A proposal to repeal Minnesota’s ban on Sunday liquor sales has support from Democrats and Republicans this session, however that does not guarantee it is going to pass. In the past it has been voted down by wide margins. In the past, liquor store owners and union labor have been opposed to the bill. Supporters Rep. Jenifer Loon (R-Eden Prairie) and Sen. Roger Reinert (DFL-Duluth) brought along several liquor store owners to their news conference announcing this year’s drive to repeal the Sunday liquor sale prohibition.

Tamra Kramer, owner of Vom Fass a store that sells liquor at the Mall of America, said her store would make $100,000 more a year in sales if Sunday sales were allowed.

When questioned about that figure she said she just multiplied a single days sales by 52. Opponents of the repeal in the past have argued that people buy their liquor on other days knowing the store will be closed on Sunday, meaning for most store owners, sales would not go up as much as Kramer said hers would.

Reasons the law has not been repealed in the past



In the past smaller liquor store owners have said they would see increased costs because they would need to be open on Sunday to be competitive, but costs could exceed the additional revenue they might see.

Loon says the political landscape has changed in the House since the last time a change in Sunday liquor laws was voted on. The new House Speaker Kurt Daudt supports the repeal and Governor Mark Dayton has indicated he might sign it. However Reinert says things have not changed in the Senate, where the repeal could still face major opposition.

Loon said the Teamsters union has been a big opponent of repeal in the past because Sunday liquor sales could mean union workers would have to work the weekend to make deliveries. She said store owners should be able to plan ahead and stock enough product for the weekend, so she is willing to write into the bill a prohibition on weekend liquor deliveries.