March 4 (UPI) — The state of Indiana allowed carryout alcohol sales on Sunday for the first time since the prohibition era this week.
Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a bill Wednesday allowing grocery, liquor and convenience stores to sell alcohol from noon to 8 p.m., which went into effect Sunday.
Holcomb took advantage of the new law, purchasing a case of beer from a local market shortly after the bill took effect.
“It’s noon! Excited to be checking out at Goose the Market with my Sunday Sales,” he wrote on Twitter.
Retailers have been updating work schedules and adding new Sunday shifts since the passage of the bill.
Eric Halvorson, spokesman for grocery chain Kroger, welcomed the law change and pledged the stores would handle Sunday alcohol sales with the same level of responsibility as weekday sales.
“I think it’s exciting for everyone because this is topic that has been under discussion for decades, and I think everyone is happy to finally have some resolution to this,” Halvorson said. “We’re thrilled that we can offer this service to our customers because we’ve heard about it for so many years. Since it’s one of the top shopping days of the week anyway, from our standpoint it just makes sense.”
Local liquor store Big Red Liquors offered a 25 percent discount on all beer, wine and spirits made in Indiana every Sunday in March to celebrate the legislation.
“We applaud the consumer-friendly and forward-thinking work of the legislature this year in regard to Sunday alcohol sales. This is a positive change we felt was long overdue,” Big Red Liquors President Don Rix said. “Big Red Liquors has advocated for Indiana to lift the prohibition on Sunday sales for the last several years. We are thrilled to ‘celebrate responsibly’ by making sure Indiana made products and Indiana businesses take center stage.”‘
Indiana was the last state to ban beer, wine and liquor on Sundays, according to ProhibitionRepeal.com.
Eleven states continue to ban Sunday liquor sales: Alabama, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia.
