Yosemite Sam You are right also. They complain about the traffic Jams it would cause in towns like Westwood and Washington Township. When you analyze most of their arguments you have to laugh as they have no basis in fact. Many of the retail establishments in Westwood are coffee shops, restaurants, Pizza Joints and a movie theater which are open Sunday anyway. Perhaps an extra 10 cars would be on Westwood Blvd; but the store owners at least would be allowed the choice to open. This is what free market capitalism is. Not being told by the government what they can do which puts constraints on our economy. Too many of the Bergen County citizens are living in another era.

Thats what happems when you shop late.

Yosemite Sam...unless you have lived in Paramus and had to deal with the bumper to bumper traffic on Fairview Ave or Paramus Rd, as people avoid the highways to get to the "Mega Malls" from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve. Try pulling out of your driveway or just try to get across town during this period. The malls are open 6 days a week give the town a break for 1 day !

You and that other bored lady Rosemary Shashoua need to get a life. It seems that 316 shopping days a year isn’t enough for her. She selfishly wants thousands of people to give up their day off and work on Sunday so she can go buy another pair of snappy cargo pants. She’s not the only genius who can only shop on Sundays, there is a lot of them. Even Bergen Counties own Kathleen Donovan. They claim that the County is losing money, however, the Westfield Garden State Plaza is the largest mall in New Jersey, the third-largest mall in the New York City Metropolitan Area and one of the highest revenue producing malls in the United States. According to the Directory of Major Malls, the Westfield Garden State Plaza is one of the most profitable malls in the country and that’s being open only six days a week and that’s just one of our malls. They are all doing fine even though they are closed on Sundays. Here’s another thing for all you shopaholics. There is a ton of places to shop in Rockland County just 15 miles from Paramus and then in the opposite direction Passaic County is only a few miles away and you can shop all you want. If all that traveling is just too hard for you, you can still buy anything you want online. So grow some brains and leave Paramus alone.

You are a crazy idiot resident who should move OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!

SELFISH

Move out from here... We need the blue laws!!!

Alex You are right. Unfortunately we have a lot of Closed Minded people who are living in another era. They have not realized that it is 2013. They have many excuses for being closed minded but they do not realize that we are losing jobs to other counties and states because our stores are not allowed to open

Exactly why we should keep the blue laws. New Yorkers shop in NJ to avoid paying taxes on clothes and shoes. New Yorkers don't know how to drive in NJ. The traffic in Paramus is hell already. If you don't live in Paramus they you should have no say!

Alex - Honestly have you ever driven through a parking lot of a mall in Paramus on a Saturday? 30% - 40% of the cars have NY plates. I find it hard to believe Paramus is losing any business across the bridge on a Sunday.

We don't need to complain about being short on needed tax money. If you take a look, Paramus (which is affected the most in a positive way by the Blue Laws) have one of the lowest tax rates in North Jersey. And we have no need to raise taxes, since we have enough revenue from all the malls and stores. So we won't be complaining about it as you say. But by having these laws, it allows for a better quality of life for the residents here. If you don't live here, you shouldn't be complaining. It doesn't affect you the way it does us.

This is Rosemary e-mail at rozette@yahoo.com.

And the shop lifters from over the GWB. We will need more cops, and other expensive services. The stores will make more money and the Paramus residents will have to foot the bill.

Quality of life is more important than anything else

If somebody needs underwear that desperately they have bigger problems than stores not being open on Sunday.

Economic disadvantage? Home Depot's Paramus store has always been one of their highest grossing stores, even with being closed on Sunday. There are 3 Macy's in Paramus, is that a "disadvantage" too? All of these stores knew that there are Blue Laws there, but yet decided to open stores. I have lived in Paramus, and those residents need that one day break.
This brings to mind all of the people that have bought homes on highways at reduced prices because of it, then cry to the government to construct walls to eliminate the sounds of the highway at taxpayers expense. Were they forced to buy those homes? Were all of those stores forced to open up in Paramus?
Were has common sense gone in this 21st Century?

