"What are widely available are the Duracell & Energizer alkalines. You can buy them just about anywhere; grocery stores, 7-11’s, & virtually any place battery-powered ‘toys’ are sold. Not always so with re-chargeables. "
The point of using rechargeable AA or AAA batteries is that they don’t have to be purchased very often. These batteries might last 300-500 charge cycles. Is it so important that such infrequently purchased items be available in so many places? In the US though, rechargeable nimh AA and AAA batteries and chargers for them
are not just sold in electronics stores, mass merchants such as Walmart, Costco and Target, but also in some drugstore chains as well.
