It’s Still Illegal for Maine Grocery Stores to Stay Open On These Holidays
Have you ever found yourself tinkering about the kitchen on Thanksgiving morning and realized all of a sudden that you're missing one crucial ingredient? It's alright, you can just make a quick run to the gorcery sto--oh, nevermind. It's a major holiday, which means stores are closed. In fact, Maine law states that grocery stores must be closed on Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
For a little while there, it was possible that law would change. But last week, Maine lawmakers killed the bill that would have let municipalities decide whether smaller grocery stores can stay open on those three holidays, according to WMTW.
The Maine House voted 75-67 against the bill, while the Senate voted 18-14, WMTW reported. This means that the current law stands: grocery stores must close on those three holidays, regardless of size.
Supporters of the bill argue that citizens should have the ability to decide whether smaller stores stay open on major holidays and store employees should be able to opt in to work those days. Adversely, the other side says retail employees should be allowed those days off no matter what for time with family and relaxation.