Why can't I buy wine on Sunday morning?

[mwb970]

I was at the local grocery store (in Columbus) this morning making my one trip out for the day to buy supplies for Sunday dinner. Everything went fine until the cashier told me they couldn't sell wine until 10:00 AM on Sunday. So, now I will have to make a special trip out later (in the rain) to get wine.

Do we know why this is? I assume it is the result of some state law passed by the Republicans here in deference to the Christians, who are presumably all nestled in their churches by now. Why is it important to them that I not buy wine for my Sunday dinner until the holy (and wholly arbitrary) hour of 10:00 AM? I am not a Christian. I do not attend church. Why can't I buy wine? Is the 10:00 limit in the Bible somewhere? Why is this a law?

Is it this way everywhere? All I can say is, it's damned inconvenient.

</rant>

[1932]

1. Because they don't want you going to church drunk.

[struggle4progress]

87. Phoo! The true purpose is: make sure the stores aren't sold out before Sunday services end

All we are saying is, give church-goers a chance

[hobbit709]

2. In TX you can't buy it until noon.

aqnd yes it's part of the old "blue laws" crap.

[Dorian Gray]

28. In NYC

it's noon, as well. They used to not sell any liquor on Sundays, but that's changed in the last ten years.

[Cha]

66. I thought in NYC you could buy

it anytime..maybe that's California ..in the all night grocery stores. :)

[BronxBoy]

49. In Georgia...

You can't buy it at all

[Sequoia]

90. Hey, once they run out of water children will have to drink beer.

[CottonBear]

96. Here in my GA city, we can buy drinks in restaurants on Sundays

from noon until 11PM. The restaurants must serve a certain amount of food.

No bars, clubs or package stores are open on Sundays and no alcohol can be sold in any store or grocery.

On other days we can buy liqour, beer and wine at restaurants, grocery stores, package stores, clubs and bars. The last call on Monday - Saturday nights is 2AM.

Other counties, cities and towns have different rules and many places only sell beer and wine in package stores and don't allow alcohol to be served in any restaurants. Some towns allow brown bagging at restaurants.

[BronxBoy]

120. If I remember from reading some of your posts

you aren't too far from me.

We always make a large Sunday dinner so I didn't know about the Sunday restaurant thing.

Get this. My town doesn't even have any package good stores at all. You can get beer and wine readily at the markets but anything else and we have to schlup to one of the neighboring towns.

Off Topic: How did Sonny's prayer thing go? Checked the forecast for the next 2 weeks and not a drop or rain in site.

[CottonBear]

132. I've met Governor Sonny twice. He's such a GOP moran.

At this point praying can't hurt but it won't help at all. In any case, the Governor doesn't need to be promoting religion.

We need to control growth and mandate water conservation and should have done those things decades ago. But, our leaders did not heed the warnings and now it is a disaster.
:(

[Fleshdancer]

73. which is why the grocery store at noon on Sundays is a pretty funny sight

The store is swarmed with people wearing football jerseys and buying cases of beer to prepare for the games. I don't know why, but it always makes me laugh.

[Clark2008]

110. In Tennessee, you can't buy wine, period, on Sundays - no

liquor, either. Only beer and only after noon.

Stupid.

[jimshoes]

3. Yes, you'll miss church

and go to hell and be tormented and endure unspeakable pain and torture for all eternity.

[mwb970]

6. Well, that does sound pretty bad. /nt

[rockymountaindem]

4. In Colorado the liquor stores are closed all day on Sunday

Also, you can't buy a car on Sunday in CO so all the dealerships are closed. It's a good day to walk the lot and see what you like without having to talk to salespeople though (if you don't want to talk with them), so a lot of people want it to stay that way.

[backscatter712]

112. Also, the only place where you can buy good booze is liquor stores.

Grocery stores can only sell 3.2% alcohol drinks - bad beer and wine coolers.

If you want microbrews or other good beer, or wine, or hard liquor on Sunday, you're out of luck.

[asthmaticeog]

Might be a county or local law.

