To pipe in, here in Wisconsin grocery stores can and do sell beer, wine, booze of all types. The bigger stores will often have fairly well-stocked liquor areas that are kept somewhat separated, and often have their own check-out area (though you don’t have to use it. A liquor store within a grocery store. Though a good liquor store does have a better selection than a grocery store, some of the bigger grocery stores do liquor stores attached/inside that are as good as any freestanding one.
As to why of this thread, well, that goes to the peculiar love/hate relationship with booze and the temperance movement/prohibition
The state-owned stores are due to the idea that, while it’s OK to provide alcohol to people that want it, it’s distasteful to promote it. Obviously a private store owner would be interested in maximizing profit, which might include encouraging consuming as much booze as you can. Also, state-ownership makes enforcing various laws (open/close, etc) and collecting taxes easier (theoretically), plus reduces the black marketing/theft issue (again, theoretically).
These laws mostly are still a mishmash of local, state, and fed regulations from prohibition and the years immediately before and after. Some states have not really fixed or modernized these laws. Then, of course, the entrenched suppliers, wholesalers, large retailers don’t really have an interest in doing that anyway.
Vermont doesn’t actually have “state liquor stores” anymore. While the DLC has a monopoly on the sale of spirits it appoints private retailers (apparently mostly mom & pop shops) to sell liquor on it’s behalf and pays them a commision.
I am also in Chicago, and I would guess that another reason liquor stores remain in business that no one has thus far mentioned is a social one. Mostly women shop at grocery stores. Mostly men shop at liquor stores. People who are buying nothing but booze don’t care to wait in lines where they will be getting the evil eye for their purchase in front of little Timmy standing in line behind them and raised eyebrows from the other snoops. You do not generally see families in liquor stores and there is a market of people who like that fact. You also can’t buy kegs of beer at a grocery store, and I am sure that any liquor store in any area remotely close to a college probably does a very brisk business in kegs.
But also, the selection and price are better in liquor stores as previously mentioned.
This is easy. At the grocery store nobody is old enough to sell you alcohol so you have to wait while they find someone of age to come over and scan your purchase. There are no such worries at the liquor store.
Also, liquor stores have porno and cheaper cigarettes.
Are you sure about that? The only way to buy liquor in Washington is at state run liquor stores. Believe me, none are named “Joe-Bob’s”. In fact, from the few times I have been in BC, it is just like Washington.
Here in Dublin, CA, my local Safeway has a liquor section that is larger than some corner bottle shops I’ve seen. I’m not a big drinker, so I couldn’t really tell you what all brands they have, but there’s a lot of really expensive stuff - $100 and up. There’s no separate checkout, they just check your ID at the register.
