CVS open, but restricted by Thanksgiving blue laws?

[ron_newman]

On my way out of town on Tuesday, I walked by the Davis Square CVS. It had a paper sign saying that it would be open on Thanksgiving, but that because of Blue Laws, they are allowed to sell only certain products on that day.

I didn't take notes or a photo, so I don't remember the whole list, but it included prescription and over-the-counter medicines, food, beverages, and "batteries for emergency use only".

Has anyone else seen these signs? If you took a photo, can you post it here?

I don't know how they can actually enforce these restrictions, given the prevalence of self-service checkout machines.

Do any other chain stores have such restrictions posted? I'm curious about 7-Eleven, Tedeschi's, Walgreen's, and Rite Aid.

Comments

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

One could, in theory, program the computer to refuse to do price lookups for restricted merchandise. IIRC that's how they handle alcoholic beverages in states that allow alcoholic beverage sales in, say, supermarkets, but that do not permit those sales during some hours or days that the store is open.

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

CVS already does something like this for their products that are age-restricted. If you try to buy cough medicine, markers, or lighters, the automatic checkout will stop until an employee comes over to check your ID. It's only some cough medicine formulations; others can be sold to younger customers, but the adult-only ones aren't labeled as such (presumably because it's safe for anybody over 6 to take them.) And it's only large markers that are restricted, but there aren't obvious labels to show customers which markers are too large for teens to buy.

[ron_newman]

If the cough medicine is safe for anyone over 6, why is it age-restricted? (Does it contain codeine or pseudoephedrine?)

I also don't understand why the markers are restricted, unless it's some sort of attempt to prevent graffiti.

[redbird]

The self-check at a drugstore in Arlington summoned an employee to okay my purchase of a cough medicine labeled as being for teenagers. (It was the same cough suppressant as for adults, but without acetominophen or antihistamine or anything added, just the cough suppressant.)

As I understand it, there are no cough medicines considered okay for young children these days. I think the concern is that the active ingredient in the stuff that's okay for anyone over 12 can be used to get high. (I know this from someone who was using it that way as an adult.)

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

I believe there is a cough suppressant that can make people a little high if they drink enough of it. 6 year olds can have a spoonful, no problem. Teens or adults can have 2 spoonfuls, no problem. If somebody sits down and drinks the bottle, that's a big problem. Adults who can buy alcohol generally don't bother with cough syrup, because alcohol is a much cheaper and safer way to get a similar effect. There was a big scare about teenagers abusing cough syrup, so the (state? federal?) government started restricting it a few years back.

I also don't understand why the markers are restricted, unless it's some sort of attempt to prevent graffiti.

I believe that's the reasoning. That may be a municipal restriction, rather than statewide.

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

In the case of cough syrup, some types contain dextromethorphan, which in large enough quantities (say, consuming an entire 4oz bottle at once) is a mild dissociative. The age restriction is no doubt to curtail recreational use.

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

At the Magoun Square CVS, I bought paper towels and laundry detergent. They did not have a restriction posted on their doors.

[mem-winterhill.livejournal.com]

I just realized the other day that Magoun had removed their self-service checkouts. I was wondering if Davis was going to follow suit. But sounds like they haven't.

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

Self-checkouts seem to be on the way out. Shaws got rid of a lot of theirs, too.

But they are still in a lot of CVS stores.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

Huh! It used to be, when blue laws were much bluer than they are now, that in some stores only certain products could be sold on Sundays. I haven't seen anything like that for years, though.

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

Bergen County, NJ, where I grew up, still has general-merchandise blue laws prohibiting most stores from opening Sundays. Every so often someone floats the idea to abolish the blue laws, especially since such laws don't exist in any neighboring county in NY or NJ.

Paramus, which hosts three major shopping malls, is often the strongest proponent for keeping the blue laws. Residents there like having one day a week when they can get out on the roads without getting obliterated by shopper traffic.

Grocery stores and drugstores are allowed to be open, among other things. That's one reason why we have drugstores that sell tons and tons of what might be considered "general merchandise"--it was a loophole in the blue laws in NJ.

[kalimba21.livejournal.com]

I believe the marker restriction stems from an inhalation issue. The fat markers used to be used to get some kind of high. I think the formula has been modified since then.

As far as sales restrictions, I thought that Thanksgiving still had the ma. blue law that any store with over 3 employees working cannot be open. Several years ago an Asian chain foodmarket challenged this. I don't know the outcome, but maybe there is a loophole now about being open for emergency merchandise? I bet the Macgoun Sq. store, if it was open, had 3 or fewer employees.

[sissychrissy1.livejournal.com]

It's been like that for the past several years.

[dougo.livejournal.com]

There's some links here: http://www.mass.gov/lwd/labor-standards/dls/mass-blue-laws/overview.html

[ron_newman]

Thanks. Since the 55(!) exemptions from the Blue Laws include all of the following, i wonder what's left that CVS usually sells but isn't allowed to sell on Thanksgiving:

- food (including bakery and dairy products, eggs, fresh fruits and vegetables)
- soft drinks
- baby food
- "confectionaries" (which I think includes both candy and gum)
- tobacco products (which CVS mostly doesn't sell, but this would cover nicotine gum)
- batteries (if for "emergency use")
- flowers and plants
- ice
- greeting cards
- photographic film and processing
- drugs and medicines
- personal health and sanitary supplies (a huge category!)
- lottery tickets (I don't remember if CVS sells these)

[achinhibitor.livejournal.com]

I'm not surprised, but I didn't know of that. From the list you gave, it sounds like the limitation is "necessities".

Generally, the politics is that the business owners don't want to be open on holidays (it just spreads the same sales over more days, so they have to pay for more shifts of workers), and the excuse is that we should ensure that nobody has to work on $HOLIDAY.

[ron_newman]

- the business owners don't want to be open on holidays

If that's true, why was almost every large national chain store open on Thanksgiving, in states that allowed it? (i.e., everywhere except MA, RI, and ME)

Some of the 55 exceptions are necessities, but some definitely are not (flowers, plants, tobacco products, candy, lottery tickets, greeting cards, film)

[achinhibitor.livejournal.com]

Heh -- they're open because at least one of their competitors will be open, and whichever store is open will get the business, so they all have to be open. (As long as there's enough shoppers around on that day to pay for the workers to be there.)

[ron_newman]

If anyone's still interested, I posted an update, with a photo of a similar sign that CVS posted for Christmas yesterday.