EDINA, Minn. — On Sunday, Minnesota will allow its citizens to purchase beer on Sunday. The legislation, which has been a priority for Republicans in the House and Senate for the past few years, finally became a reality during the past legislative session.
Many Republicans and big name wine, beer, and spirits retailers were thrilled with the passage of new liquor law. So much so that Surdyk’s, a big-box retail chain, opened its Sunday sales doors early, incurring a hefty fine from the city of Minneapolis.
Last year, some municipal liquor stores were concerned with the prospects of opening up for a seventh day. The Pioneer Press reports that in 2016 many were concerned that adding Sunday as a business day would not increase revenue, but rather spread it out over a seven-day period, rather than six.
However, it seems like local municipal liquor store owners are excited for the prospects of being opened for a seventh day.
Cities like Eden Prairie and Edina, who own liquor stores, have been advertising a weekend full of wine tastings and big discounts to celebrate the first open Sunday.
“This is certainly an exciting time for our customers and we promise we will be delivering the same world class service we provide Monday-Saturday on Sunday as well,” Josh Furbish, the General Manager of the Edina Liquor stores told Alpha News.
Furbish explained that while cities like Edina won’t know for some time whether Sunday sales will have a negative impact on the revenue of the city, they’ve had time to prepare.
“We decided to open all of our stores an hour later than we had been during the week and as a result added only one additional operating hour to our work week, Furbish said. “This will certainly still raise our operating expenses slightly but it will not have a significant impact on our overall financial health.”
A report from the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States show states who have implemented Sunday sales, saw anywhere from a one to nine percent increase in sales, generated from Sunday alone.
“Why not Sundays?,” a MN Consumer First Alliance coalition project estimates that Minnesota lost more than $10 million annually in revenue due to a ban on Sunday liquor sales.
Big box retailers like Surdyk’s or Total Wine will now be competing with local municipal liquor stores. But Furbish encouraged residents to continue shopping local.
Preya Samsundar
Preya Samsundar was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. She graduated from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities this Spring with a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology, with a minor in Strategic Communications. Preya has previously worked on several State Campaign Races.
