Weekends are a great time to get things accomplished. For some people, that means finally getting out and shopping for their potential new car. However, if you live in Indiana or Illinois, there’s one day of the weekend when you won’t see a single dealership open. Explore why Illinois and Indiana car sales are banned on Sundays.

You can’t buy a car on Sunday in Illinois or Indiana

Illinois and Indiana both have mandates requiring dealerships to stay closed on Sundays. This law is also enforced in Maine, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Minnesota, Louisiana, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Iowa, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Mississippi. A handful of other states, like Rhode Island and Michigan, impose limited Sunday hours for car dealerships. 

Dealerships can be presented with fines up to $1,000 or possibly more for illegal Sunday business operations. You might be able to get away with buying a car online in these states, but you’ll have to wait for another day to pick it up. 

Blame blue laws for no new cars on Sundays

WKDQ says that blue laws still ban certain activities on Sundays. These laws were initially proposed to establish a day of rest in accordance with religious practices. During the prevalence of these laws in the 19th and 20th centuries, you’d find that many grocery stores and other retail outlets were closed on this day. You also couldn’t buy liquor, beer, or wine. Some states even put bans on housework and motor travel.

Until 1993, you couldn’t shop for electronics on a Sunday in New Jersey. Blue laws also weren’t just specific to the states we previously mentioned. Texas used to have these laws prohibiting the sale of cars, alcohol, and even household appliances on Sundays. There was also no possibility for Super Bowl Sundays, as professional sports teams couldn’t hold their games on this day.

Minus a few exceptions and certain county-specific restrictions, these laws have largely been repealed. You can buy alcohol and liquor in most states to drink on a Sunday, though you’ll probably have to purchase your drinks within a certain timeframe. You still can’t hunt on Sunday in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Maine, and certain areas in West Virginia. Alongside car sales, Illinois also prevents horse track races from occurring on this day. 

Sunday is a welcome relief for car salespeople

Even in states where Sunday car sales are legal, many dealerships decide to stay closed regardless. Whether it be due to a lack of negotiations or pushy employees, shopping at a car dealership can be a pain. However, Autotrader reminds us that the life of a car salesperson is just as rough. 

Depending on the popularity of the dealership, employees may have to come in on their days off or work for much longer than originally scheduled. Their salaries are based on how many cars they can sell, which means that they might work several hours without getting paid at all. The size of the commission depends on the dealership, and employees who earn smaller ones will need to work more. 

It also takes a certain level of charisma to be a car salesperson, which requires employees to be “on” the whole time they’re at work. They need to be responsive, accommodating, and knowledgeable about the cars for sale as well as financing options. It can be a physically demanding job as well, especially if the dealership has a huge lot of cars to walk around. Someone can only maintain this momentum for so long if they’re working so many long hours, possibly with minimal compensation.

A day of rest prevents burnout and gives car salespeople a chance to refresh themselves mentally and physically. Customers usually get a better experience working with happier salespeople, plus a greater chance of finding a car that they truly will enjoy.