NO BRISK SALES OF SUNDAY LIQUOR REPORTED FIRST DAY

Many Cape Girardeau residents took advantage of the sunshine and mild temperatures Sunday to fire up the grill and invite friends over for beer and a barbecue.

The only difference this Sunday was that they didn't have to stock up Saturday or drive to Illinois to purchase the beer.

That's because a new Missouri law allowing Sunday packaged liquor sales went into effect in Cape Girardeau Sunday, opening the door for local merchants to sell "carry-out" alcohol between 1 p.m. and midnight.

In the past, state law always barred supermarkets and liquor stores from selling Sunday booze.

Merchants gave mixed reports of Sunday sales, and many have yet to get the special permit required for Sunday sales.

Debbie Patty, customer service manager at Schnuck's, said liquor sales there were steady but not brisk by any means.

"It's not like a busy Friday or Saturday," Patty said. "But this is the first Sunday we've sold it too."

At the Rhodes 101 Stop at 1610 N. Kingshighway, cashier Steve Welk also reported meager sales.

"It was slow compared to any other day," Welk said. "Maybe people aren't aware of it yet. I know last Sunday a lot of people were asking about it, and I don't know if they even know if Cape has passed it."

A cashier at Stadium Food Plaza near Houck Stadium on Broadway said only about 10 people bought alcohol there Sunday. "Either not many people drink alcohol on Sunday or they just don't know about it," she said.

Gov. Mel Carnahan earlier this month signed into law legislation allowing liquor stores, groceries and convenience stores to sell packaged alcoholic beverages on Sundays.

The current law is a patchwork on Sundays, allowing some restaurants to sell by the package and by the drink while many stores are closed.

The new law does not allow bars to open on Sundays, although a previous law let some of them do business if they sell a minimum amount of food, a practice which continues.

The Cape Girardeau City Council refused to approve Sunday liquor sales immediately, but relented last week when state officials claimed the city had no authority to ban the sales.

Despite the new law, consumers apparently were forced to shop around in Cape Girardeau to find stores selling alcohol Sunday.

A clerk at the D-Mart near the intersection of Interstate 55 and Route K said many people had been in the store to buy alcohol. "Unfortunately, we don't have our license yet," she said.

Don's Store 24 at the corner of Sprigg and Morgan Oak has vowed to abstain from selling Sunday liquor.

But an employee of Bi-State Southern, 400 Morgan Oak, said that convenience store did "pretty well" Sunday afternoon, with about 20 customers coming in by 5 p.m. to buy liquor. "It was pretty steady this afternoon," the clerk said. "It's been pretty busy."

Wink's Mini Mart, situated in the midst of numerous apartment buildings on West Themis, reported brisk sales. An employee reported several repeat buyers on the hot afternoon.

"They've been pretty busy all day," the cashier said. "It seems like people like (the law). A lot of people thought it was less expensive than driving across the river to Illinois."

An employee at the Purple Crackle in East Cape Girardeau, Ill. previously the closest place to buy packaged liquor on Sunday said he didn't know if the new Missouri law affected business Sunday at the Crackle.

But, he added, if the number of past Sunday patrons with Missouri license plates is any indication, Missouri sales likely will mean fewer in East Cape.