11, 2011.

The bill, which Malloy said he intends to present during the upcoming legislative session, also aims to eliminate mandatory minimum pricing requirements on alcoholic beverages, a provision that Malloy said would provide lower prices and other benefits to the consumer.

“As the years go by and other states modify their laws to reflect modern-day realities, our statutes have collected dust and it has resulted in consumers shopping in bordering states, causing Connecticut retailers to lose $570 million in sales each year to surrounding states by some industry estimates,” Malloy said. “This proposal is pro-consumer, pro-‘mom and pop’ and pro-dollars being spent within Connecticut.”

Paul Wheeler, owner of , said that Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's idea might look good on paper for consumers, it might actually hurt "mom and pop" stores.

"The governor is under the mistaken idea that being open seven days a week will increase volume substantially," Wheeler said. "People are going to drink what they're going to drink."

Connecticut is one of just two states that still hold restrictions that conform to the old “blue laws” dating back to prohibition. Indiana still has laws on the books, but Georgia repealed their state restrictions in July 2011.

Wheeler said that Connecticut residents have been used to this "since the dawn of time" and that consumers might buy the same amount of alcohol they do now and spread it out over seven days.

For smaller stores, being open an additional day, with little staff, would not only mean more work hours, but also be more expensive with little gain, Wheeler said. Kothari said he might have to do the same.

"The big win here is for the grocery stores who are already open anyway," said Wheeler, who already works 11 hours a day, six days a week.

Yet the law would not force liquor stores to be open, Kothari pointed out. He said that it would only make sense to stay open if Sunday sales brings in new business.

"I don't think it's going to affect wine sales as much as beer and liquor," Kothari said, noting that wine is the small liquor store's main product.

He said that wine connoiseurs are more likely to plan ahead and buy wine in advance. 

Sunday sales may show no gain for towns toward Central Connecticut, but  border towns could profit, Kothari said. People that currently go to Massachusetts stores on Sundays to buy alcohol would then have the option of coming to neighboring Connecticut stores instead.

A nonpartisan study in 2009 suggested that repealing certain restrictions could generate an additional $7 million to $8 million in tax revenues while boosting revenue for stores near the state's borders.

Scott Wundt, owner of in Granby and a Massachusetts resident, said he’s in favor of allowing stores to open “for limited hours” on Sunday because he thinks border towns like Granby would see a slight increase in customers.

Malloy's proposal also would give liquor stores the option of being open on Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day, according to Wheeler.

He said he would probably choose to open on Sundays to keep up with competitors, but that could mean closing on Tuesdays.

"If Sunday brings in substantive revenue, I might hire someone to work on Sunday," he added.

Malloy also proposed giving stores the option to extend hours to 10 p.m. on any day, which Wheeler said is a "non-issue" in Avon, where many establishments close early.

The topic of Sunday sales has come up at the legislative level several times in the past decade, including before the legislature's Program Review and Investigations Committee in 2010, but was met with heavy opposition from small business owners across the state.

After hearings, state legislators declined to move forward with an effort to repeal the current restrictions, which prohibit commercial alcohol sales on Sunday outside of bars and restaurant establishments.

So where is the line to help make everyone happy?

Kothari said that it all depends on what the competition is doing should the law pass.

"If the competition stays open, we may have to stay open," Kothari said. "A lot of towns' business owners have to get together and figure out what they want to do."

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