Georgia Woman Walks Into Kia Dealership. Uh, Why Is Literally No One There?: ‘Take It As A Sign’

A woman shopping for a new car was surprised to see a Kia dealership deserted on a Sunday. The car buyer, who posts online under the TikTok handle @the_wealth_creator, documented her Backrooms-esque experience in the Kia showroom. Her clip prompted speculation: did all of the store’s employees agree to take an extended, communal break? Or was the business closed and no one bothered to lock the showroom door?

Empty Kia Dealership

"Y'all, is this normal? I’m at a Kia dealership, and it’s on a Sunday. I walked in; there is no one in sight. This is my second time coming here 'cause I came around once, and I thought maybe they were in a sales meeting. Like, the door’s wide open,” she says, as she continues to pan her camera around the empty showroom.

In the background of her video, what sounds like the chatter of voices speaking in another room can be heard in the distance. She calls out, “Hello!” several times and then walks further into the dealership, revealing a TV set mounted to a wall in a waiting room area with its lights off, which could be where the sound is coming from. That’s because despite her talking and loud calls for assistance, no one replies back to her.

“So, is it normal for the front door to be open?” Following this, she approaches what appears to be a customer service desk, but there isn’t anyone behind the counter. “And this is a small town, so I don’t know if it’s just closed on Sundays, but I wouldn’t still expect the front door to be open,” she tells her viewers.

Briefly, her train of thought is stopped as she zooms in on a black SUV that captures her attention. “That’s a nice one there. I can hear the TV playing,” she adds, revealing the source of the noise inside the dealership. “There’s nothing in the back. Huh, OK. This is Kia of LaGrange,” she says before walking out the front door of the business and heading into the parking lot, where lines of new model Kias are parked and waiting to be sold to customers.

A Quick Google Search Would’ve Answered Her Question

According to Kia of LaGrange, Georgia’s website, the dealership is closed on Sundays. Popular search engines also have a quick view of the store’s hours, which are consistent with the times both its sales and parts/service departments are open. Typically, weekends are the highest volume days when it comes to car sales, with Saturday taking the top spot. Showrooms experience the highest levels of foot traffic, and subsequently, most cars leave the lot at this time.

And while there are a lot of states that do allow consumers to purchase new vehicles on Sundays, 13 of them do not. In fact, Carxplorer published a piece that paints a Sunday showroom picture similar to the one the shopper experienced during her visit to Kia of LaGrange.

“If you’ve ever pulled up to a car dealership on a Sunday, you were likely greeted by a deserted lot. This isn’t a coincidence or a company-wide day off. In many US states, car dealerships are legally required to be closed on Sundays due to old state statutes called ‘blue laws,’” the website writes.

Blue Law Car Sales And Service Restrictions

If you’ve never heard of a blue law, they’re local regulations that are rooted in religious beliefs, such as the Sabbath. The idea is that a “day of rest” is promoted within a community that promotes folks to spend time away from commerce and business. And rather, devote time to themselves, families, friends, and loved ones. But this doesn’t mean that all car-centric sales are halted, even in blue law areas.

Even in areas that prohibit the sales of cars on Sunday, auto repair shops can be open, allowing for service techs to work on a vehicle. The logic behind this is so that anyone attempting to fix their car in an emergency situation can get the help that they need.

And the thirteen states that don’t allow shoppers to roll out with a new ride on the day of the Lord are as follows:

• Colorado
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• New Jersey
• Oklahoma
• Pennsylvania
• Wisconsin

In some states, blue laws may only apply to the commerce of certain industries in certain areas. For instance, clothes and electronics shopping in some parts of Northern New Jersey cannot occur on a Sunday. However, if you drive a county over, you can freely purchase a video game or a pair of sneakers on a Sunday. But throughout the entire Garden State, under statute 2C:33-26, buyers cannot purchase a new vehicle from a dealership.

Other states in the U.S., namely Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, Rhode Island, Texas, and Utah, allow limited sales of motor vehicles on Sundays. Restrictions such as nonconsecutive Sunday sales and restricted counties are in effect. Make sure before heading to a dealership or any business that you check its hours before walking in and expecting to buy a car.

Motor1 has reached out to @the_wealth_creator via TikTok direct message and Kia of LaGrange via email for further comment. We will update this story if either party responds.