The majority of stores in the malls, and just regular mom and pop stores do extremely well here in this Ancient town of Paramus!! There are so many stores here, and many of them are doing more business than their counter parts in other counties. So your argument is pointless. We have one of the lowest tax rates in North Jersey, and we are afforded that privilege by the abundance of shopping done in the county 6 days a week. So who do you think is being harmed or put at a disadvantage here? The stores who do soooo much business in a 6 day work week, that many other stores around the country try to model themselves after stores in Paramus? Yeah, I don't think so. I don't think you really have much of an argument here at all.

Those stores are breaking the law. You should report them to the authorities.

Shop online

And hopefully, yosemite sam you will be gone as well! People with your mentality have done enough damage already to our cities, states, and country.

The Blue Laws are not toast simply because some retired lady is looking to fill her time by forcing her personal opinion on others. Amendments to repeal the laws are soundly defeated every time they come up for a vote.

Oh, and it's 'capitulate'. Not 'copitulate'.

i know what you mean because I live there. just got (11) eleven stop lights installed by my house midland avenue and traffic is unbelievable thanks to the good folks who run paramus. my point is that paramus offcials could care less about what we living in pramus think, they do what they want to do. It is total bs that they are against opening on sundays. There has to be some other reasons.

Live here and then you can open your mouth.

The problem isn't just traffic on Saturdays. It's all week long, and even worse around the Christmas holiday. So having a break from all the noise and traffic is a huge blessing. If you don't live here, you don't know what you are talking about. The important things are still open, like the grocery stores, or a nice place to go out to eat. But let us have a break from all the hustle and bustle.

It wouldn't improve the traffic by reducing the amount of people coming in to the area just by being open another day of the week. There is a huge traffic problem in this area, and it isn't just on Saturday. It's all week long. So by being open on Sunday would only bring more people in, not less.

Wrong

TOO BAD; MOVE;
I LIVE IN BERGEN COUNTY AND SOMETIMES THE NEED FOR SUNDAY SHOPPING IS NECESSARY;
ANY RESIDENTS THAT OPPOSE LIFTING OF BLUE LAWS ARE SELFISH; ITS NOT ABOUT PARAMUS OR ANY OTHER TOWN IN BERGEN COUNTY

We all love the blue laws

Exactly... Thank you

They would only prohibit shopping online from home IF the merchants' online presence was in Paramus (which is not the case). The law addresses businesses not citizens. If I sit in a living room in Paramus with my computer and complete a transaction with a merchant whose web site/order fulfillment/ distribution center is out of state, nobody's violating any laws. Similarly, you could place a phone order with a merchant out of state who was open on Sunday.

Nobody is in need of shopping on a Sunday (Stores are open for 6 hours only anyway everywhere). Just stupid excuses!

If you're shopping online (or for that matter, over the phone) the transaction takes place at the remote site, not on your home computer, and is not technically being "performed or practiced" within the Borough UNLESS Paramus is the business' point of operation (not.) This is already well-established for tax purposes.

No thank you. They are amazing laws that everybody should have and enjoy

You are an idiot.... go away

SAM - go to LOWES in Rockland County on 303 on Sunday if necessary (it's much nicer & has better stock than Home Depot). That's what we do. It's a quick trip with the empty roads. They are happy to get the business & have a very nice staff. Keep in mind having the Blue Laws in Bergen County gives people who work in Retail a CHOICE where to work if they have need or want to be off on Sunday. That's one of the good things about Bergen County, we are centrally located which lends us many options (and we pay dearly for the location). Personally with the lack of traffic on Sundays I tend to be able to shop when needed at stores that I can't get to normally due to time constraints since the traffic makes the trip so much more difficult. What amazes me is the absolute lack of empathy shown in many of these posts for the actual PEOPLE who work on Sunday. Years ago when working in Retail I remember clear as day when closing up early (along with the rest of the Mall my store was in) on Memorial Day a customer angrily asked me why we were closing so early. Shocked by the irritation shown, I answered "because it's a Holiday for us too". Fact was I was going to be able to join family & friends at a barbeque not to mention my employees had plans they were looking forward to as well. My recommentation is that everyone should work a retail job or in a restaurant as a waitress/waiter before being 'released' into society. I can only imagine how much more pleasent people would be in general.

