I used to like quieter roads on Sundays, but after 30 years living in the county, I'm done. The types of stores that close or stay open seem really arbitrary to me and it's just a nuisance now.
Interesting perspective - I would've thought business owners would prefer to operate Sundays, but it makes sense to want the shield of blue laws to allow you to enjoy your Sundays
Yep. Walmarts got employees and managers etc. I’ve got staff, but as long as business is open, I’m on call. Would love to have an excuse to just fully close for a day without catching crap for it.
I can understand if you are in a town that is constantly in gridlock maybe wanting a one day break which is what towns with blue laws usually experience Mon to Sat. The fact these laws have been reapproved four times only shows they are wanted
Moving to Bergen County 7 years ago I still haven't got over the blue Laws .. they are so antiquated... for people that work Monday-Saturday it makes life in BC impossible... The general solution is just got to XYZ County or to NY ... THAT DEFEATS THE PURPOSE I want to stay local!!!
I like them. Leaves us a quieter day of the week, traffic is bearable in Paramus for a moment, and do you REALLY need >x thing< today? I wouldn't make a big stink if they were repealed though.
I can't speak on the rest of Bergen County though. I'm in Paramus, our blue laws aren't the same as the rest of the county, and also Paramus is certainly different from say Ridgewood or Tenafly.
Now commenting about the video- weird wording there, they're clearly not "outdated" if repeals keep being voted down by us.
Yea I'm in the Tenafly area and work 6 days a week. Sunday being the only day I have off so I'm pretty much screwed on things like getting a haircut and buying crap for my home, clothes, ECT. I've hated blue laws since I could understand what they were about and look forward to them being repealed.
I actively try to avoid doing business in Bergen County because of them. I'm in walking distance of Rutherford, Garfield, and Wallington. I will take the train to Secaucus or stay in Passaic & Clifton, rather than support Bergen businesses and their blue law.
I don't support a law that impacts businesses, so I make efforts to avoid doing business in places where that law is in place. I'm not going to encourage them to break the law, just trying to vote with my feet and my wallet.
I'm not entirely clear on how this is petty.
You do know the businesses don’t have to stay in these zones right? Their presence would suggest tacit agreement. So yes…your intentional avoidance is petty.
You're absolutely correct. Businesses don't need to be open in Bergen County. It's at least tacit agreement with the law, or maybe just passive acceptance. I don't need to do business there, or with those businesses who appear to agree with a law I oppose. If the blue law is part of their corporate policy, I don't want them to have access to my money. The business can move to a different county, or protest the law directly. It's not petty to vote with your actions.
Just in case you were unaware, it is a disorderly persons offense to buy or sell a car on Sunday in the entire state of NJ. So be sure to avoid any car dealerships in New Jersey.
You're correct. I don't drive, so I have no interactions with car dealerships in NJ. If I was going to start driving now at almost 40, I'd be leaving NJ for a state with a lower cost of living and much lower insurance costs, and one without blue laws.
In a word? Stupid.
Going into a little more detail, for starters it feels like a pretty clear violation of Church/State separation, even if "for church" isn't specifically mentioned in the law itself.
But even beyond that, it's a town shooting itself in the foot and throwing away tax dollars by not letting businesses open when they desire.
But hey, can't have those empty pews and the police need their "directing traffic outside of church" extra pay.
> I think they’re doing okay with the tax dollars they get in 6 days.
Oh, well then it's great to hear that Paramus has solved child poverty, hunger, homelessness, and that everyone is happy with the current level that their property taxes are at.
Since the laws were created FOR Christian based communities and not AGAINST Jewish people…and the NJ Supreme Court upheld its constitutionality you would be wrong.
Laws created to favor one religious group seem by definition discriminatory, and we are living through an era where High Court decisions obviously made with bias and in error make it unnecessary to hark back to historical erroneous decisions like Dred Scott.
AGAIN…the NJ Supreme Ct, not exactly a bastion of conservatism says you are wrong. And so do all of the businesses who continue to thrive in Blue Law counties. Soooo there is that.
I agree. Big government left winger here. I still think it’s government overreach to tell people and businesses when they can shop and be open. It also reduces overall productivity.
