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Post by Pahina722 on Apr 15, 2015 1:38:54 GMT
We are a wet county, but on Sundays we can't buy any alcohol until after 1:00 PM. Beer and wine are sold in grocery stores, but if you try to check out with some before 1, it's not going to happen. So, no ropes or tarps needed, just clerks who won't sell the booze to you. Now, the next county over (15 minutes from my home) was dry for years although bars and restaurants could serve in their establishments. Now, individuals can buy beer and wine but no hard liquor in that county. It makes NO sense, but I live in the heart of the Bible Belt.
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TXMary
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And so many nights I just dream of the ocean. God, I wish I was sailin' again.
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Jun 26, 2014 17:25:06 GMT
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Post by TXMary on Apr 15, 2015 1:39:22 GMT
Oh what the??!!?? We might be moving to Texas, and that's what we get to look forward to? I was already a bit alarmed by the thought of a "Jesus wall", but now have to pay more attention to the days I shop too? <sigh><sigh> Life-long Texan here...what the heck is a "Jesus wall"?
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Post by eebud on Apr 15, 2015 1:45:39 GMT
I asked DH if he knew. He has been in the auto collision business for many years so not involved with sales. He isn't sure what the deal is but he said that it would have something to do with the auto industry in Texas lobbying to keep in like it is. He said that it is to protect them from something but he doesn't know what. He said they are a very large lobbying group. Only guessing but I suspect it is related to them knowing that they don't sell any more cars when they are open 7 days a week than they do when they are open 6 days a week so I think they want to keep it like it is. If it is repealed, some will open and to compete and continue to sell the cars they sell now, the stores that would prefer to not open will have to open 7 days and pay the extra expenses that will cost them and in the end, will probably cause them to lose money since they will have higher expenses but still sell the same number of cars. I wonder if they will try to make the service department work on Sunday too if they open? I bet they will make some of them work. That will probably mean that a lot of these people will be working 7 days a week. Turnover will skyrocket. Customers expect their service writer to be available during all working hours to give them an update on their car if they call. I realize some of these things can happen in other industries too but I am thinking about the way that auto dealerships are typically run and some of the issues that it could cause. Anyway, I can see the reasons they would rather keep things like they are now. This comes up every legislative session. Will be interesting to see if this is the year that it is repealed. That's exactly what an article I just read said. That they wouldn't make enough money to justify being open on Sundays. I still don't understand why there has to be a law prohibiting those car dealerships that do want to be open on Sundays from doing so. Hobby Lobby chooses to be closed on Sunday. But Michael's stays open because that's what they want to do. Are we going to make Michael's close down too, because Hobby Lobby might lose business to them? When you're in business, you have to make choices like this. Isn't that part of the free market? This is just another example of businesses only wanting a free market when it benefits them. The craft industry isn't going to have the huge lobby that the auto industry has. LOL I get what you are saying though. It does seem silly. One thing I will say though is that I am really glad that DH no longer has to work at a dealership in the auto collision repair industry. We didn't get to take a trip together for the first 15 years of our marriage because there was no way that he could leave for more than a long weekend. Customers do not understand when the person they are dealing with is not there during operating hours. It was hell to pay every time he took a long weekend so there was no way he was going to take a full week. He worked 6 days a week, 11 hour days (Saturday was a short day). He had to rotate Saturday so sometimes it was only 5 days a week, 11 hour days. If they started opening on Sunday, he would probably be working 12 days on, 2 off. I know that people in that line of work can find another job but at the time, he had 2 kids he was paying child support for so he needed to continue to make good money. If he changed, it would have been a large cut in pay and then his kids would have suffered. So, knowing what I know about the industry, I don't blame them for trying to keep it to only a 6 day a week operation. I also get the other side of it too and it seems silly to continue to have these blue laws that are so antiquated.
