Last week I was downstairs talking to my neighbor Andrew, the young man who sings opera in his studio apartment by the elevator, when I saw Karen, another of the Tiffany’s residents, coming up the walkway to the front door, carrying a couple of Kuhn’s Market bags.
I ran to let her in, she said thank you, I asked if something was wrong. She said yes, we need a new drugstore. Kuhn’s didn’t have half the stuff on her personal items list.
When I moved to this neighborhood in September 1993, there were 2 drugstores within walking distance from my apartment. Revco Drug was two blocks up the street, and Thrift Drug was only 1/2 block farther down. I shopped at both, depending on sales or convenience.
Revco closed in 1997 and became a pizza parlor, and Thrift became a Rite-Aid in 1999. It’s been my only place for toiletries & pharmaceuticals for 25 years, until it closed a few weeks ago.
Karen asked how I was handling not having a drugstore nearby, neither of us own a car. I said it hadn’t been a problem, other than getting two prescriptions filled. I told her I pretty much only went to the drugstore for soap & toothpaste anyway. She said she should’ve known better, guys were low maintenance. I said “Well… on second thought, Rite-Aid was the only place that sold my favorite popcorn.”
This is the truth, I always hated microwave popcorn for being too salty or too greasy until I discovered Jolly Time Healthy Pop. Their Kettle Corn is dry but fluffy, with just a hint of salty sweet flavor. But I’ve never been able to find it anywhere else.
Anyway, after I came upstairs I began to wonder: how much shopping did I REALLY do at Rite-Aid? I began gathering items only purchased there.
As I loaded my dining table, I felt my anxiety rising. This seems like a LOT. Does Kuhn’s even carry my brand of Irish Spring? It’s called Active Scrub and nope Kuhn’s doesn’t! They’ve got 25 varieties of body wash, but I’m old school and prefer bars of soap. And Active Scrub is infused with a bit of grit, not exactly gentle but just right for scrubbing the dead skin cells and other sins from my chubby body.
Will I settle for another soap? No, but at least I know it’s safe to purchase online. I just don’t see myself ordering liquids like Natural Dentist Mouthwash or Dr. Teal’s Foaming Bath, I’d probably wind up with some leaky packages.
(Have you tried Dr.Teal’s? It’s made of Eucalyptus leaves, spearmint oil and lots of suds, I’ve grown to enjoy soaking in a steamy tub 2-3 nights a week before bed.)
At least I found my popcorn on Amazon.com. I thought I’d play it safe so I bought a case!
When we moved in November, I was shocked to see how much "bathroom" stuff we had. Your dining room table looks minimalist by comparison. I do hope you're able to find your favorite soap elsewhere. Out of curiousity I checked Amazon Canada and your popcorn was $84 for a box of 24 bags! I'm assuming that is due to it being a product generally sold in the US and not normally available here.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of products you've recommended, I found Idahoan Potatoes on sale last week and bought four varieties (to get the discount). We tried the first on the weekend, a garlic blend and both my son and I liked it. I'll admit it was the first time I tried instant potatoes and the texture seemed a bit weird but the taste was very good. My homemade mashed potatoes are never that smooth. :)
Maebeme it's funny. When I first loaded up my dining table, it seemed like half the store. Now, I guess it's not so much! As for the popcorn, that case cost me $24, there is no way I would have spent $84! Unbelievable! And thank you for sharing your potatoes story, I loved that. And guess what I have yet to try the garlic.
DeleteMaebene, I use a potato ricer rather than a masher. It always produces a smooth mash.
DeleteOops sorry, Maebeme
DeleteMaebeme; add a little extra milk and whisk them.
DeleteSince I've stopped using mascara (when the COVID restrictions arrived) I only go to our local drug store for my BP prescription. I can get all the personal items I need at the grocery store. It may be old fashioned Doug, but I make my popcorn from bare kernels in a hot air popper.
ReplyDeleteFlorence, thanks for sharing. It's funny, I'm not surprised in the least on how you cook your popcorn, but you knocked me for a loop that you was wearing mascara!
DeleteAmazon has a drugstore and delivers right to your door. The grocery stores carry much of what is found in a drugstore. Drugstores are definitely consolidating and their business model is not working.
ReplyDeleteThank you Susan, well I know Amazon is in my future but I'm really worried about ordering liquid things online. I do agree with you though in regards to drug stores business model as mine went bankrupt!
DeleteWe basically use drug stores for Rx only... and even that NOW is at Walmart with our
ReplyDeleteMedicare Rx program (and anything not found can almost always be found on Amazon). So outside of having to occasionally get a shot at a pharmacy, we hardly go into a drugstore. But I may check out your Jolly Time Healthy pop...
Thanks for sharing Rian, well you just reminded me of something else. I completely forgot the covid and flu shots I got at my own drugstore, I'll need to look into that. As for that popcorn, it is just awesome stuff. If you try it please let me know. 🙂
DeleteDoug, walking down the block to the drugstore seems like a nice idea to me, too. But then I'm 70. That retail model just doesn't work well now. We now do a combination of supermarket and Walmart (store and online) with a smattering of Amazon. I'm sure delivery times vary depending on location but we've found Walmart.com shipping to be very fast. We always stock up on those orders to make sure we get the free shipping ($35 order). I'm not a fan of supporting Walmart OR Amazon but those drug store chains are not great businesses either. We're all guilty of letting the locally owned retailers quietly go away while we all rushed to get the lowest price at the chains. And this is what we get.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Don, and I feel exactly the way you do in regards to Amazon and Walmart. I really hate handing over all my business to those two giants, at the same time, Walmart tries really hard to deliver super fast and I would take them over Amazon. I'm really surprised though, the number of people who are saying drug stores aren't good business models anymore. I feel a little bit like a dinosaur here, but you're right on target. And speaking of Target..!
