Bonus: New Jersey Ban on Buying Electronics on Sunday
On Sundays in Bergen County, NJ, a blue law prohibits you from buying electronics (seen at Mitsuwa)
Some of the nation’s few remaining “blue laws” are upheld in Bergen County, New Jersey, right across the Hudson River from New York.
Since the 1950’s, it’s been forbidden to buy electronics, clothing, or furniture in Bergen County on Sundays. In Paramus, a town which contains three of the county’s four shopping malls, laws prohibit all businesses from running, excluding grocery stores, restaurants, and certain entertainment venues.
Proponents of the laws, which include many Paramus residents, argue that the laws keep car traffic low on Sundays and allow for retail workers to take the day off. And it seems like they have the government’s support: county officials adamantly opposed Governor Christie’s unrealized proposal to repeal the laws in 2010.
See more from our Cities 101 column, including Which Pets are Illegal in NYC. Get in touch with the author @uptownvoice.