Massachusetts considers opening liquor stores on Thanksgiving
There's a big debate going on about whether liquor stores should open on Thanksgiving in Massachusetts.
It may not be turkey, but for many people, alcohol is a Thanksgiving tradition.
A new proposed bill would allow liquor stores in the Bay State to be open on the holiday.
But the stance of owners and workers may be surprising.
"Holidays are more for your family and people nowadays don't really take that into account," said Kelly Oliver, a liquor store clerk.
The Massachusetts Package Stores Association testified against the bill at a hearing in Boston Tuesday.
The Biltmore Package Shop in New Bedford is a member of the association.
Managers there told NBC 10 News on Wednesday they prefer the day off for both themselves and their employees.
"You can buy liquor any day," said Oliver. "You can buy it the day before, the day after. It's not going to make a difference, I think."
Currently, liquor stores are required to close on only two holidays: Memorial Day and Christmas.
The trade group feels that changing the law is an unfair advantage for larger retailers and may force smaller businesses to stay open just to compete.
"But some say it should be up to the individual store owners to decide. After all, it is their business and consumers can set the market.
"I don't see (anything) wrong with it," said New Bedford resident, Donald Cooper. "They're going to have liquor with their meal, so they need to go out and get it."
Another woman said it's up to the owners.
"They own businesses," she said. "If they want to stay open, that's fine."
The bill was proposed by a lawmaker from Northern Massachusetts, where stores struggle with residents crossing state lines, as they are buying their Thanksgiving alcohol in New Hampshire.
But that doesn't affect stores on the South Shore because Thanksgiving sales in Rhode Island and Connecticut are still banned.
Dakshesh Patel, a liquor store clerk told NBC 10 he would not want to work on Thanksgiving if asked.