# Sunday Liquor Laws, especially MD: What's the official rationale? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 7, 2005, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-liquor-laws-especially-md-whats-the-official-rationale/293317 "2005-03-07T05:30:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-liquor-laws-especially-md-whats-the-official-rationale/293317/21 "2005-03-08T00:32:49Z")
I was amazed when Massachussetts recently repealed the Blue laws preventing liquor sales on Sunday (and with a Mormon Governor, no less!). I never understood why you could go to a bar and buy liquor THERE on a Sunday, and you could drink till you were shitfaced any liquor you might already have in your home, you just couldn’t go out and buy MORE liquor to drink at home on that one day in seven. The law started to crumble when they allowed some stores that were close to state borders to open on Sundays when the adjacent state allowed Sunday sales. I know the liquor store owners themselves were pretty opposed to allowing Sunday sales actually. They figure most of them aren’t going to get more sales volume, it is just going to be spread out over seven days instead of six. So they will have to staff their store one extra day for the same amount of income, and they can’t afford NOT to be open because their competition will. I don’t think the liquor lobby was a very vocal proponent of the change actually. Again, they probably realized they wouldn’t realistically get much more in the way of sales. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-liquor-laws-especially-md-whats-the-official-rationale/293317/22 "2005-03-08T00:34:22Z")
> [@MC$E](#): > > It must be a county by county thing in Maryland. I’m in Harford county and am positive I have bought hard liquor on a Sunday. Me too, in Havre de Grace. ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-liquor-laws-especially-md-whats-the-official-rationale/293317/23 "2005-03-08T02:13:23Z")
Alas, **MC$E** and **Ginger** , I’ve never tried buying on Sundays when visiting my parents in Bel Air, but I’ll take your word that it can be done. PG County, though, nada. I know you can get served at a bar/restaurant on Sundays in Harford. Only Mostly Missus, my parents, and I went to lunch at the new Ropewalk Tavern in Bel Air for her birthday. My dad had a Bloody Mary and OMM a Whisky Sour. So that, plus the fact that one is never more than a quarter mile from a liquor store in Harford, I’d guess you can get your booze on Sunday. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-liquor-laws-especially-md-whats-the-official-rationale/293317/24 "2005-03-08T04:06:56Z")
Remember that the rules in PA are driven also by AFSCME, the Union representing the State Store employees, who have howled long and hard against privitization of liquor and wine sales. Og forbid we handle this aspect of commerce like adults. PA + unions guarantee we’ll stay at least a half-century behind the rest of the world. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-liquor-laws-especially-md-whats-the-official-rationale/293317/25 "2005-03-08T04:11:55Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > Remember that the rules in PA are driven also by AFSCME, the Union representing the State Store employees, who have howled long and hard against privitization of liquor and wine sales. Og forbid we handle this aspect of commerce like adults. PA + unions guarantee we’ll stay at least a half-century behind the rest of the world. I didn’t even know State Store employees were AFSCME. \I’m\ AFSCME. And I think the liquor laws are draconian… Is it even possible to picket yourself? ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-liquor-laws-especially-md-whats-the-official-rationale/293317/26 "2005-03-08T04:13:54Z")
Can’t help you with that one, Pal. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-liquor-laws-especially-md-whats-the-official-rationale/293317/27 "2005-03-08T04:16:07Z")
Damn LJ… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-liquor-laws-especially-md-whats-the-official-rationale/293317.md?page=1)