HANCOCK COUNTY — Next month will mark the first anniversary of what seemed like a momentous moment for Hoosier consumers: The first Sunday sales of alcohol at Indiana liquor stores, grocery stores and other establishments.
The occasion was the toast of the town in a state that for decades had been increasingly out of step with consumer needs when it came to booze. A year later — in Hancock County, at least — it has resulted in a cocktail of support with a splash of opposition while also being a bit of a buzzkill for a local brewery.
Jon Sinder is one of the owners of Crown Liquors in Greenfield and chairman of the Indiana Association of Beverage Retailers. He advocated for the law change primarily because customers indicated they wanted it, he said.
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“When I got into this business over 25 years ago, it was never really discussed or talked about, particularly with customers,” Sinder said. “And then the retail environment overall changed and convenience became more focused in the retail sector, so it became clear to us it was the right thing to do.”
It’s too early to tell what kind of impact the change has had on his business so far for a few reasons, he continued. He said one big question he and others in the industry had as the change took effect was the possibility it wouldn’t actually result in increased sales. In other words, they worried the change would result in six days of sales spread out over seven days.
“We don’t know the answer to that just yet,” Sinder said. “It takes 18 or more months to change consumer behavior, so we really don’t know until we get more time under our belt.”
Last year being a decent one for retail nationally is another factor to consider, he added.
Steve Coram has owned Chilly’s Liquor in Greenfield for 23 years. He’s kept his store closed on Sundays, with the exception of the two that fell near Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve in 2018. Coram said he doesn’t buy claims that the extra day will result in a boost to tax revenue, adding more open hours does increase a population’s discretionary income.
“Am I going to drink more because it’s open on Sunday?” he said. “No.”
Remaining closed on Sundays has not hurt his business, Coram continued. Even if being open would help, he’s not sure it would be worth it.
“Is that really the best thing for my employees and their families and my family?” he said. “Probably not… I work to live, not live to work.”
There are just “too many important events” on Sundays, Coram said, such as church and holidays like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Easter.
Coram is not dismissing the notion entirely, however. He said he’s going to look into how Sunday sales have affected competitors. Some customers have been requesting it, he added. Depending on customer sentiments and economics, he could reconsider in the future, he said, but he maintained he’s fundamentally against being open on Sundays.
He admires aspects of the law, such as alcohol sales not being allowed to begin until noon, which he said respects people of faith who go to church on Sunday mornings. Coram likes that the law requires sales at the affected establishments to cease at 8 p.m. on Sundays, too. That way, if working at a liquor store is a second job for someone, they’re not getting too overworked heading into the regular work week, he said.
Elite Beverages in McCordsville has been open noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays since the law change. Ley Heiser, a cashier there, said she supports the law and liked how Indiana “decided to follow the times and get with the program.”
Almost 40 states allowed some form off off-premise retail alcohol sales in 2017, according to the most recent information available from the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association.
Heiser estimated the store does about half the business on Sundays it does on a typical business day.
Mike Williams, director of operations for Greenfield-based Wooden Bear Brewing Co., said there’s been a significant decrease in Sunday sales since the new law took effect. Before the change, the brewery was pretty much the only place in town to get carryout beer on Sundays.
“I think it’s a good law in a lot of ways but it definitely did have some impact on some breweries,” Williams said.
To try to entice customers back on Sundays, Wooden Bear Brewing Co. started offering specials like discounted growlers, he added.
Kyle Peyton of Greenfield was at Crown Liquors one afternoon this week. He said when the new law went into effect, it was a surprise to him and that he hadn’t heard much about it before that point.
Peyton said while he’s bought alcohol a few times on Sundays over the past year, the change has not significantly affected his carryout alcohol purchasing. Peyton added he usually makes sure he has enough alcohol if he has anything going on on Sundays.
“It hasn’t really impacted my life too much,” he said.
Ingalill Karlsson, McCordsville, stopped by Crown Liquors the same afternoon. She spent much of her life in Sweden, where not only are retail liquor sales prohibited on Sundays, but cease at noon on Saturdays.
“I think it’s great,” she said of Indiana’s new law.
It gives people more of a choice and doesn’t limit them in stocking up for weekend festivities, Karlsson continued. She and her friends go on Sunday kayaking trips in the summer. After working late on a Saturday, it’s convenient to be able to wait until Sunday for their beer run rather than having to rush out the night before, she said.
“It helps being able to do it on Sunday without having to worry about it on a Friday or Saturday,” she said.
