Here in New Jersey auto dealers are strictly prohibited from opening on Sunday. In spite of the fact that the "blue laws" are mostly gone (one county still has blue laws and they tend to be largely ignored) auto dealers never open on Sundays.

I wonder why this particular ban is so strictly enforced and obeyed especially now that most every other retail business is open seven days a week.

Are auto dealers allowed to be open on Sunday in your area?

 

There are no such "blue laws" here in Delaware, AFAIK. I am surprised that NJ still has them on the books. Many dealers here are open 7 days a week, but I think that some individual dealers may close on Sunday to give their salesmen some family time.

Every other business is open on Sunday, even liquor stores, so why not auto dealers?

 

Auto dealers around here are never open on Sundays. I'm not aware there are any laws precluding this.

 

They are open in California but not in Colorado, on Sunday.

 

New car stores are open on Sundays in Texas if they choose to be. But the service departments are not open, and the sales departments are usually open only part of the day..

 

^^^That's pretty much the case here as well.

 

Back before I was a lawyer I remember something about contracts signed on Sunday being unenforceable.

 

And now that you are a lawyer???

 

Rob, are you talking about only Easter Sunday or every Sunday?

 

New Jersey is a quirky place. We cannot pump our own gas. We're only one of two states that doesn't allow for self service. The official story is that it's for safety but most people think its to protect the jobs of the pump jockeys.

One county, Bergen, still has a full set of blue laws on the books. The only thing that can be sold in Bergen on Sunday is food products. As old fashioned as it sounds, many people in Bergen like having the blue laws. They think it eliminates the traffic and congestion on Sunday. Governor Christie is trying to eliminate these laws from Bergen's books believing that Sunday commerce will generate a great deal of sales tax revenue.

Still, it is illegal for auto dealers to be open on Sunday statewide. In general, with the exception of Bergen County, that is the only retail industry that cannot conduct business on Sunday. I wonder why auto dealers were singled out.

I never knew whether this ban was unique to Jersey or nationwide. It looks like its a state to state kind of thing.

Apparently Blue Laws go back to when Sunday was considered to be the Sabbath and commerce in general was prohibited. I do wonder why car dealers are still singled out here in this state. Any thoughts?