4 ms·

Being the sole seller and negotiating "ruthlessly" leaves a lot of room for black market.

by Para2016 9y ago

ontarioborn 9y ago
Not anymore. Beer, cider, and wine are available in some supermarkets since 2016. see https://www.ontario.ca/page/beer-wine-cider-sales-grocery-stores https://www.ontario.ca/page/beer-wine-cider-sales-grocery-st... . But it's not like the USA, where cigarettes and beer are the first things one sees when walking into a 7-11.
- deskamess 9y ago
  Who supplies them with beer? The LCBO (and the rules to prop them and The Beer Store) cannot be the basis for alcohol distribution and retail laws. LCBO gross margins are very high (49.8) compared to private outfits in Alberta (25%). Their employees also take a nice share in terms of benefits.
- JPKab 9y ago
  FYI: 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.
  - vidarh 9y ago
    > 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.
- criddell 9y ago
  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.
- wavefunction 9y ago
  Usually beer is along the back-wall of every single US 7-11 I've entered. Cigarettes are behind the counter, by law.

Being the sole seller and negotiating "ruthlessly" leaves a lot of room for black market.

Not anymore. Beer, cider, and wine are available in some supermarkets since 2016. see https://www.ontario.ca/page/beer-wine-cider-sales-grocery-stores https://www.ontario.ca/page/beer-wine-cider-sales-grocery-st... . But it's not like the USA, where cigarettes and beer are the first things one sees when walking into a 7-11.

deskamess 9y ago
Who supplies them with beer? The LCBO (and the rules to prop them and The Beer Store) cannot be the basis for alcohol distribution and retail laws. LCBO gross margins are very high (49.8) compared to private outfits in Alberta (25%). Their employees also take a nice share in terms of benefits.
JPKab 9y ago
FYI: 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.
- vidarh 9y ago
  > 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.
criddell 9y ago
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.
wavefunction 9y ago
Usually beer is along the back-wall of every single US 7-11 I've entered. Cigarettes are behind the counter, by law.