Buyers are usually individual/independent agents. Sellers are almost always not (in large scale economies). At the very extreme "edge" of the seller's supply chain are folks like cashiers and salesmen. They do not have a say in the matter of whether or not they work their organization's business hours. So, they have in fact lost their freedom. They have no choice but to sell.
Edit: I overreacted to that phrase at first, and thanks to david-given's comment I'm changing my reply in the interest of a more civil discussion. (For the curious, my original reply is quoted in David's comment.)
"I know you mean well" can easily be interpreted in a way that causes offense even if you didn't mean any. To someone on the other side of the argument it may sound like "You can be forgiven for your point of view, because you don't know any better." (In fact I interpreted it that way.)
I know that's not what you said, and I'm not trying to put words in your mouth. But an innocent comment can be taken in a way that you didn't intend, so it's always good to think about how something will come across to the people you're talking to. I have learned this the hard way many times myself. :-)
So going back to your previous comment:
> By saying one has the right to buy on a given day, one must also say that one doesn't have the choice to [not] sell on a given day.
I doubt you will find anyone who opposes Sunday shopping laws claiming that anyone has a "right" to shop on Sunday. Only that we have a right to not have government arbitrarily interfere with private interactions like this.
The lack of a law prohibiting Sunday shopping does not create an obligation on the part of merchants to be open that day. If that were the case, then merchants would have to be open every day except the days the government outlaws.
Consider B&H Photo in New York. They are quite happy to work Sunday. But they do close Friday afternoon through Saturday to honor the Sabbath.
B&H also closes for Purim, Passover, Shavuos, Tisha B'Av, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Succos (a full week!), and yes, Christmas.
Does B&H need a shopping law to enable them to close for these holy days? How would a Sunday shopping law improve their freedom at all?
Well played! That was precisely the response I deserved. (I posted that comment while I was in a really bad mood, and regretted it instantly, and my apologies.)