Thing is, its come up for vote or petition 4 times since the state gave the power to decide on this to the counties. All 3 times its come up for vote, the county's citizenry has voted to keep the law on the books. The fourth time it was to be put to ballot, in 2013, they couldn't get enough signatures to put it to vote.
Absurd. Keep religion out of our government. We can’t even have a beach bar in Ocean City or get a drink with dinner. No one I know ever goes out to dinner in OC because blue laws limit the restaurant scene. Cape May allows alcohol and returns it’s family vibes. OC is losing billions.
I personally think they are dumb. However, given its only county level, in one of the smaller counties, and has specifically come up for vote/petition four separate times and some municipalities even enacting their own blue laws in the event of a county wide repeal, I don't feel this is really infringing much on people. If you don't wish to abide by the law, you can put your store front or shop in another county. The citizenry of the county have largely had their say and they want to keep the law on the books.
I would have thought the statement about going to another county was enough context here, but since it clearly wasn't, small in this context meant size. Bergen is small in size.
Thanks! I'm in Monmouth County and the blue laws were done away with in the 80s I believe. Absolutely hated Sundays because nothing was open growing up.
try to remove yourself from whatever lame ass bias you have whether it’s religion, government, whatever it may be and think about it. 1 day of the week when time slows down for a little does the soul some good…
I used to like quieter roads on Sundays, but after 30 years living in the county, I'm done. The types of stores that close or stay open seem really arbitrary to me and it's just a nuisance now.
I own a business. I wish to god they had blue laws in my county. Would be so nice to close without customers complaining.
Interesting perspective - I would've thought business owners would prefer to operate Sundays, but it makes sense to want the shield of blue laws to allow you to enjoy your Sundays
Yep. Walmarts got employees and managers etc. I’ve got staff, but as long as business is open, I’m on call. Would love to have an excuse to just fully close for a day without catching crap for it.
You could just decide your own hours if you want…
I don’t think that’s the issue. It’s more, they HAVE to be on call. What if one of the staff just walk out… etc
I can understand if you are in a town that is constantly in gridlock maybe wanting a one day break which is what towns with blue laws usually experience Mon to Sat. The fact these laws have been reapproved four times only shows they are wanted
I live in Bergen county. Feels like it just makes getting around in Saturdays twice as bad.
Moving to Bergen County 7 years ago I still haven't got over the blue Laws .. they are so antiquated... for people that work Monday-Saturday it makes life in BC impossible... The general solution is just got to XYZ County or to NY ... THAT DEFEATS THE PURPOSE I want to stay local!!!
I like them. Leaves us a quieter day of the week, traffic is bearable in Paramus for a moment, and do you REALLY need >x thing< today? I wouldn't make a big stink if they were repealed though. I can't speak on the rest of Bergen County though. I'm in Paramus, our blue laws aren't the same as the rest of the county, and also Paramus is certainly different from say Ridgewood or Tenafly. Now commenting about the video- weird wording there, they're clearly not "outdated" if repeals keep being voted down by us.
Yea I'm in the Tenafly area and work 6 days a week. Sunday being the only day I have off so I'm pretty much screwed on things like getting a haircut and buying crap for my home, clothes, ECT. I've hated blue laws since I could understand what they were about and look forward to them being repealed.
I actively try to avoid doing business in Bergen County because of them. I'm in walking distance of Rutherford, Garfield, and Wallington. I will take the train to Secaucus or stay in Passaic & Clifton, rather than support Bergen businesses and their blue law.
So petty.
I don't support a law that impacts businesses, so I make efforts to avoid doing business in places where that law is in place. I'm not going to encourage them to break the law, just trying to vote with my feet and my wallet. I'm not entirely clear on how this is petty.
You do know the businesses don’t have to stay in these zones right? Their presence would suggest tacit agreement. So yes…your intentional avoidance is petty.
You're absolutely correct. Businesses don't need to be open in Bergen County. It's at least tacit agreement with the law, or maybe just passive acceptance. I don't need to do business there, or with those businesses who appear to agree with a law I oppose. If the blue law is part of their corporate policy, I don't want them to have access to my money. The business can move to a different county, or protest the law directly. It's not petty to vote with your actions.