Bob - see my other note. If you're buying online or placing a phone order with an out-of-state (or out-of-borough) merchant, the transaction is not taking place in paramus but in the remote location. That is well established for tax purposes. Macys may have stores in Paramus, but if you buy from them online (or by phone) the transaction does not take place in Paramus.
Do you know of a case where, for example, a Sunday phone order placed by a Paramus resident with a store located in NYC has been prosecuted? And if so, who was the plaintiff - the resident or the business? I'd be very interested in seeing the details - certainly that would be out of Paramus' jurisdiction?

Not strictly enforced anyway

Maryann Several years ag I worked in Paramus fr a non-retail, not open t the public business. Several employees wanted to work on Sunday to do inventory. Paramus told us that we would be cited if there were any employees in the building on Sunday because that would count as "doing business". There was also the case of a lawyer who would do work in his home office on Sunday. He was cited for "doing business". He was also running for office so that may have been the motive. Then Toys R Us wanted to put their computer center in Paramus and was told that they couldn't because people could place orders on Sundays it was "doing business". They ended up putting the computer center in Parsippany.
When I was looking to open a business in Bergen County I was told that buying and selling was considered as doing business, so technically by buying something on line on a Sunday in Paramus is violating the law. Now Paramus has no means of enforcing this but that doesn't make it legal.

Plenty of towns needs the blue laws, including Hackensack, Ramsey, Edgewater and certain others. Everybody benefits from the blue laws, end of story.

Beth,

How did you determine your statement "Everybody benefits from the Blue Laws"?

I cannot think of a single law or rule that benefits EVERYBODY; instead laws attempt to benefit the majority of people, and in our country that decision is supposed to made by the majority of people.

I can think of many people who are harmed by the Blue Laws:
- People who need to work on Saturday and cannot shop.
- People with family needs on Saturday. (Children's sports, nursing home visits)
- People whose faith does not allow shopping on Saturday.
- People who need the extra money that working on Sunday can provide.
- People who have an unexpected need on Sunday (i.e. A household item needs to be repaired, but someone must travel much further to a home supply store.)
- In the case of good weather on Saturday and bad on Sunday: A person would like to enjoy the outdoors on Saturday and spend the rainy day at the mall.
- Many more cases that others can add...

A shopping ban on Sunday may indeed benefit Hackensack, Ramsey, and Edgewater. And if the ban is good for those communities, then the people of those communities will vote in the ban.

The story has not ended. After the petition is gathered, and the vote is tallied; the will of the majority of the people will decide. Like any election, some will be happy and some unhappy with the results.

Sam - Was I rude to you? Did you read everything I wrote? Why am I "lame" to want for myself or others to be with family & friends on the Holidays? Nevertheless, the sales tax revenue from Bergen County does not stay in Bergen County - it goes to the STATE! Those monies are then dispursed to the ENTIRE state with very little or any coming back to Bergen County. When I worked in Retail, one of the places I worked was Fairfield managing a store (open on Sundays). I was transferred to that location when the store in which I worked closed it's doors in Paramus. I had no problem & made the commute 5 days a week. Being respectful to my employees I always tried to come up with a fair schedule but that is not always the case with employers. Have you ever been mandated to work on Thanksgiving? I have. It's depressing when you are thinking about your family enjoying each others company while you are serving other families that are together. Everything is not about money. We are lucky to have the choices availed to us in Bergen County... Personally, I enjoy traveling with ease on Sundays as the traffic is increasing so much. This lady needs a required amount of signatures in a specific time frame to get this issue on the Election Ballot to be voted on. There is no need to name call & insult people for their opinions. Either way they are entitled to their views. If the required signatures are gained this will come to a vote. Then you and the rest of us can respectfully cast our votes.

Other towns wants blue laws too

Hundreds of thousands of Bergen County residents voted for the blue laws, and Paramus has only 26,000.... So not only Paramus likes them!

i am sight impaired; caps with glasses aids my vision; i yell at no one;
you are narrow minded and selfish......................

