A soon-to-pass law will let liquor stores stay open on Sundays, but a survey suggests most stores are choosing not to mix Sunday spirit with Sunday spirits.
An informal poll conducted by the Oregon Liquor License Commission shows that store owners in urban areas, like those near the University, think customers will simply change the day they purchase alcohol instead of spending more money. Most non-rural store owners said they will choose to stay closed on Sundays.
Owners also indicated that potential profits won’t overcome the costs of keeping the store open, OLCC spokesman Tom Erwin said.
The Oregon State Legislature passed the bill last week, and Gov. John Kitzhaber said he won’t veto it. The Oregon Legislative Revenue Department said the law should generate about $3 million annually in state taxes, much of that money being earmarked for Oregon’s education system. But local liquor store owners doubted the bill will live up to the projected revenue predictions.
Ken Hand, owner of the Downtown Liquor Store in Eugene, said his store will not open Sundays.
“It really doesn’t make a lot of sense,” he said. “How much of your Sunday business will end up being what was your Saturday business?”
But owners of stores in major tourist areas may benefit from keeping their doors open all week. Mike DeGiusti, owner of Dexter Liquor and Blue Moon Video, near Dexter Lake, said he may forego his day off and stay open, especially during summer when tourism is high.
He added he’ll probably make money from staying open the extra day because people will rent videos.
“I’ll try it for a while and see how it goes,” DeGiusti said.
Even Kitzhaber has expressed reservations about the bill’s impact. A nearly identical version of the bill reached the governor’s office last week, and Kitzhaber sent a copy to Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers with a cover letter that said he does “not believe that the bill will result in the anticipated increased revenues.”
He also said in the letter that “I think this measure sends the wrong message to young Oregonians.”
Kitzhaber said he won’t sign or veto the bill, which will become law automatically after 10 days of inactivity from the governor.
The current bill is identical to a previous one Kitzhaber said he would let pass. The previous one failed because legislators forgot to include a provision stating that it would take effect immediately.