Sunday Sales

Sunday Sales in Connecticut. This topic has been covered to death by many of my fellow retailers. I've been quoted anonymously, interviewed publicly, and debated with everyone who asks me my opinion. Recently I was asked if I would put together a list of talking points, using the CT Liquor Control regulations, that could hopefully open up more dialogue in support of changing the laws comprehensively. Sunday sales, in my opinion, are but one small facet of what this state needs to improve retail package store sales for everyone.


As I've been reading the various opinions put out there by my friends and colleagues I'm sensitive to their feelings. I think it's human nature to build a platform and stand on it, dismissing "change" without ever trying to adapt or test it out. What if? There's an aspect to Sunday sales that requires a leap of faith as well as a fearless attitude. Scheduling changes, potential new hires, less time spent with family, no designated day off..... clearly this latest proposal cuts a swath directly down the middle between large stores and small. However, I've yet to really be convinced that allowing us to all be open 7 days a week will truly kill the "little guy's" business. It's a potential pain in the ass, yes, but is it a death sentence for the Mom & Pops? There's no way to predict. 


I'm wondering, if there was a more comprehensive and thoughtful revamping of the laws in their entirety, maybe being open on Sunday wouldn't feel like such a burden? The entire section 30-6-B21a regarding "tastings" could use some expansion and a kick into the 21st century. While it's perfectly acceptable to do business with charitable organizations off-premise, provided you apply for a permit to do so 10 days prior to the event, why couldn't the same rules apply on-premise? Jeff and I have been asked almost every day since we've opened if we can rent out our space for a) private parties, b) wine classes to be held by us, c) charitable fundraisers, and even recently, Spin Odyssey. The looks of dismay on people's faces when we say we aren't allowed to do these things makes any explanation sound hollow. If Liquor Control was to employ a similar application formula, package stores could host parties on premise, or rent out the premises, or hold classes. The revenues that would be generated from the liquor sales would be a tremendous boost to our state and our business.


The same can be said for the serving of food. I don't want to be a restaurant but I'd love to be able to serve a little nibble, for free, to the patrons of our store. Many of us do weekly wine tastings that bring together friends and customers. It would be advantageous to put out a little bread and cheese to compliment the wines as well as generate dialogue. More dialogue plus more tasting plus food/wine pairing equals greater sales and more revenue for the state. Again, this seems simple to me. Customers aren't as concerned with shopping on Sunday as they are in engaging with their neighborhood stores and building relationships. We all want to learn, socialize/gather, if even for a minute, in order to connect with each other. There's no possible way that the retailers are the only ones who get this idea, yet it feels that way when you examine the Band-Aid the state wants to use to deal with their own deficits.


Lastly, can we please lower the cost of registering a label in Connecticut? We can't get our hands on a tremendous amount of incredible wine because the prohibitive cost of doing business here gives New York State the advantage. As far as I'm concerned, people go to New York on Sunday, in part, to buy the wines that we can't get here. Take the train to NYC any given Sunday and weep at what our distributors sell there. Rosenthal. Skurnik. Winebow. Martin Scott. With some time investment and a look at the big picture I'm sure our state legislators can come up with a more tightly focused, forward thinking amendment to the current liquor regulations.


In the meantime, I think we all continue to try and think as much outside the box as we can. This not an eloquent blog nor am I saying anything that hasn't been said before. I suppose I'm feeling like I've dumbed it all down too much. But, I've been writing this for 5 hours and I still come back to the same thing, wine selling today is different than it was years ago. If the rest of the world is growing and modernizing then so should we. There are some creative, interesting and financially rewarding ways to reinvent this wheel. Let's work together to make it happen. 


Cheers.