NS man divides and conquers Sunday retail rules

You could call him a rebel retailer with a clause. A man in Nova Scotia has found a way around a law that is supposed to prohibit large stores from opening on Sunday.

Pete Luckett's secret? Instead of operating one big store he has several small businesses sharing the same space.

Luckett, who was charged by police for opening on Sunday, won the case because every one of his side-by-side food outlets falls just below the maximum size permitted by law.

"You know I think it should be free enterprise rules, period," says Luckett. "If you want to open, open. If you want to close, close."

Many shoppers interviewed Sunday agreed. They said the government has no business preventing a business from making a profit seven days a week.

The owners of some stores are worried Nova Scotians will drive to nearby New Brunswick or Prince Edward Island to shop. Retailers in those provinces are allowed to open on Sunday during the busy Christmas season.

But the premier of Nova Scotia says no change to the law is planned. So retailers will have to keep dreaming up ways to circumvent the legislation if they want to ring up sales on Sunday -- which has turned out to be Luckett's busiest day of the week.