We want blue laws in Ramsey and Hackensack too!!!! All of Bergen County wants the blue laws so it's not only Paramus

It's not just the people of Paramus that want blue laws, as evidenced by comments made from others. And while I think I understand where your argument is going (except for the fact that no one is being held hostage, you can choose whether or not to live in Bergen County), you fail to see that repealing the blue laws in Ramsey, Hackensack, Westwood, Mahwah, etc. would still mean traffic in Paramus because of Rt. 4 and Rt. 7 being the major highways to get to other towns. So it is wrong to say that nothing would change in Paramus, the stores might be closed, but the traffic would still be there and with extra traffic comes the need for more police and emergency services.

LB You are an example of what I am talking about. Are you really so arrogant to believe that Paramus has the right to dictate who drives on the STATE highways? What about all the people here saying that if you want to shop on Sunday to drive to Rockland or Passaic counties? Doesn't that add to the traffic on Paramus' roads? IF you really don't like traffic feel free to move to a place that is not bisected by several major state highways and county roads.

now religion is being factored in;
drive on saturday!!!!!!!!!!!!!

so you call me an idiot
so you say people do not need to shop on sunday; who the hell are you;
you are selfish; self centered; and an ignorant idiot............

I am guessing that either your business has no competion on the internet or from stores in nearby counties or that you are successful enough not to need the sales. I hope that the latter is true.

LB - I have not set "no reply" you only have to reply to the original message for the reply to appear in line. It doesn't make sense but that's the way it works.
I am trying to have an adult conversation but I have had this discussion many times and it keeps going in the same circle. Some one states "We don't want the blue laws repealed because we enjoy a day with no traffic." To which I say "If Paterson builds a mega mall at the end of Route 4 what are you going to do then? If they build the worlds biggest mall in Suffern, what is 17 going to look like?" The answer to both those questions is that there is nothing that Paramus can do. Right now if let's say Elmwood Park wanted to remove the Bergen county Blue law, they can't do it arbitrarily the county must vote to remove the laws and then each municipality can have their own laws. If the rest of the county wants to remove the blue laws and votes to do so, then Paramus could keep their laws and if they have to pay for more police, then that is the cost of having the roads. What would happen if the state came in and said "Due to the traffic load that Paramus generates on Saturdays in the fall, we have to widen Route 17 and Paramus is going to lose some ratable properties."?

Thanks for the tip about replying...it really doesn't make sense! And thank you for actually having a discussion and not being accusatory when you don't know anything about me.

while I understand where you are going with your response, the likelihood of a mega mall opening in Suffern or Paterson is at about zero. I also would bet that residents wouldn't want a mega mall. Large shopping destinations have increased crime; shoplifting, auto theft, theft of personal items from cars in the parking lots. Police are needed for that, and they are paid for by tax payers.

I worked with many people who came from Paterson, Hawthorne, etc that sought out jobs in Bergen County rather than their own towns or counties because of the blue laws. These were people who may not have had the right education or training to be in a position to have a M-F job with weekends off, and had to look to retail for employment. They loved the fact that they could have Sunday off to spend with friends and family; have a relaxing day down the shore, host a BBQ or a family party, take their kids to a movie, spend the day at Great Adventure, whatever it was that they enjoyed. I have my weekends off, I believe those people also deserve to enjoy part of their weekend (I also see this as a benefit for other NJ businesses not in BC). It's about maintaining a quality of life, and not just residents of BC, but people employed in BC as well.

I also don't see it as a bad thing to drive an extra 15 minutes to another county to purchase something on a sunday if I need to. BC is one of the richest counties, not only in the state but nationally too. I don't mind supporting a business in a county or town that isn't as lucky as BC (sales tax is even lower in some areas). It can only help the people employed in those areas.

