Will France Say 'Oui' to Sunday Shopping?

Posted by: Carol Matlack on July 07

Most U.S. states long ago repealed their blue laws, holdovers from Puritan times that forbade many stores and other businesses to open on Sundays. But such laws are still widespread in Europe – and nowhere more so than in France, where most shops remain locked up tight on Sundays.

Could that finally change? On July 7, the National Assembly began considering a proposal backed by President Nicolas Sarkozy that would ease some restrictions on Sunday openings, especially in tourist areas and along the country’s borders. Seems like that would be a big relief to tourists and locals alike, who often are out of luck if they need to buy essentials such as medicine or lightbulbs on a Sunday.

But the proposal is stirring fierce debate, even though it was considerably watered down before being presented to lawmakers. A poll by survey group Viavoice, published on July 6 in the left-wing newspaper Libération, found that 55% of French opposed relaxing the law, and that 57% would refuse to work on Sunday if asked. Fully 85% said Sunday “should remain a day of rest” for most people.

This isn’t about religion. Although most French are nominally Catholic, very few attend church. But many regard Sunday as sacred family time. On Sunday afternoons, parks and woods teem with children, parents, and grandparents strolling or biking together after having enjoyed a leisurely lunch "en famille."

Sarkozy promised during his 2007 election campaign to loosen the Sunday-closing law. But since then he has battled opposition from labor unions, Socialists, and other left-wing forces – and from many within his own UMP party. As recently as December, a group of UMP parliamentary deputies published an open letter criticizing Sunday openings.

After several redraftings, Sarkozy’s proposal is hardly revolutionary. Essentially, it would reaffirm the right of local governments to permit Sunday openings in a few designated areas, such as the Champs Elysées in Paris where most stores are allowed to operate seven days a week. Because existing laws are murky, labor unions in some regions have persuaded local courts to ban Sunday openings of stores such as Castorama, France’s answer to Home Depot, and Darty, the local equivalent of Best Buy.

It might seem unthinkable to Americans that France, with unemployment at 8.9% and expected to reach double digits next year, would oppose a bill that almost certainly would lead some stores to hire extra help. Or that the country would turn up its nose at the chance to squeeze a little more money out of the more than 70 million tourists who visit each year. But – well, if France was just like other countries, all those tourists probably wouldn’t be coming.