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Post by eebud on Apr 15, 2015 1:49:01 GMT
Oh what the??!!?? We might be moving to Texas, and that's what we get to look forward to? I was already a bit alarmed by the thought of a "Jesus wall", but now have to pay more attention to the days I shop too? <sigh><sigh> Life-long Texan here...what the heck is a "Jesus wall"? I'm not a life long Texan but I have been here 32 years. I was wondering the same thing. LOL I guess since I have lived with blue laws all my life (Louisiana and then Texas), it doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me. What bugged me were all of the dry areas around Texas where I couldn't even buy beer. Thankfully, most of those are now gone and the cities now allow beer and wine sales. Many of the cities around me are starting to talk about liquor sales too so I am sure that is only a matter of time. Liquor stores are close to me now since Plano approved liquor sales, so I don't really care.
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smartypants71
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,714
Location: Houston, TX
Jun 25, 2014 22:47:49 GMT
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Post by smartypants71 on Apr 15, 2015 2:00:04 GMT
Another Texan who wants to know what the Jesus wall is. Also, do any of the Texans remember when the blue laws were even stricter than they are now and the malls were closed on Sunday too? I also remember in my much younger days racing to the convenience store before 1am on Saturdays to load up on beer LOL!
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Post by txdancermom on Apr 15, 2015 2:03:52 GMT
when we first moved to Texas you could only buy food on Sundays - no malls or anything...quite frustrating from someone who moved from where you could shop on Sundays. I think the cars and alcohol restrictions need to go....
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Post by mollycoddle on Apr 15, 2015 2:13:04 GMT
They used to have them here in my part of Ohio, but not anymore, thank goodness. How are they even constitutional? Why wouldn't they be constitutional? I'm no fan but they certainly don't go against the constitution. I always wondered about the reasoning behind them. Is it religion? I should do some research. I do think that they are ridiculous. ETA: My township used to be dry. Now it isn't, and it's just more convenient, since I often shop on Sunday.
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Post by Kate * on Apr 15, 2015 2:15:34 GMT
Oh what the??!!?? We might be moving to Texas, and that's what we get to look forward to? I was already a bit alarmed by the thought of a "Jesus wall", but now have to pay more attention to the days I shop too? <sigh><sigh> Life-long Texan here...what the heck is a "Jesus wall"? Oops, I goofed, the reference a pea made on a thread was to start working on having a "cross wall", not a Jesus wall. I'm sorry, I didn't remember the exact phrase.
And blinging one's flip flops and phone (which sounds semi-okay to me).
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Post by jonda1974 on Apr 15, 2015 2:17:48 GMT
Why wouldn't they be constitutional? I'm no fan but they certainly don't go against the constitution. I always wondered about the reasoning behind them. Is it religion? I should do some research. I do think that they are ridiculous. ETA: My township used to be dry. Now it isn't, and it's just more convenient, since I often shop on Sunday. I always thought they were veiled religious laws. Throwback to prohibition, which was the dumbest thing ever. Blue laws have no merit in a modern society.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Apr 15, 2015 3:16:58 GMT
I'm in MN and neither the liquor stores or the car dealerships want to be open on Sundays. Their argument is that they won't make any more money being open seven days a week vs. six days a week but would have higher expenses, so they would rather just keep things the way they are. Every year the liquor law changes get put before the legislature and every year it doesn't pass. I'm not sure about how often the laws on car sales get brought up.
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Post by mama2three on Apr 15, 2015 4:02:00 GMT
There are a lot of really old odd laws that are still on the books everywhere because they've never been officially repealed. I used to have a book of them and some were so ridiculous it was hard to believe anyone ever felt so strongly that they made it into a law. Some make sense such as the one indicating that you have to have food in order to drink alcohol in a restaurant. Others are really odd. I'll have to see if I can find some of those I have read about before. Only rarely are Blue Laws enforced.
Since the thread seems to be focused on alcohol: PA still does not allow alcohol sales (bottles) anywhere but a state-controlled liquor store. Granted, many state stores are attached to supermarkets, but it would be more convenient to purchase from one store together with groceries. Beer is not available in the state stores, just wine and hard liquor. For beer you have to go to a distributor where it is sold only by the case. Bottles or 6 packs you can get from taverns, but usually at a hefty markup. This is annoying and does nothing to curb drinking. Hmm, make it hard to buy a 6 pack and force people to buy beer by the case. Craziness.
