🚀 go-pugleaf

w.d.hines@ns.sympatico.ca (G. Wayne Hines) wrote in message news:<HU4cdQdxQ4gO-pn2-VoPwzJSSdx5p@localhost>...
> Someone suggested Sunday shopping would lead to a tax revenue 
> windfall for the government. I pointed out there likely would 
> not be any tax revenue windfall. 
> 
> Most people are on a fixed income. Unless they have access to a 
> growing number of credit cards, the amount of money they can 
> spend, disposable income, is also largely fixed. They won't 
> necessarily spend more just because certain stores are open on 
> Sunday. Sure, some people, knowing they can shop on Sunday, MAY 
> keep some funds in reserve when they're out partying on Friday 
> and/or Saturday night, so they can shop on Sunday, but don't 
> count on it. 
> 
> The bottom line is retail sales won't take a big jump just 
> because more stores are open on Sunday.

There only one problem with this theory.

They do.

Look at the stats every other place Sunday openings were precviously
forbidden, then allowed. Sales take a spike. 10%, 15%, 20%. OVER AND
ABOVE what they were selling for the week prior to.

Your assumptions regarding disposable income are simply false. People
do purchase more, given the opportunity, with funds from a variety of
sources, including savings and credit. And you conveniently overlook
the ADDITIONAL spending generated from the additional earnings made by
staff working on Sundays who never had an opportunity to do so
previously. Plus your assumptions regarding little new provincial tax
revenue are simply laughable.

The Sunday shopping issue has been beaten to death and every single
argument in favor of maintaining Sunday closures has been proven
false. The overriding argument being that everywhere else, it works.
It reminds me of the brouhaha a decade or so back regarding the evils
of self-serve gas stations. Only in this province would such a loud
vocal minority of small-minded folks stand in the way of the freedom
of the majority.