Blue Laws in France

For John, BLUF:  No shopping at Home Depot in Paris on Sunday.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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"French stores rebel against Sunday trading ban in bitter row", or so Reporter Katia Dolmadjian, of Agence France-Presse, tells us:

Paris — Braving a court ban, 14 home improvement stores in France opened to the public Sunday in an increasingly bitter tug of war with the government over a law prohibiting trading on the traditional day of rest.

The move comes amid intense debate over France's labour practices.  The government is seeking to continue a long tradition ruling out Sunday and late-night work, but at a time of record high unemployment, many employees regard the ban as antiquated.

Last week, both Leroy Merlin and Castorama, two home improvement chains, were ordered by a court to stop opening their stores in the Paris area on Sundays or face a fine of 120,000 euros ($162,000) per shop and per day.

But on Sunday, they opened anyway amid anger among employees and customers.

I wonder what the Paris License Commission is thinking?

Regards  —  Cliff