I'm in Cleveland and I'm pretty sure (though I could of course be wrong) there are places here that have sold wine before 10:00. It also might be a matter of liquor license specifications. There are some stores whose licenses specify no Sunday sales, some that limit Sunday wine to after 1:00 PM while allowing beer sales all day but forbidding liquor sales, yadda yadda yadda - alcohol laws in Ohio are pretty byzantine and counterintuitive. But you're right about one thing - it's all because of Jesus.

Edit: clarification

[mwb970]

11. Yes, it might be a local deal.

If this is in fact locally determined, what do you suppose the law is in the SW Ohio wingbelt? Do they waterboard (or maybe wineboard) you if you even try to buy some Chardonnay?

[MichellesBFF]

12. New Yorker Here

Liquor stores can be open on Sunday, but must be closed another day of the week.

You still can't buy beer at a grocery store before noon on Sunday.

And I was once carded at a grocery store for non-alcoholic wine. Also, one time when I
bought Ginger Beer, (soda, no alcohol) the machine asked for ID which the cashier had a
manager override.

[XanaDUer]

5. Outside Atlanta, you cannot buy it at all on a Sunday

I got a lecture from one of the cashier's about God's Day.

This is in Georgia.

ON EDIT: When I said outside Atlanta, I meant that I live in a red county outside Atlanta, and I am pretty sure Georgians cannot buy alcohol anywhere in GA on a Sunday.

[BootinUp]

29. Just by the drink

at restaurants in the afternoon or evening at least in some counties.

[Ilsa]

86. Yep, here in TX too. I have sat at the bar and waited until 12:01 pm for

the waiter to stop polishing the bloody glasses and take my bloody Bloody Mary order.

[CottonBear]

99. You can buy drinks in restaurants on Sundays here in Athens. n/t

[Ikonoklast]

115. Why was she working then?

You should ask her why, as a devout Christian, she is willing to serve Mammon on the Lord's Day.

The hypocrisy of these fools is stupefying.

[RebelOne]

123. I live northwest of Atlanta and there is no way I could

buy alcohol anywhere on a Sunday. So, I make sure I hit the liquor store on Saturday.

[Norrin Radd]

7. Jesus was a late sleeper. He couldn't be bothered to turn water into wine

that early.

[crispini]

51. SNORT!

:spray:

[treestar]

53. Good one!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[SammyWinstonJack]

56. ...

:spray:

[ChairmanAgnostic]

8. because some morons think that you should get it at church

otherwise, the competition might kill off religion.

[bullimiami]

9. because we live in a backwards ass society and the fundies have too much say.

[NC_Nurse]

10. Because Jesus would weep.

[Hieronymus]

84. Jesus drank a lot of wine apparently. He even made it.

[Dr. Strange]

117. And then he would pack it up and run it across the county line with the cops in hot pursuit!

No, wait, that was Uncle Jesse from Dukes of Hazzard.
Sorry.

[liberal N proud]

13. Just one more opportunity for someone to project their beliefs on the rest of the population

The religious leaders after probation along with their holier than thou crowd wanted to make sure that their views were still known. The governments across the land gave them Sunday.

Most states have repealed that at least to allow liquor sales on Sunday afternoon.

[soothsayer]

14. That's an old-fashioned blue law! If you want wine, go to a catholic church

and they'll give you a slurp (sometimes)-----heeeeathen!

[oldtime dfl_er]

16. LOL!!!

That's funny!

Here in Seattle, liquor stores are closed on Sunday but you can buy beer and wine in the grocery store anytime. I think. I don't drink but I'm pretty sure that's the case.

[slackmaster]

26. Yes, do not make the mistake of going to a United Methodist church

They serve Welch's grape drink at communion.

Don't ask how I found that out. It's a little embarrassing.

[loser_user]

65. They did that for the alcoholics

[Poiuyt]

77. A good Methodist doesn't drink or smoke

[Poiuyt]

76. When we were little, we would go up after service and polish off the left overs

[Cronus Protagonist]

129. FYI - they sell non-acoholic wine for that purpose

I just shopped at a store where they sell stuff to Catholic churches and they had non-alcoholic wine (not grape juice) for Communion purposes. I guess they don't want to fuck up a recovering alcoholic right when he was supposedly drinking the blood of Jesus.

[lonestarnot]

15. Because you need to use more gasoline.

Two trips keeps the air polluted and the oil flowing.

