July 27 2011

The Awkward Checkout

So yesterday, I headed to my neighborhood bodega to pick up some this and that. I’ve been liking coconut water lately and I like these things too.

Anyway, I really like this bodega alot. It’s my neighborhood favorite. The woman in the morning always gives a big sunshiney hello. The dude in the afternoon is cool. He likes his iPhone alot and recently I recommended Tiny Wings. They have nice flowers. They allow dogs inside which is nice because I get paranoid sometimes when I have to tie em up outside. The place is clean.

Once or twice I headed there to get some milk or whatever and totally forgot my wallet. The guy would tell me to pay him back whenever and let me take the stuff. Honor system. I’d always make a sharpee style mental note not to forget.

Anyway, yesterday I saw a big sign in the window. 2 for 1! All Groceries! I headed inside and looked around the store. They were doing 2 for 1 for practically everything in the store! I asked the guy if they were remodeling or something– he told me they were closing. I was like, ‘What?!!?’ There was no way this place was like ‘Out of Business’!? They run a tight ship!

The guy told me the owner lost some sort of court hearing this morning and they have to close. Not sure what that meant — but that was that. Apparently the business fight had been going on for a while. Over a year or something. I told him how I was so sorry to hear that. He shrugged but he looked like he could cry.

Then I looked around the store. (Practically everything was 2 for 1?) Sadly grabbed a basket and wandered the aisles. 2 for 1 dog biscuits. 2 for 1 Clorox Wipes. 2 for 1 sponges. 2 for 1 trash bags. 2 for 1 Carrs crackers. 2 for 1 anti-bacterial hand soap. 2 for 1 canned soup. 2 for 1 wasabi peas. 2 for 1 ketchup. (beer and stuff wasn’t 2 for 1) I loaded up my basket and headed to the counter…

The guy quietly rang stuff up. I grumbled about how this place is my neighborhood favorite. He nodded. I went back and grabbed 2 jars of peanut butter off the shelf and sadly added them to my haul. Ended up like $50. More money than I’d ever spent at one time in that place. I felt greedy… but 2 for 1?

I guess I got there just as the 2 for 1 sign went up because the store was quickly filling up with vultures. Excited and giggly unfamiliar faces started filling baskets like Supermarket Sweep style to take advantage of the deal. I felt weird being a part of the scene– but I gotta assume the guy was happy that some of that stuff went to a friendly loyal customer like me… who was decent enough to be sad about the offer.

ok bye!
tOdd

PS. Not sure if anyone knows how to search public records but this is the bodega if you want a research assignment to see what happened…

14

Anonymous says:

Bummer! We need more small businesses in America!

earp says:

Can you get more details on the hearing? Is it a situation where if we were to read the details we would say, “They’re trying to snuff out the little guy!!! You just killed a great store you bastards!!”
Or would we say, “Oh.. oh wow… yeah, see that’s against the law, guys; you can’t sell babies to stock your store man” or whutever

Detailed facts before emotional conclusions people!

SS says:

So very sad.

Sassy Starshine

the REAL weeze says:

FIRRSTTT BITCHCESSS SEE YA BORTEGA WOULDNT WANT TO BE YOU ROLL HOW I DO BITCCHESSS!NOT!!! FIRSTT!!!!! WEEZEE 4EVER FIRSST!!!!! 🙂 🙂 😉

Angry Man says:

I’m curious to know the background to the hearing

Amy says:

You’re NEVER even really FIRSSSTTT you idiot!!

Ssman says:

Mr. Deng behind the counter????

Anon says:

tODD must really be living with a girl if he’s eating those pea thing! sheesh!

bd says:

People (including me) get really attached to their favorite stores. I’m in an affluent part of the middle of NJ (somehow) and we just lost two big stores, A&P and Pathmark, in really nice shopping centers. Not to mention all the empty restaurants lately. I love the Shop Rite, but it scares me a bit that they’re building another one in the next town, where a different grocery store failed (ugly crash and burn, with years of law suits, affecting the whole center of town). I worry that the new Shop Rite plans are too optimistic. I’d hate to see the whole chain suffer as the other ones did. Isn’t this Business 101?

Anonymous says:

Todd,
Don’t feel bad about getting 2 for 1. Must be an issue somewhere leagally with the shop or they wouldn’t be closing.
Take what ya can for the price. We pay WAY to much for advertisement as it is. I mean who cares if Labron James or Tiger Woods name is on the fricking thing. Just means we pay more for the item. Kind of pisses me off to pay $125.00 for a pair of shoes when they make they make them in China or Japan for $5.75 each. Think about it.
Tiger just paid 55 million for a house. Not thinking we can do that.
Time to wake up people !!

Anonymous says:

Dear Todd,

The banner you have at the bottom of the screen leads to an advertisement for Hershey’s. Did you know this? I have no prob with you advertising on this site just thought you should know if you didn’t.

Anonymous says:

a) who cares if you have a problem with advertising here. Get over yourself.

b) shut up you whiny ass baby and stop telling people to wake up. You can always stop the clueless bastards because they are the ones telling people to wake up.

tainted says:

lol, i was absolutely sure that toward the end you were gonna say you loaded up your cart and then forgot your wallet and it was totally awkward cause the store was closing and you wouldnt have been able to say like.. ill pay you back later..

but i was surprised.. no wallet forget. hm.

Chen says:

I agree with “earp”. Please post the details as why this bodega is closing down.

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