A town near where I grew up did not allow any cars on the streets in town on Sundays. It is a tiny town, and the law dated back to the 1920s or 1930s was put in place so people could have one day of peace and quiet enjoyment without the noise, traffic and fumes of vehicles. I distinctly remember the guard at the chain at the town gate preventing vehicles admittance on Sundays. Residents could garage their cars in town but could not drive in town on that day. Visitors parked outside the gate and walked in to get to the beach. Many residents parked outside as well to have access to their cars if needed. That law was repealed during the 1970s, but the town still does not allow any alcohol sales within its borders. There are no bars in town and no restaurants sell alcohol.
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Post by mama2three on Apr 15, 2015 4:19:36 GMT
Another one I remember from when I was in college. The town had a law on the books that effectively banned sorority houses. Apparently the law considers 3 or more unrelated women living together a brothel.
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conchita
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Post by conchita on Apr 15, 2015 5:16:25 GMT
Life-long Texan here...what the heck is a "Jesus wall"? Oops, I goofed, the reference a pea made on a thread was to start working on having a "cross wall", not a Jesus wall. I'm sorry, I didn't remember the exact phrase.
And blinging one's flip flops and phone (which sounds semi-okay to me).
What?! Your flip flops aren't blinged out?! You've been deprived! And yeah, cross walls are pretty common here. I actually gifted one made from a fence post and barbed wire to my Mom to add to her collection of crosses. Growing up she also had a velvet wall hanging of Jesus. It covered the whole wall and Jesus's eyes would follow your every move. So, Jesus walls exist, too. Lol!
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Post by alexa11 on Apr 15, 2015 5:24:28 GMT
I'm in SC, so of course we have them. I think the are archaic and they really piss me off. It's absurd that I can only have a drink on Sunday in a restaurant within the city limits.
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my3freaks
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Jun 26, 2014 4:10:56 GMT
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Post by my3freaks on Apr 15, 2015 5:38:51 GMT
Another Texan who wants to know what the Jesus wall is. Also, do any of the Texans remember when the blue laws were even stricter than they are now and the malls were closed on Sunday too? I also remember in my much younger days racing to the convenience store before 1am on Saturdays to load up on beer LOL! I was thinking maybe the little cubby in the wall that's got a light in it? I had never seen a house with those until we got stationed in San Antonio, where my DH mostly grew up, and have always heard them called "Jesus holes". Our house in Colorado has one also. I'm from New Hampshire, they were something new to me.
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Post by jonda1974 on Apr 15, 2015 5:43:10 GMT
There are a lot of really old odd laws that are still on the books everywhere because they've never been officially repealed. I used to have a book of them and some were so ridiculous it was hard to believe anyone ever felt so strongly that they made it into a law. Some make sense such as the one indicating that you have to have food in order to drink alcohol in a restaurant. Others are really odd. I'll have to see if I can find some of those I have read about before. Only rarely are Blue Laws enforced. Since the thread seems to be focused on alcohol: PA still does not allow alcohol sales (bottles) anywhere but a state-controlled liquor store. Granted, many state stores are attached to supermarkets, but it would be more convenient to purchase from one store together with groceries. Beer is not available in the state stores, just wine and hard liquor. For beer you have to go to a distributor where it is sold only by the case. Bottles or 6 packs you can get from taverns, but usually at a hefty markup. This is annoying and does nothing to curb drinking. Hmm, make it hard to buy a 6 pack and force people to buy beer by the case. Craziness. A town near where I grew up did not allow any cars on the streets in town on Sundays. It is a tiny town, and the law dated back to the 1920s or 1930s was put in place so people could have one day of peace and quiet enjoyment without the noise, traffic and fumes of vehicles. I distinctly remember the guard at the chain at the town gate preventing vehicles admittance on Sundays. Residents could garage their cars in town but could not drive in town on that day. Visitors parked outside the gate and walked in to get to the beach. Many residents parked outside as well to have access to their cars if needed. That law was repealed during the 1970s, but the town still does not allow any alcohol sales within its borders. There are no bars in town and no restaurants sell alcohol. I am always surprised someone doesn't go through all these old laws and just do away with them to clean up the books. Just curious, why does it make sense to have to order food if I want to buy a drink.