[MLFerrell]

17. The same reason why you can't buy liquor AT ALL on Jesusday in West Virginia.

Fucking "Christians" had supreme political clout decades ago, and pushed through these bullshit alcohol-related blue laws that continue to plague us to this very day.

Oh, and in WV, you'd have to wait until 1:00 P.M. to buy your wine.

I guess they didn't ant anyone getting loaded before church... Only problem is that most anyone who'd be drinking that early has no use for a fucking church in the first place.

[soothsayer]

41. The WV casinos (at least the one at Charlestown) serves liquor, but not

until after 1 pm I think. The casino itself wasn't allowed to open until noon (after church, theoretically) but now I think it opens quite early (but you'd better bring yer own booze at first!)

[Wiley50]

18. In my county you can't buy even beer on Xmas day

and wine or liquour on Sunday

But you can buy beer after noon on Sunday

There should be a law against Xtian blue laws

[MisterHowdy]

19. You can buy wine at your grocery store?

In Ontario, Canada we have to buy alcohol
from an LCBO, a government run liquor store.
There business on a Sunday are worse than 10:10a
I agree it's stupid that you have to wait until 10 to buy wine
but the fact that you can buy wine at a grocery store
is pretty damn convenient.

n/t

[NoPasaran]

22. In the US, every state has its own laws

In Texas, grocery stores sell beer and wine, but not until noon on Sundays (7 AM other days). Liquor stores are closed on Sundays.

[mwb970]

31. Good point!

My grocery store (Giant Eagle) has a surprisingly wide selection of wine and get this, they have their wine guy available most of the time to give you advice! So you're right, 6 2/3 days a week it's definitely a Good Thing.

[soothsayer]

42. In California (and prolly other states) you can buy LIQUOR at the grocery store!

Hawaii too I think. Man, there's booze in every nook and cranny of that place!

[uncle ray]

60. it's madness.

i think it was Texas, where i was in a liquor store, buying liquor, and needed some device, a corkscrew or bottle opener or something, i don't remember...but they didn't have them! state law contained some such nonsense that liquor stores couldn't sell those type of devices, you had to go to a grocery store for a corkscrew!

[soothsayer]

80. VA ABC stores (alcoholic bev. control) were not allowed to sell mixers for the longest time

[Withywindle]

74. Illinois too.

At least in Chicago. Also sometimes at the drugstore - lots of the bigger Walgreen's and CVS stores have a liquor section that has at least all the basics. Convenience stores too.

But not on Sunday morning, even here!

[Cronus Protagonist]

130. Yeah, but not between 2am and 6 am

So the beer company lost out on my 12-pack today because I went shopping at 5am this morning. No beer for me.... if I had only slept in another hour... damn!

(In other words, that's also a dumb-ass law)

:P

[SidDithers]

107. Many Ontario grocery stores have Wine Shops in them...

so you can buy wine outside of the LCBO. And many microbreweries sell beer directly from the factory (or distribution center).

But you're right, we're out of luck for hard liquor. It's LCBO or nuthin'.

Sid

[alfredo]

20. Jesus drank wine, he even turned water into wine.

[DemoTex]

21. Good thing you are not in Columbus, Georgia needing to by wine on Sunday.

Or Atlanta. Or Savannah. Or Macon. Georgia is one of only two states with no Sunday sales of packaged beer and wine. However, through some twisted reasoning beneath the Gold Dome, restaurants are allowed to sell beer, wine, and liquor by the drink in Georgia counties approving such sales.

[slackmaster]

23. Probably the same kind of reason I can't buy it between 2:00 AM and 6:00 AM in California

Damn blue laws.

[alcibiades_mystery]

24. Liquor laws are state laws

In New York, they don't even sell wine or liquor in supermarkets.

In Pennsylvania, you can only buy beer at a "bottle shop" or a beer distributor (no grocery store or convenience store beer or wine or liquor). If you buy beer at a "bottle shop," you can only buy weird quantities that don't put bottle shops in competition with the beer distributors (you can't buy a full case), but you can buy a 12 pack, walk out to your car, come back in and buy another. PA's liquor laws are the most convoluted in the country, in my experience. The state literally owns the liquor stores.

