There’s one thing Sunday alcohol sales have brought for sure — a 12:30 p.m. rush.

“By state law we can’t open before 12:30 p.m., but there’s always a line prior to 12:30,” said Sammy P. Brown, owner of Sammy’s Package Store at 2550 Limestone Parkway. “Obviously customers are very, very excited. There’s a rush for an hour.”

Ten miles down the road the Oakwood Package & Bottle Shop, at 3469 Mundy Mill Road, has a line on Sundays as well, according to manager Rusty Williams.

During a November 2011 election, Gainesville, Flowery Branch and Oakwood residents approved referendums on Sunday sales, and the officials for the cities each passed ordinances reversing the ban by the end of the year.

Flowery Branch, which had almost 70 percent of voters approve the change, was one of the first cities in Georgia to allow Sunday alcohol sales. The city already had an ordinance in place allowing sales to start as soon as possible after the election.

Voters in unincorporated Hall County approved Sunday sales during the March 6 presidential primary this year. Sales in unincorporated Hall began in late April.

The changes were made possible after the General Assembly passed a law earlier in 2011 that gave cities and counties the option of allowing voters to consider the issue at the ballot box.

It’s been almost a full year since voters approved Sunday alcohol sales, and local package stores have been reporting average sales despite the added day of business.

“As far as the sales go, obviously we were anticipating more sales, but what we’ve come to find out is that it has actually taken away from Saturday sales,” Brown said. “However, when you look at the overhead in terms of the labor, lights, heating, it’s costing you more to do business.”

Williams echoed Brown’s findings, describing Sunday sales as “OK.”

“It’s nothing we couldn’t have gotten Monday through Saturday,” he said, adding that Saturday and Monday sales dropped after the store opened for Sundays.

Brown said sales on Sunday are more for the benefit of customers.

“It is a convenience for the customer, and we’re out to make sure our customers are satisfied,” he said. “I’m glad for the customers in the fact that they do have the option to buy seven days a week, and obviously we want to be here to serve them.”

Williams said staying open on Sunday has helped retain customers.

“You can’t lose a customer, not in these economic times,” he said, adding that some customers are happy for Sunday sales, but others simply “won’t come in.”

The ability to sell alcohol on Sunday has helped keep out-of-town visitors from getting frustrated at finding closed stores, Brown said, adding that he gets business from people traveling to Helen from other areas.

Neither Brown nor Williams added staff to accommodate Sunday sales, but they did shift schedules of current employees.

“I rotate to make sure that everybody will probably work one Sunday a month,” Brown said, adding that the store has shorter hours on Sundays, despite legally being allowed to stay open until 11:30 p.m.

Brown currently does not have any plans to close on Sundays, but isn’t opposed to the idea if things go south.

“Obviously we’re in business to make a profit, and if it ever looks like it’s not profitable for us to open, then we wouldn’t,” he said. “Right now, it is profitable, but not as profitable as we’d hope it would be.”

Katie Crumley, Hall County’s public information officer, said county officials have not heard any negative feedback from Sunday sales.

Business owners “feel like that puts them on a level playing field with stores in other municipalities that served alcohol on Sunday,” Crumley said, adding that most package stores have not reported an increase in business from the extra day. “Store owners can’t tell that it’s increased revenues at this point.”

Crumley did point out that Sunday sales have caused less confusion for convenience store customers, who sometimes in the past tried to purchase a six-pack of beer without considering it was Sunday.

Oakwood City Manager Stan Brown said the city has not seen any problems with Sunday sales, but officials have not gotten any feedback on the issue either.