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my3freaks
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Posts: 3,206
Location: NH girl living in Colorado
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Post by my3freaks on Apr 15, 2015 5:43:31 GMT
Another one I remember from when I was in college. The town had a law on the books that effectively banned sorority houses. Apparently the law considers 3 or more unrelated women living together a brothel. I laughed out loud at this one! Dirty, shameless harlots!!
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Post by gillyp on Apr 15, 2015 8:49:03 GMT
I have never heard of blue laws either, but I can guess from the answers what they are. Why are they called 'blue'? In Scotland, you can buy just about anything on a Sunday, although that might be different in the Highlands and Islands. gillyp? Supermarkets and corner shops can all sell beer, wine, and what you call liquor but we call spirits, but only between the hours of 10am and 10pm. Outwith those hours, these aisles are roped off. DH was delighted when he moved to Wales to find he could buy a bottle of wine whenever he wanted! I'm pretty sure the Islands, the Hebrides in particular, shut down on Sunday. IIRC public transport stops too as my husband was never able to get the ferry back to the mainland when he worked in Stornoway. I think there is now one ferry operating that day and I believe you can only get fuel from one garage, the others are all shut. Most public toilets used to be shut and some bed and breakfast establishments wouldn't take guests on a Sunday. The thinking behind it all is religious, God rested on the Sabbath and so should his flock, most of whom will be attending Church. Supermarkets up here on the mainland have shorter licensing hours I think. 10 am - 6 pm rings a bell but you can buy any alcohol between these hours. For my own part, we are open 8 am - 10.30 pm every day, Sunday included. We don't sell alcohol but cigarettes, sweets, ice cream, basic groceries, newspapers are available all day. It was like this when I took over 9 years ago and I never questioned it. It's mainly little corner shops and the bigger out of town stores that open on Sunday albeit with shorter hours.
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Post by Patter on Apr 15, 2015 10:37:18 GMT
I haven't seen one locked up or sectioned off in many years. There are usually a few signs that will remind you that you can purchase until noon. . Our HEB justt ropes off the wine and beer aisles… But it's not like you couldn't jump over if you really wanted to. But if you try to take it to the register, they won't sell it to you. I know this, because once I tried to buy some wine for cooking. It wasn't roped off at the time and I simply forgot. Because it's such a stupid law. I wish our HEB would have done that. I don't drink but hubby has a glass of wine with dinner each night. Anyway, several times he would try to buy wine on Sunday's because he would forget the law. He wouldn't remember until he was at the checkout and the cashier wouldn't sell it to him. Oh well.
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Deleted
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Jun 1, 2024 13:37:54 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2015 10:59:40 GMT
I am always surprised someone doesn't go through all these old laws and just do away with them to clean up the books. Just curious, why does it make sense to have to order food if I want to buy a drink. In Oklahoma at least, the difference between a restaurant and a bar is the sales of food. Restaurants sell food with some drinks but the main sale is food. Bars are flipped. At one time they had different licensing laws applied to them (may still have) So a restaurant wanted to make sure all patrons bought food to keep their food sales as the main sales volume. If you just want a soft drink you can. It is the sale of beer/wine that is going to cause you to need to order food if you are in a restaurant.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2015 11:03:20 GMT
. Our HEB justt ropes off the wine and beer aisles… But it's not like you couldn't jump over if you really wanted to. But if you try to take it to the register, they won't sell it to you. I know this, because once I tried to buy some wine for cooking. It wasn't roped off at the time and I simply forgot. Because it's such a stupid law. I wish our HEB would have done that. I don't drink but hubby has a glass of wine with dinner each night. Anyway, several times he would try to buy wine on Sunday's because he would forget the law. He wouldn't remember until he was at the checkout and the cashier wouldn't sell it to him. Oh well. When I was working retail it wasn't a matter of I "wouldn't" sell alcohol, I *couldn't* The cash register locked the sale out and I've have to get my customer service manager to come reset my cash register. It was really frustrating for customers who got in line before the magic shut down time but didn't get to the front of the line fast enough. It is surprising how many people would wait to the last minute
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Post by pretzels on Apr 15, 2015 11:06:37 GMT
I love the Texas blue laws! You don't know how many men have let me, with my cart FULL of groceries ahead of them at the store because it was 11:30 a.m., the Cowboys played at noon and they had beer!
