Price competition is a huge part of private liquor in AB ! Here ' s roughly how the market has shaped up in the years since privatization 1993 There ' s both independent and chain liquor stores , similar to what will appear in SK judging by these RFP results . Sobeys , Loblaws and Liquor DepotLiquor Barn are arguably the largest . In the major cities , such as Edmonton , there can be huge price differentials between stores . You could end up paying $ 10 less or perhaps more at another retail outlet a few blocks away ! Smaller towns typically have only one maybe two privately owned , nonchain stores . Prices amongst these independent stores are usually pretty average , like what you ' d expect from an LB . Contrary to what opponents of Sask ' s privatization efforts might claim , the markup in the stores isn ' t particularly noticeable when you compare Alta ' s prices to those at the SLGA stores !