[bamademo]

25. I'm in Huntsville, Al and we can buy wine and beer at grocery stores ...

and 7/11 type stores. The ABC stores are closed but you can buy liquor at privately owned stores.

[Eurobabe]

27. Because you live in a STOOPID state

But PA is even stoopider, you have to go to a package store or a bar to buy a six-pack, and a state store to buy the hard stuff.

[WinkyDink]

64. A minor "inconvenience" (State Stores are everywhere) to have PA. get the tax money.

And yes, I live here and drink wine frequently.

[Eurobabe]

67. PA is antiquated, but Ohio is worse

I lived in PA for almost 20 years. Virginia has a far better system, IMHO.

But the best system of all is in Europe. Booze EVERYWHERE!! :hi:

[WinkyDink]

91. Well, YEAH!! The Perfect Meal = Belgian frites, moules, et biere!

[Union Label]

126. Forget the booze

Amsterdam has it all!

[TommyO]

102. Actually it's even "STOOPIDER" than that!

Here in PA, you can buy a six pack or two at a bar/restaurant that serves food and seats at least 30 people, if you go to beer distributor, you need to buy full cases.

Sunday liquor and wine sales are limited to select state stores that operate from noon to 5:00pm.

[DesertRat]

30. Here's a breakdown of alcohol laws by state

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_laws_of_the_United_States_by_state

[slackmaster]

33. Looks like Nevada is the only free state in that regard

:toast:

[mwb970]

Very interesting.

Quite a wide variation! They mention that in Ohio grocery stores cashiers under 18 can't even handle the containers of alcoholic beverages. This sometimes results in a delay as the 17-year-old cashier has to call an 18+ colleague over, who then scans the container, pushes a button on the register, and leaves. Not a big problem, but kind of strange.

[treestar]

58. And check this out

http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/LegalDrinkingAge.html

There are a few countries with no minimum age!

And in France and a few other countries, it is 16.

[Kazak]

32. Strange liquor laws in Oklahoma...

Can't buy alcohol on Sunday at all.
Can't buy alcohol at the grocery store at all, only in a liquor store.
Liquor stores cannot sell any thing non-alcohol (mixers, bottled water, NOTHING!!) at all.
Beer cannot be sold previously chilled.

[blonndee]

88. A few minor corrections...

I lived in Oklahoma for four years and often bought alcohol on Sundays. But you're right--the liquor laws there are strange. It's only the "real" beer that can't be sold chilled--the cheap, watered-down 3-point beer that can be sold at the convenience stores can be chilled. Also, you can buy 3-point wine and beer at the grocery stores, but no liquor. It took me trips to three grocery stores trying to find wine to finally figure out what was going on. I was used to New Mexico, where you can buy whiskey, beer, wine, whatever you want at almost any grocery store AND Walgreen's. It's only been a few years since NM finally outlawed drive-up window liquor sales!

[Kazak]

89. Correct, I suppose,...

if you consider 3-point to actually be beer. I always call it "beer flavored beverage"... :shrug:

[Lurking Dem]

95. I used to love Near Beer!

The gang would go camping - usually in Arkansas, and us girls would wait to get our beer in Oklahoma.

Everyone would sit around the campfire and drink beer and the guys would be getting more and more blotto as they waited for us to succumb to drunkenness.

Heh. Good times.

[berni_mccoy]

34. Not In New Hampshire. LIVE FREE OR DIE! Hard Liquor available on Sundays

The state sells all the liquor and licenses stores to sell wine/beer. We even have high way rest stops that are state run liquor stores!

This is one way the state makes money instead of using taxes (there are no state income or sales taxes). And the liquor is very affordable.

[SheilaT]

35. At the end of Prohibition

the regulation of the sale of liquor passed to the states. Every state has weird laws about the sale of liquor. Some are stranger than others. Kansas, where I live, remained officially dry until 1948, and it was nearly another 40 years before you could legally buy alcohol by the drink in restaurants. And there are still counties in this state where you can't buy liquor by the drink. I had thought we still had counties that were totally dry, meaning you couldn't by alcohol at all, but a google search doesn't make that clear, just the by-the-drink thing.

