Rochester liquor stores prep for Sunday sales

For Mike Sedor, general manager of Andy's Liquor, Sunday sales have been a long time coming.

"I started in this business 29 years ago," Sedor said. "When I started, my boss told me, 'Kid, in five years you're going to be working on Sundays.'"

Now, Minnesotans are less than a month away from making their first Sunday liquor run.

July 2 will mark the first Sunday in state history that Minnesota liquor stores may remain open. As the date approaches, Rochester-area liquor stores are planning promotions and operational changes to account for the extra work day. But liquor store representatives are split on whether there will be a measurable economic impact, and say the business-hour extension could pose challenges to public safety.

Bradley Smith, public relations and member services manager at People's Food Co-op, said they've heard ongoing customer demand for Sunday sales and are excited to fulfill that need.

Smith, Sedor and Apollo Liquor General Manager Ari Kolas said their stores will likely hold promotions to kick off the first Sunday.

Andy's Liquor may hold a grill-out in celebration, Sedor said.

People's Food Co-op will be running its first Sunday promotion July 9, Smith said, coinciding with the beginning of this year's Down by the Riverside concert series. The promotions will include product discounts and picnic item raffles, he said.

"We're really excited about being close to Down by the Riverside and having people come in and grab whatever they need, whether that's food or a bottle of wine or a six pack of beer," Smith said.

For now, the co-op is focused on adjusting its liquor shop's staffing and scheduling to account for selling seven days per week, Smith said, which current staff should be able to cover.

"As our sales increase in beer, wine and spirits, we've looked at maybe bringing in some more part-time help," he said.

Sedor said operational changes at his store may be more difficult.

Many employees rely on having Sundays off, he said, adding that he may hire eight to 10 more people to help cover the extra shifts.

But the actual economic impact of Sunday sales, Sedor said, remains to be seen.

Andy's Liquor polled around 2,000 customers to estimate customer demand for Sunday sales. The responses varied, Sedor said, with many saying they'd shop around noon, if at all.

Sales will likely be high for the first several Sundays, he said, but may temper off once excitement fades.

"Obviously that enthusiasm will be curbed in September," Sedor said.

Kolas doesn't expect much of a spike in sales, expecting business to level out throughout the week.

Smith disagreed, and said he thinks sales will be more fruitful.

"People are going out to the river, or going (on) picnics, going on bike rides," Smith said.

The economic boost from Sunday sales also could roll over into the co-op's grocery sales, he said.

"We believe it will be some good cross-promotion between our food sales and our beer, wine and spirit sales," Smith said.

But Kolas said increasing alcohol accessibility may pose public safety risks.

"Any time you expand accessibility to liquor, beer, wine, there's added dangers to society," Kolas said.

Still, customers like 23-year-old Derek Petricka will be happy to finally buy liquor on Sundays.

"I think it's dope," said Petricka, an Owatonna resident. "Most Sundays, it's more of like a kick back and chill kind of day, so you want to … have a couple beers or something."