Some groceries, liquor stores won’t benefit from law change

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) – Some of Indiana’s grocery stores and liquor stores say a change in state law that allows alcohol sales on Christmas Day for the first time in decades won’t affect them because their stores are closed on that holiday.

Both Meijer and Kroger officials tell the Tribune-Star their stores will be closed on Christmas Day. Big Red Liquors’ Indiana stores also will be closed that day.

“Christmas is a religious holiday, it is not a commercial holiday, even though you have gifts. People have taken it to the commercial level too much. Sure, I like to have sales, but we don’t need to overdo it,” said Wayne Bower, owner of Bower’s 7th and 70 Liquor and 7th and 70 Liquor Annex in Terre Haute.

The new law might be welcoming to some companies like Speedway, which had 109 stores in Indiana that were cited for selling alcohol on Christmas Day following a December 2013 investigation by the Indiana State Excise Police.

Speedway spokeswoman Stephanie Griffith did not specifically say whether the convenience store chain would sell alcohol next week on Christmas Day. She said in a statement that the company “will comply with all laws in Indiana concerning the sale of alcohol on Christmas.”

Alcohol sales of any kind in Indiana have long been banned on Christmas Day. But the change in state law that took effect in July allows Indiana residents to buy alcohol at any restaurant, bar, liquor store or grocery store that’s open starting this Christmas Day.

The exception is in years when Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, as it will next year. However, restaurants and clubs will be allowed to make Sunday sales.