Do Connecticut Blue Laws Keep Mom and Pop Liquor Stores Out of the Red?

Those wacky Connecticut legislators are at it again, trying to legalize the sale of liquor on Sundays and deregulate pricing in one of the last of two dry-on-the-Sabbath states left in the nation. (Sorry, Illinois Indiana.) And once again, smaller liquor stores are objecting to a policy that would take the government's thumb off the scales.

This time, though, (unlike when I blogged about this in 2010) the objection is less about Sunday sales, and more about proposed changes to the pricing structure for liquor sold in the state. Right now, Connecticut has a relatively high minimum bottle price, which benefits the little guys who are less likely to be able to negotiate bulk discounts.

This week, hundreds of small package store owners crowded into a legislative office building around a hearing on the bill to complain that their industry might soon resemble pretty much every other industry everywhere, with suppliers and retailers competing on price. 

Connecticut's man-on-the-street liquor buyers are talking sense, though:

Killingly resident Matt Young said he supports changing the blue laws regarding Sunday sales, which he described as archaic.

"You'd think these package stores would be happy," Young said. "It's going to keep more sales within the state of Connecticut."

Regarding changes to pricing and permits, Young said, "It's a free-market society."

For more, check out "Connecticut Alkies in Search of a Snort"