Anyway, in much of the country regulation of hours during which alcohol may be sold are regulated at the local level. That's true here in Kansas, and only a few years ago could you buy alcohol by the case or bottle (meaning liquor store purchases)on Sundays. I can tell you that a lot of the small liquor store owners were not crazy about the change, because the mom and pop stores, of which there are many, would then be forced to be open on Sunday to compete with the large outlets, who could afford to hire help seven days a week. In Kansas you can buy beer in grocery stores, but not wine or spirits.

There was a time when Kansas tried to prevent commercial airplanes from serving alcohol on board while overflying the state's air space. I'm under the impression that some airlines may actually have gone along with that for a time, but then eventually told the state attorney general he could just try to come on board and arrest the miscreants while in flight, which obviously wasn't going to happen.

[taterguy]

36. It was moved from 1:00 PM to noon in NC just to accommodate pro sports

Apparently NASCAR, the NFL and money is more important than Jesus

[onethatcares]

50. happened here in St Pete Floriduh too,

to accommodate the grand prix. Somehow they convinced the city council(easy enough) that having beer and wine while watching a race on the city streets was a good idea as long as it was after 11 a.m. on sunday. I don't care it they served and sold 24/7/365, it just isn't one of those things I worry about. Now excuse me while I go out for a 12 pack.

[Moochy]

37. Jesus Juice Monopoly!

Tax Exempt status is not the only benefit to churches.

[lame54]

38. In Georgia we can't buy wine at all on Sunday

but you can drive to a restaurant - get hammered - and drive home
gotta love the south

[donsu]

39. because the religiously insane said so

nt

[Stuckinthebush]

40. More foolishness brought to you by religion

You should be in church not buying alcohol!

Religion is da bomb.

:sarcasm:

[NMMNG]

43. Because Christians are so persecuted here in America

They have no sway over American policies and procedures, and no right to voice their beliefs. :sarcasm:

[treestar]

55. It's getting to be that time of year

We have to start that war on Christmas up again.

It's hard work persecuting the fundies, but someone has to do it.

[NMMNG]

71. I know

At the rate I'm going I'll have to quit my job this persecuting is getting so time-consuming. :P

[kath]

69. That's right, they're SOOOOOOO persecuted. It's really sad, ain't it?

[NMMNG]

72. In their own minds they are

In reality they do more persecuting than anybody. (I'm speaking of the RW fundies, not Liberal Christians here.)

[Lurking Dem]

44. It used to be worse.

At least in the South, where I live.

Blue laws were enacted in the 17th century by Puritans.

The list of restricted items was bizarre when I was growing up. You could by baby bottles, but not nipples. You could buy cat food but not cat litter. Vanilla extract had alcohol in it so was verbotten. Booze was not allowed to be purchased at all.

Things are actually more relaxed than they used to be.

[debbierlus]

45. Usually, a throw back law to Sunday worship

Many states are changing this law. This is a pretty old law, in many places, so I wouldn't blame
fundies for this particular piece of legislation.

[leftofthedial]

46. you'd think if they really loved jeebiz

they'd ban the sale of hammers and nails on Sunday

[treestar]

54. LOL.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[SammyWinstonJack]

62. ...

:spray:

[Toasterlad]

79. Now THAT....Was Funny.

[bluedog]

47. in Florida

in 1 county you can not buy any liquor.beer or wine on Sundays at all.



........and cross a little bridge over the River and they sell the stuff the minute they open.....all has to do with county ordinances .up in North Fl.

[NoodleyAppendage]

48. It takes a little time each week to "milk the blood" of Christ for our consumption.

From 6am - 10am each Sunday, Christ is connected to the wine/blood milking machine. Jeesh. Give the guy a break!

J

[treestar]

52. I think it's leftover from the 19th century, most likely

In my state, only last year did they lift the ban on selling on Sundays. It still isn't in grocery stores - they have to be in their own specialized store.

Laws like that can get taken off the books, it just takes effort. It shows how passing a law has this effect that they just stay the law and someone has to care enough to get it removed. Liquor sellers have a motive, but the situation where they can sell in markets at all and from 10 a.m. maybe isn't a really big motivator. In a state where they have to have their own stores, they are naturally affected by any ban and have more motive to get archaic laws off the books.

