Why Can’t I Buy a Car or Liquor on Sundays?
Hey, Texplainer: Why can’t I buy a car or liquor on Sundays?
You can’t buy liquor on Sundays and car dealerships can only be open one day over a weekend because of the last remnants of so-called “blue laws” in Texas. Blue laws have been around since before Texas or the United States were founded. Their purpose, originally, was to prohibit the sale of certain goods on Sundays, a day traditionally meant to be spent in church and resting.
Over time, the laws have changed in Texas, and most of the bans were removed in 1985, except, of ...
Comments (11)
Grumper Ward via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Have we not learned that everything does not have to be changed. The cost of making the change would more than likely far exceed the gain in taxes.
tthomas48
Yeah, as an auto dealership customer, I love the fact that usually the two franchises for a given brand almost always close on opposite days so I can't do comparison shopping.
Of course, I use email to get a firm price and appointment before buying a car, so I suppose I'm not really the sort of customer dealerships care about anyway.
Susan Stella Floyd via Texas Tribune on Facebook
This will also mean liquor stores will have to pay wages on Sundays. And people will just spread their purchases out, rather than making them on Saturday. I am all for changing the law because it is arbitrary and, ultimately, based on silly religious dictates, but if the State thinks this is going to increase sales tax revenue, they are... wait, I already knew how stupid our legislators are!
Ben Martinez via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Another one of those "emergency" laws of the repuks.
Susan Stella Floyd via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Well, their ideology does create, in me, an emergency need to drink large quantities of alcohol...
Kenneth Collier
What's the problem with letting market forces determine whether or not these businesses are open on any given day? Changing the laws would not mandate that these businesses open on Sunday. If you take away the religious roots of these laws they look very much like the kind of unneeded regulation that conservatives rebel against.
Tim Thomas via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Actually wouldn't the cost of making the changes be lower even if there were no new taxes? Currently someone has to enforce that car dealerships and liquor stores are closed on the appropriate days.
Tim Tukaram Spotswood via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I don't care if it saves money/generates tax revenue or not. The convenience of the consumer and the idiocy of the law dictate that it is time to do away with all the ridiculous 'blue laws'. Hell my idiot county still has wet and dry neighborhoods!
Suzanne Hardie Lander via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Getting rid of them would have generated at least a little income 10 years ago when I used to get off work before the stores were allowed to sell alcohol and occasionally wanted to buy beer before I went home and went to sleep for the day. I just cussed out the lawmakers and skipped the beer those days. Didn't want it often enough to keep it in the fridge and didn't always know when I would a day ahead.
Christine Lund
This change in law would simply give dealerships the CHOICE to decide if they wanted to be open. No one is saying that the government would force them to be open. If the church people want a government, let them start their own country. To continue to ban things for no good reason is idiocy. We, the people, don't need government telling us when we can or cannot buy things. We wouldn't be adding a law, we'd be getting rid of an outdated, ridiculous law.
jason stafford
I find the column cute and informative. However, I'm a little surprised you missed the chance to mock that such laws continue on with impunity from the very large and often very loud supporters of 'freedom' and 'free markets' in the state. I suppose all that freedom 'talk' ... is just that.