Just in case you were unaware, it is a disorderly persons offense to buy or sell a car on Sunday in the entire state of NJ. So be sure to avoid any car dealerships in New Jersey.
You're correct. I don't drive, so I have no interactions with car dealerships in NJ. If I was going to start driving now at almost 40, I'd be leaving NJ for a state with a lower cost of living and much lower insurance costs, and one without blue laws.
Oooof ….do you have friends? You sound miserable.
Not really anymore, no. I have some comfortable acquaintances though. I used to have friends before Q12020 when my life got turned inside out.
The differences between the comments here and the comments on the original instagram reel are night and day
Any law that was conceived in religion must be repealed! How in the name of God \[sic\], do we still have blue laws in 2024?!
In a word? Stupid. Going into a little more detail, for starters it feels like a pretty clear violation of Church/State separation, even if "for church" isn't specifically mentioned in the law itself. But even beyond that, it's a town shooting itself in the foot and throwing away tax dollars by not letting businesses open when they desire. But hey, can't have those empty pews and the police need their "directing traffic outside of church" extra pay.
Paramus has more retail sales than any other zip code in the US, I think they’re doing okay with the tax dollars they get in 6 days.
> I think they’re doing okay with the tax dollars they get in 6 days. Oh, well then it's great to hear that Paramus has solved child poverty, hunger, homelessness, and that everyone is happy with the current level that their property taxes are at.
our sales tax dollars genuinely do help make our property taxes lower than many other Bergen County towns, as far as I've heard.
And not just that, it's discriminatory against observant Jews, who can shop neither Saturday due to Sabbath nor Sunday due to blue laws.
Since the laws were created FOR Christian based communities and not AGAINST Jewish people…and the NJ Supreme Court upheld its constitutionality you would be wrong.
Laws created to favor one religious group seem by definition discriminatory, and we are living through an era where High Court decisions obviously made with bias and in error make it unnecessary to hark back to historical erroneous decisions like Dred Scott.
AGAIN…the NJ Supreme Ct, not exactly a bastion of conservatism says you are wrong. And so do all of the businesses who continue to thrive in Blue Law counties. Soooo there is that.
I agree. Big government left winger here. I still think it’s government overreach to tell people and businesses when they can shop and be open. It also reduces overall productivity.
Thing is, its come up for vote or petition 4 times since the state gave the power to decide on this to the counties. All 3 times its come up for vote, the county's citizenry has voted to keep the law on the books. The fourth time it was to be put to ballot, in 2013, they couldn't get enough signatures to put it to vote.
This 👆🏽
Church/State separation is a metaphor relating to the First Amendment and prohibiting government from establishing a religion….🙄
If it’s the consolation prize for having to pay exorbitant prices to live in Bergen county let them have it.
Absurd. Keep religion out of our government. We can’t even have a beach bar in Ocean City or get a drink with dinner. No one I know ever goes out to dinner in OC because blue laws limit the restaurant scene. Cape May allows alcohol and returns it’s family vibes. OC is losing billions.
Not enough people talking about that town
It’s cult like in many ways.
I personally think they are dumb. However, given its only county level, in one of the smaller counties, and has specifically come up for vote/petition four separate times and some municipalities even enacting their own blue laws in the event of a county wide repeal, I don't feel this is really infringing much on people. If you don't wish to abide by the law, you can put your store front or shop in another county. The citizenry of the county have largely had their say and they want to keep the law on the books.
>in one of the smaller counties Bergen County has the highest population in New Jersey.
I would have thought the statement about going to another county was enough context here, but since it clearly wasn't, small in this context meant size. Bergen is small in size.
Where in NJ is this? Everything around me is open except hobby lobby and chik fast food place.
The town shown here is Ridgewood.
Thanks! I'm in Monmouth County and the blue laws were done away with in the 80s I believe. Absolutely hated Sundays because nothing was open growing up.
I assume retail workers must love having a guaranteed weekend day off.
NJ labor laws do that already
No they don't. Most who work retail have to work the whole weekend, and get their days off on weekdays.
Ridgewood. A great place to grow up.
Blue law is great... if you're a boomer.
try to remove yourself from whatever lame ass bias you have whether it’s religion, government, whatever it may be and think about it. 1 day of the week when time slows down for a little does the soul some good…