Governor Deal signs Sunday sales bill

During the recent Georgia legislative session, I made a number of posts about the proposed bill to allow local municipalities to hold referendums on Sunday package sales of beer, wine, and liquor.

Just a quick note here to say that Governor Deal signed the bill into law today. Deal has already said that he personally will vote no in his hometown, but — unlike his predecessor Sonny Perdue — he chose not to stand in the way of local voters.

It’s unclear how this will play out in terms of the economy. It might give an edge to large retailers like grocery stores that are already open on Sundays, but I suspect that those who shop at smaller liquor stores and wine shops will maintain their loyalty. And some of those shops will find it worthwhile to open for a few hours on Sunday.

The city of Savannah has a municipal election in November, so it’s conceivable that Sunday sales will be on the ballot.