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Post by Patter on Apr 15, 2015 11:07:19 GMT
I wish our HEB would have done that. I don't drink but hubby has a glass of wine with dinner each night. Anyway, several times he would try to buy wine on Sunday's because he would forget the law. He wouldn't remember until he was at the checkout and the cashier wouldn't sell it to him. Oh well. When I was working retail it wasn't a matter of I "wouldn't" sell alcohol, I *couldn't* The cash register locked the sale out and I've have to get my customer service manager to come reset my cash register. It was really frustrating for customers who got in line before the magic shut down time but didn't get to the front of the line fast enough. It is surprising how many people would wait to the last minute Oh, I know the cashier couldn't sell it. It was against the law. Sorry, used the wrong word.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2015 11:31:27 GMT
I don't know why they're called "Blue laws", but it goes way back. In Massachusetts, it used to be that all retail stores were closed on Sunday. Then it changed to allowing them to open at noon on Sunday. Now the only blue laws (I think) involve liquor. It also varies by town -- some towns are dry and some don't allow any liquor to be sold on Sundays and some allow it to be sold after 12. Liquor licenses are distributed by the town, and they are usually limited. Some restaurants can only have beer/wine licenses and some full liquor licenses. Some grocery stores are allowed to sell beer/wine (but not hard liquor.) Costco has a liquor store that's completely separated from the main part of the store.
It's all constitutional -- even though it started for religious reasons, it's considered a day of rest for employees in a secular way.
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Post by anxiousmom on Apr 15, 2015 11:33:20 GMT
If I remember, where I am, no booze before noon. Or around there-may be 11.
No hard liquor in the grocery store, wine and beer only. Hard liquor comes from the package store-although you can also buy beer and wine there as well. We also have several wine only specialty stores. None are run by the state, some are actually attached to grocery stores like Publix, or to a place like Walgreens; some are run by private organizations like the ABC liquor store.
Car dealerships are closed on Sundays. Not sure what the reasoning here is other than maybe just tradition?
When I was younger, Publix was closed on Sundays. I would guess that changed in the last twenty five years or so.
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Apr 15, 2015 11:43:00 GMT
That's not true. There are separate "red dot" stores for liquor, but beer and wine are readily available at grocery and convenience stores. Just not on Sundays. Most stores don't physically rope those sections off anymore -- everyone's just used to it. Oh - duh... I just re-read my post and totally misunderstood what you meant. Sorry! I thought you meant in SC when you meant where you live.
We still have state laws on the books that restrict the hours of operation for almost all businesses on Sundays. It was a big deal when stores wanted to open before 2:00 pm in the afternoon. Heck, people here talk with absolute reverance about businesses like Chik Fil A and Hobby Lobby that will not open on Sundays. Many counties and cities have now passed laws that allow it, but it's crazy inconsistent across the state. You better check before you plan to shop somewhere unfamilar on a Sunday monring.
Interestingly, there were always some statutory exemptions to these blue laws. According to the South Carolina code, it is perfectly legal on Sunday morning to sell tobacco, light bulbs, souvenirs, hosiery and undergarments. I can remember going into stores before the "magic hour" on Sundays and not being able to buy many of the items they sold.
Hey, it's South Carolina. We are still archaic in many ways. And much of the state is belligerantly proud of it! Lol.
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Post by Patter on Apr 15, 2015 11:45:33 GMT
Just thought I would also mention that car dealerships are not open here as well as many stores on Sunday. Only some big box stores are open but most of the small stores are closed. I love it that way. Reminds me more of growing up in Europe--everything closed, so nice and quiet.
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Apr 15, 2015 11:49:13 GMT
Funny, as backwards as SC is, our car dealerships do open on Sundays, but most mom-and-pop local businesses don't. Just the big-box or chain type stores.
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Post by Patter on Apr 15, 2015 11:56:44 GMT
Funny, as backwards as SC is, our car dealerships do open on Sundays, but most mom-and-pop local businesses don't. Just the big-box or chain type stores. Wow, when we lived in SC, car dealerships were not open. Guess that changed since we moved. It was always the perfect day to roam the car lot without salesman bugging you.
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Apr 15, 2015 12:05:51 GMT
Most are open on Sunday afternoons at least now.
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