For the first time in , people will be able to buy alcohol this Sunday, and every Sunday thereafter.
But not every package store will open on Sunday and not everyone is sure people will take advantage of Sunday alcohol sales. Despite the push by Gov. on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Malloy’s urging for people to not everyone is happy about the new law.
On Stonington-Mystic Patch’s Facebook page earlier in the week when reminded about the first Sunday of alcohol sales one Facebook user responded: “Good news for people incapable of planning ahead.”
At least one Mystic package will be open on Sunday though. The in Mystic will open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and employees didn’t really seem to mind saying that they had already set up a Sunday rotation shift so they wouldn’t always have to be on.
Some stores in the area and seeing how it goes, while others will not open at all and others will open but will not be happy about it.
Alan Wilensky, and owner of Max’s Package Store in East Lyme, said that while he will open his store on Sundays starting next week, it is an increased burden to the small businessman.
“There will be no increase in sales because of this,” Wilensky said. “And there will be additional expenses added because of this, so by definition you have made businesses less profitable.”
Originally, Malloy’s bill the alcohol industry, which Wilensky argued would have put all the small package store owners out of business within three years. The package store association managed to eliminate most of those proposals, partly by allowing Sunday sales, he said.
“If he would have just proposed Sunday sales, yes, I think we could killed it another year,” he said. "It was part of our negotiating tactic to concede Sundays."
Meanwhile, it just means package store owners–following society in general—will have less time to spend with their family, Wilensky said. And while a March Quinnipiac poll showed 54 percent of Connecticut residents support the sale of alcohol on Sunday, perhaps buying alcohol should not be so easy, he said.
“I’m not sure you want an intoxicating substance to be dictated by convenience,” Wilensky said. “Maybe alcohol should be harder to get.”
The Package Store Association will review what times work best to say open, or if it is worth being open at all on Sundays, Wilensky said. The next few months and years will be “trial and error” until best practices can be found, he said.
