When I was kid in Ohio, I would sometimes go into the state-operated liquor store with my dad when we were running errands. There was one bottle of each product on display behind glass, with a number, and you'd write down the numbers of all your selections, and give them to a guy at a counter, also behind glass, like a bank teller. He'd go get your bottles, and you'd pay and leave.

I was just a kid, and even I could see that this was an inefficient and stupid way to run a retail operation. At some point they changed the law, and regular retail liquor stores became legal, and state run stores disappeared. You could buy beer and wine at grocery stores, gas stations, etc., but hard liquor was only at liquor stores.

I was an adult when the switch happened, and I was friendly with my favorite store to buy beer. They got one of the first licenses to sell hard liquor, and when he told me, I said "Oooh, you're gonna get RICH!" and he just gave me the biggest smile I think I've ever seen.