The USA isn't a monolith. Walking into a 7-11 and seeing alcohol and cigarettes everywhere is dependent upon the state you are in.
In Colorado, the only alcohol that can be purchased outside of a regulated liquor store is "Mormon" beer. This is beer whose alcohol content is less than 4%.
In Virginia, liquor can only be purchased at stores run by the state government. Same goes for North Carolina and several other states.
My experience with private liquor stores vs. the state run ones has been that the private ones were better stocked, had significantly better variety, and lower prices. However, that can vary depending on the state.
> My experience with private liquor stores vs. the state run ones has been that the private ones were better stocked, had significantly better variety, and lower prices. However, that can vary depending on the state.
But that is often a direct side effect of the purpose of government alcohol monopolies, which is rarely to sell the most alcohol possible, but to provide a sufficient outlet to minimise black market sales yet seek to at least to some extent shape and reduce consumption.
So this is what one should expect with them. Whether or not that's what one wants is a separate issue.
The last time I was in Ontario, the grocery store did have a beer and wine section, but it wasn't part of the store. It was basically a separate store within the store.