[napi21]

98. Not in Ga! The liquor stores are privately owned and licensed by the

State. You can't even blame it on the legislators! the sale on Sundays was a referendum on the ballot AGAIN last year, and it was voted DOWN AGAIN! There was a lot of publicity before the election explaining why it no longer makes sense to ban Sunday sales, and how Ga. is losing touriswt trade bycause of thee antiquated laws, but that didn't budge the fundies! They said they've already given in enough, and if you want beer, wine or spirits on
Sunday, get yourself more organized and buy it Saturday night!!!!!!

[cboy4]

57. When I went to college at U Tennessee, I remember

how you couldn't even buy liquor at the grocery store at all.

You had to go to the "package store."

I thought I was living on the moon.

[Lucinda]

109. You can buy beer and wine at the grocery store now - but with restrictions

For anything else, it's a liquor store (or maybe the call them package stores here.) It's pretty silly.

[Berry Cool]

59. The law to which the OP refers is NOT a state law.

It is a LOCAL law. In Ohio, the hours under which liquor can be purchased on Sunday are controlled by community. Although the state law against Sunday liquor sales was repealed in 2004, Sunday sales may still be banned altogether by local ordinance. If they are not, license holders have to apply for amendments to sell. Those amendments may not permit them to sell before 10 am, noon, 1 pm, etc. And some license holders may simply not apply for the amendment, and just post signs saying sorry, they can't sell to you on Sundays.

The funny thing is, Ohio doesn't restrict its liquor sales to liquor stores, so you can go down to your local drugstore and get beer, wine and spirits of all kinds if you want. This is hard for me to get used to, having lived for years in the supposedly more "liberal" state of New York, where you can buy wine and spirits ONLY at a liquor store--but you cannot get beer at the liquor store!

[senseandsensibility]

61. Never mind

Next time I'll do a little research before spouting off.

[rainbow4321]

63. In Oklahoma you couldn't buy on **election days**

That may have changed recently cuz I googled state laws on alcohol sales and didn't see it as part of the banned times


Or on holidays like Xmas in my sis's town...I tried to swing by a liquor store when I was up there for Xmas dinner, thought I'd bring some wine to dinner. The place was closed up. Blew me away cuz I always see the stores open down here on the holidays for last minute buyers.
Other thing is, no kids under 21 can go in with you...even if you have an infant or toddler in tow who you can't leave unattended outside. And unlike down here, grocery stores and WalMarts don't sell liquor (when the OK relatives came for a visit the whole liquor thing in Walmart blew them away.)

Here is a Wiki entry on state alcohol laws..some still prohibit sales on election days.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_laws_of_the_United_States_by_state

[kath]

70. and since there's an election day almost every month here, that's quite a few days.

I think the election day no-liquor law may still be in effect, or at least it was until recently - I remember hearing something about it on the radio a few months back.

[karlrschneider]

81. As of a few months ago we Okies CAN buy booze on election day!

No shit, it was a state question on the ballot. Of course the fundies campaigned against it but apparently their 'rationale' wasn't very 'rational' so it got changed. But Sundays are still closed to liquor sales....although you can buy all the beer you want. Hahahaha

[kath]

68. There are some really bullshit liquor laws out there. In Oklahoma, no one under 21 can

even ENTER a liquor store. That includes *babies* for goodness sakes. When we first moved out here and my kids were toddlers, I went to buy a bottle of wine for a dish I was cooking for dinner, with the kids in tow. As we stepped into the liquor store, the owner freaked out -- "you can't come in here, you can't come in here!". It was a hot day, and I certainly didn't want to leave the kids in the car. Owner said to stand by the door and tell him what I wanted - which was hard, cuz I need to look around to pick out wine.

I guess the Okie fundies figure a kid will be corrupted forever and go to hell for setting foot in such an EEEEVUL place, and they want to protect the chilluns from such an awful fate.

Freakin' ridiculous. I'm SO sick of fundies foisting their stupid bullshit on the rest of us...

{on edit -- rainbow beat me to it on the even-babes-in-arms-can't-enter-a-liquor-store-in-OK thing}

[pstokely]

122. Surprised the fundies don't try to enforce that law with fetuses

if they believe life begins at conception?

