Blue Laws in North Dakota Are History

Multiple stores in Fargo opened before noon after the new law took effect on Thursday

FARGO, N.D. — North Dakota’s law banning Sunday shopping from midnight to noon is now history.

Whatever it is you’re in the market for, you can now shop for it on Sunday mornings in North Dakota.

That’s because the state’s Blue Laws have been lifted.

“Well you’ve never been able to come until after lunch, which kind of gets in the way of your afternoons if you have something else that you want to do. So it’s kind of nice to have the opportunity to come whenever you want to shop,” said Target shopper Wendy Trottier.

Big retailers like Target and Menards are now opening at 7 and 8 on Sunday mornings, and both Fargo Walmarts are open 24/7.

West Acres opens at 11 instead of noon.

Some customers say this change should’ve come sooner.

“I used to work straight nights and it would’ve been nice to be able to stop to pick up a few things at Target on my way home but having to go home and stay up until noon made it kind of difficult,” said Trottier.

But the change doesn’t impact all businesses.

Certain ones like Everett’s Barbershop and Kittsona are still closed on Sundays.

Although the shops can always change their hours in the future, some say they shouldn’t.

“They shouldn’t be open on Sundays. The people of North Dakota said no. The family’s been interrupted. The goodness that came from the family time on Sunday’s been interrupted,” said Rick Gorley of Fargo.

If you are planning on shopping Sunday mornings, there’s a big chance you’ll have to help yourself.

“The big difference right now is there’s only one register open, but otherwise all the self–registers, the self–checkouts, are open, and I think maybe they’re cutting down on employees because of that, and I think that’s okay,” said Trottier.

Whether or not you’re a fan of the Blue Laws, one thing most shoppers agree with is that nobody should be forced to work on Sunday mornings.

“I also think it should be the right of the employee. Some employees want to go to church, don’t want to be scheduled for Sunday morning. That would interfere with their Sunday routine and their religion, so I think they should have the option of starting at noon,” said Trottier.

The Blue Law House Bill 1097 was signed in March by Gov. Doug Burgum and went into effect August 1.