OK Paterson was a stretch but Palisades Center and Woodbury Commons exist for a reason. Here's a real world possibility. What if American Dream (aka the mistake in the marsh) lobbies enough votes to get the state law repealed? Suddenly there are no Blue Laws, except for Paramus. American Dream could probably sell East Rutherford on a higher tax assesment for the increased services. What do you think Westfield and Vornado will do then?

My argument against people can shop in other counties is that you are asking people to increase our dependence on foreign oil, increasing air pollution. and moving jobs out of the county. Those are not major points, I agree but we have to look at the whole picture.

Just for the record, I work most Sundays. I know, it's my choice.

Are you implying that Palisades and Woodbury only exist because BC has blue laws and there is no shopping on Sunday? Because that certainty in not the case. That ugly thing sitting in East Rutherford will likely not open on Sundays anyway (if it ever opens at all). It sits on top of Metlife Stadium and I bet the Jets and Giants will have something to say about that.

Retail jobs are not moving out of the county because stores are closed for one day; retail giants are happy to open up a store in BC, bringing more jobs.

Your doom and gloom about foreign oil and air pollution is a little misleading. Anywhere that I would need to drive to in a neighboring county on a Sunday, if I needed to purchase something, would probably be about equidistant to driving to anywhere in BC on a Sunday to do shopping.

No Woodbury and Palisades don't exist because of the blue laws but the exist despite Paramus being a retail mega-center. American Dream is not just going to go away. There has been way too much invested for it just to be abandoned. I just hope they repaint it first. Yes, the Giants and Jets are going to fight AD being opened on Sunday but since they can only claim a problem for about 20 weeks a year, I doubt that they will prevail.
Retail jobs are dropping in Bergen county but not from the retail giant malls. Look at the downtowns and you'll see plenty of vacant stores. Competition from the mega malls and the internet have changed the retail environment over the last decade. Small downtown stores aren't dead but they do need a level playing field to compete.
I happen to believe that the miles we drive are very important and that it's going to get worse before it gets better. Time will tell wether you or I are right.

If that ugly eye-sore were to remain, I would like to see the old Alexander's mural go up instead of wasting away in store somewhere! AD knew what the BC laws were when they started to build that heinous thing.

Like I said earlier, I moved to a small rural, New England town of 8,000. I eat locally, shop locally, walk to the farmers market, and only go to a retail giant when it is necessary (when the local establishment cannot provide me with what I am looking for). I don't shop online. I do my small part to help local business owners. When I do visit NJ, I follow the same principles. I agree that small downtown stores aren't dead, and if people made a conscious effort to buy a camera from Bergen County Camera in Westwood instead of Best Buy, the world would be a better place.

I blame people for losing sight of what is important. And that is also why I continue to favor the Blue Laws. I value having one day a week where you relax and enjoy other people's company; it's something that is lacking in this materialist world we live in. This is too utopian, but maybe if everyone stepped back and realized how important it is to have connections with people instead of rushing in and out of Macy's, they might start to realize the importance of main street, where you can get to know the owner and employees.

The shop local, eat local movement is strong where I now live, hopefully it becomes more widespread.

Well I hope you are sitting down because I agree with almost everything you say! From the mural to knowing who you are buying from but we are in the minority there. More and more people want quick and cheap. I will admit that I don't know how to change that.
I do know that in order to pay my taxes and my employees that I have to give my customers what they want or they will quickly and permanetly go elsewhere. I compete with other stores in town, with other stores in Bergen County, with stores in northern NJ and with a web site the rest of the planet. Yes, I could move my business but I would leave behind a empty store and a bunch of laid off employees. You see, it's not a step back it's a big leap back that began when supermarkets put the local butcher and milk truck out of business and has continued right on up to buying anything you want at 3 am in your PJ's .

Bob- I'm glad we found some common ground! I think we have shown that you can have a mature conversation about this. Both you and I make valid points to defend our views. Both of us are right on some level.

"Modernize the infrastructure, add more crossings over the Hudson, build a new rail tunnel, expand Route 4 in Teaneck and Route 17. Create a light rail to provide service to all of the malls. Maybe then, opening on Sunday will make sense."

By that logic closing the malls on Saturday and Sunday will really get rid of the traffic.