[Poiuyt]

75. Just go to church

You can go through the communion line several times

[Toasterlad]

78. Quit Yer Bitchin', Sinner! Jeebus Knows Best!

[Mz Pip]

82. Move to California

You can buy just about anything here on a Sunday morning. Wime is probably the easiest. :-)

Mz Pip
:dem:

[indie_voter]

92. Yes! I'm a transplant

in MA we had package stores. I moved to CA 20 years ago, I've heard tell the blue laws have been relaxed a bit, in that Package Stores now open Sunday afternoon. But I don't think you can buy in grocery stores.

Wine is big business for CA. The selection at Safeway and Costco ain't bad!

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

83. When I was 15, I drank wine in the school cafeteria at lunchtime

You had the choice of water, beer or wine with the meals. Of course that was during one year that I spent in France at a French high school.

[Pastiche423]

85. Is anyone in South Carolina?

Do they still have the ABC stores w/large red dots on the building?

[CottonBear]

104. Yes they do! Here's a history of the red dot stores in SC:

Red dot stores pique curiosity

A phenomenon that piques the curiosity of both visitors and lifelong residents: why do South Carolina liquor stores display red dot? The answer lies in a heated battle between drys and wets that developed when liquor sales became legal again in 1935 after Prohibition. During the ensuing decade, those selling booze, diehard Prohibitionists and the State Tax Commission (given the task of regulating this revived trade) wrangled constantly over on-site advertising.


Note the red dots on this liquor store in Pickens County. No other sign indicates the store sells liquor.

Storefront ads so infuriated Upcountry drys that in 1938 authorities decreed that only a discreet "Retail Liquor Dealer" sign could be displayed. Seven years later, they decided to reduce any such sign to letters only a few inches high placed in the lower right-hand corner of a display window or on the front door. Liquor stores of that era had no back door.

Under these circumstances, Jesse J. Fabian, a successful Charleston liquor dealer, hired "Doc" Wansley to create a legal sign for one of his shops. When it was completed, Wansley realized that few would notice such minuscule lettering and, inspired by a design then found on every pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes, drew a bright red circle around his masterpiece. Thus was born South Carolina's famous red dot.

These now-familiar circles grew and prospered until January 1968, when the ABC suddenly ruled that these constituted advertising and should be banished from the landscape. The General Assembly voted instead to save the dot, although members agreed that on each exterior wall of a store, there could be only one dot, not to exceed 36 inches in diameter. These subsequent rules have been relaxed somewhat, but into the 21st century, the red dot remained a faithful beacon for those seeking liquor, as well as a warning sign for those determined to avoid it.

-- Entry by John H. Moore, The South Carolina Encyclopedia

http://www.statehousereport.com/columns/07.0923.retire.htm

[Pastiche423]

118. Thank you for the history

In all these many years, I had no idea why all the liquor stores had those reds dots!

[Swamp Rat]

93. You can buy every form of alcohol 24/7 in New Orleans.

We're civilised. :D

[johnaries]

94. Google "blue laws". nt

[JVS]

97. When I was a kid you couldn't buy anything on Sunday. People had time off

[Arugula Latte]

100. Because of christofascism, plain and simple.

:)

[Ganja Ninja]

101. In Florida liquor stores are closed on Sunday and Beer & Wine

can't be sold until after 1:00 PM. I don't understand why since I'm not a member of and religion and Sunday has no more significance for me than any other day of the week.

[Atman]

114. When did that change?

I used to live in Florida...you could buy beer and wine ANYWHERE...at drive-throughs, for Christ sake, or at gas stations (there's a great combo -- fuel up, liquor up, hit the road again)! And the bars in Cocoa Beach only closed long enough to mop the floor before the breakfast crowd came in. At closing time, they'd give a ten-minute warning for you to order take-out drinks for the ride home. The bouncer at our local watering hole would take your glasses and pour your drink into a plastic cup on the way out the door.

Times have changed. Can't say it's all for the worse, though.

.

[Ganja Ninja]

119. The law varies from place to place in Florida.

For the most part you can still by beer and wine at Drive-thru's and convenience stores as well as grocery stores. Liquor has always been sold in package stores as far as I know. And generally speaking the laws governing bars in the resort areas differ from the rest of the state. I know that in some parts of Miami the bars close at 4:00 AM and re-open at something like 6:00 AM, just long enough to mop up and restock.

Once you get away from the beaches the laws are pretty much like I said. Sunday mornings are a no no for beer wine and no package liquor sales at all on Sunday. Although in Tampa they have rolled back the time to allow beer & wine sales to tailgaters going to the Bucs games.

[CottonBear]

103. You have to buy your "Sunday beer" (and wine and liquor) on Saturday. Problem solved.

It's what we do here in most parts of Georgia. ;)

[yardwork]

105. In Ohio, you're lucky you can buy it at all on Sunday. Couldn't used to.

[madinmaryland]

106. Connecticut does not allow any carry-out alcohol sales on Sunday,

You can still order drinks in restaurants and bars, though.

[spanone]

108. can't buy wine at all on sunday here....tennessee. can't buy beer till noon. no hard liqour on sun

well, you can get hard liqour at a restuarant.....they have a religious exemption i guess

[dethl]

111. New Mexico repealed the 'Blue Law' a few years ago

You can freely buy alcohol on Sundays here.

[Atman]

113. In CT you can't buy it at all on Sunday, and the liquor stores close at 8:00 pm

In most areas it's 9:00 pm now, for about a year, but a lot of them still close at 8:00. But here, they claim it's not religious-based. Rather, it is to allow mom & pop packis to stay competitive with big "chain" liquor stores who can afford to pay more employees for longer hours. That doesn't explain the Sunday ban, though. The funny thing is, Connecticut is so small, it's easy just to drive to any of the surrounding states, which have all relaxed their Puritan-era "blue laws." So now, you can drive 30 miles to the border, stock up, get a couple cold ones for the ride home -- putting more drunks on the road. Great logic.

.

[LibertyLover]

116. In Maryland

you currently can't buy wine, beer or other alcoholic beverages in grocery stores unless the grocery store is a one-off. It has something to do with how liquor sales licenses are issued. They can only be issued to one entity, so if the Safeway on Forest Drive in Annapolis applied for one, they might get it, but only that Safeway would be able to sell wine and no others. Otherwise the liquor sales laws vary by county. In Annapolis, Anne Arundel county, where I live the liquor stores open at around 9 am on Sundays. But in Baltimore City where my stepdaughter lives IIFC liquor stores can't open at all on Sundays. She has come out to our house a few times to buy liquor and beer for parties she was having later in the day. Also, in Maryland you can't buy alcoholic beverages by mail (I thought the Supreme Court struck that down a few years ago?) which means that you can't subscribe to wine buying clubs or order your favorite California tipple via the internet. Of course, coming as I did from Bergen County, NJ which has some of the most restrictive blue laws in the US, MD looked like an outpost of freedom.

[krispos42]

121. IIRC, in South Dakota...

you could buy anything you wanted from 7am to midnight. Grocery stores, gas sations, etc. I don't think they had that wussy 3.2 beer, either.

I believe on Sundays, no hard stuff.

And, of course, there are plenty of drive-thru liquor stores for the drunk on the go!


It's a great state if you like beef, beer, and bullets!

[hfojvt]

125. you must be youngish

When I grew up there it was 3.2 beer for 18 and older. In Minnesota it was 19 for everything. So it was a tradition for many to drive to Minnesota to celebrate your 19th birthday.

[krispos42]

127. I lived there from 2001 to 2005

Although I didn't hear about 3.2 beer until I moved here and my now-ex girlfriend, who was something of a party animal, knew all about it. I never heard it mentioned in South Dakota, though.

[Thothmes]

124. In Washington State

You cannot buy liquor on Sunday, the state liquor stores are closed

[smoogatz]

128. In notoriously liberal Massachusetts, you can't buy any alcohol on Sunday

unless you want to go to a bar. Exceptions for Christmas and New Year's, I think. It makes no sense at all: you can't buy a bottle of wine for dinner, but you can go down to the neighborhood bar and get rip-roaring drunk. It's some holdover from the Puritans, I think.

[Freddie Stubbs]

131. Mothers Against Drunk Driving fights tooth and nail any change in law which

would make it easier or more convenient to purchase alcohol.