DeleteI live in a small town with a Rite Aid, a CVS, a Discount Drug Mart, a Walgreens and a pharmacy at the Walmart. Somehow, if I want one specific product, I can go to all these locations and not one will carry it, even if I purchased it there before. I did talk to a man whose daughter in law is a pharmacist. She said most of the stores (hers included) are operating at a loss both in product and prescriptions. She expects only Walmart and I think Discount Drug Mart (the new mega store) to survive. I actually go to Walgreens (across the street from Rite Aid and one block from Discount Drug) and there is always a line at the pharmacy. And I know how much I pay out of pocket. I'm not sure how they aren't profitable.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile - we aren't eating possum aka groundhogs. I refer to sausage made from a pig as "ground hog" just to joke with my grandkids.
We are over 3 hours from Dayton!
DeleteMiss Merry, thank you so much for sharing. Wow--what the heck is going on. I totally believe what you're saying, I was getting my haircut earlier and I mentioned that Walgreens should consider taking over Rite Aids lease in our neighborhood. My barber said Walgreens was in trouble too! Well I think you're right about the future here, what a shame. On a funnier note, you made me laugh in regards to that explanation of your so-called groundhog dish! I knew when I asked that was a dumb question! 😄
DeleteHi Doug, funny you should do a post like this. I just was cleaning out the linen closet where I keep all our drug store stuff in baskets. My stuff filled a basket while Chuck’s wasn’t even half full. Although I do have another basket for toothpaste, mouthwash, vitamins, soap, toothbrushes……etc. I use a combination of stores. Walmart is probably the cheapest around here. We have locally a couple Canadian drugstore chains but they are generally more expensive. Just one prescription in this house for Chuck’s puffer and that is at a drugstore a few blocks away. We have a large senior population in our town so drugstores seem to do well here. We have four within a five block radius. Never been much of a popcorn eater. I like crackers!
ReplyDeleteTake care.❤️
Robin
Robin, I've been thinking about you this week... and Chuck! I sure hope he's doing good. Interesting what you said about Walmart, everyone on this side of the border is saying the same thing. I don't have one nearby, but maybe I'll try them instead of Amazon. I really just want to go into a drugstore though, my neighborhood has a large senior population as well--plus the pharmacist at Rite-Aid used to take my blood pressure! Ah well! Thanks Robin and please tell Chuck I said hi :^)
DeleteChuck says hi back Doug! He is doing ok. Fell off the stepladder Sunday painting the crown moulding in the kitchen. He wrenched his foot but as he always quickly recovers he is fine today. Talk soon.❤️
DeleteYes, speaking of Target...I do all the shopping at Target for the products you mention. Just returned from there a couple of hours ago. I order a lot from Target, too, as they have products in other states that aren't carried here and they will ship them to me free of charge. As for real drugs, we go to CVS since our locally owned independent pharmacist retired and sold her customer list to CVS.
ReplyDeleteThanks dkzody--I gotta say I like Target a lot too. I bought some new bath towels online from there last month, I was surprised how inexpensive they were, and the superior quality of them too. As for CVS, I like them but the nearest one is 2 miles away and not contracted with insurance company for prescription coverage. They're worth a bus ride for flu shots though :^)
DeleteWe have the opposite problem – pharmacies are popping up all over the place. My shopping centre has five of them at last count (or is it six?)
ReplyDeleteThere are some items that don’t live in my cupboard: Brylcreem for one. I don’t (and have never) used anything in my hair (except shampoo).
Another is the razor. It was early 1970 when I last yielded one of those.
I’m not a fan of popcorn. It’s been many decades since I last had any, and I haven’t missed it at all.
Thank you Peter and this is the God's honest truth--I got my haircut earlier today and my barber (an italian woman) said my hair was always soft, she had to get my conditioner--I told her it's just a dab of Brylcreem! I love the stuff. As for you not wielding a razor in 54 years... I envy you!
DeleteYep, my beard is older than the majority of the people on the planet.
DeleteI need to go through cabinets to get rid of stuff that I've accumulated from various pharmacies, mostly toiletries. I would have at least a table full! I tend to order what I need from my local grocery store which has the toothpaste, mouthwash and popcorn that I like. Orville Redenbacher's Movie Theater Butter. (not healthy)
ReplyDeleteThank you Margaret but listen--this is the truth--I ONLY set out the stuff I actively use. I had other stuff in my medicine cabinet and under my bathroom sink I didn't display on that table, as I don't use it regularly. (Different shampoos, hair gel, bandages, etc.) I need to do a purge too. :^) PS I would be happy to send you a pack of Jolly Time Healthy Pop
DeleteI enjoyed reading your posts and all the comments too. I do get a few items from my local Rite-Aid, but it seems they are mostly humdrum stuff, like toothpaste and bunion guards. Old lady things...
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing DJan...but you still have a Rite Aid? I'm jealous!
DeleteWhat an interesting post! We've gotten terrible about ordering things on line and the only problem package was peanut butter, a special kind my husband loves. The delivery guy tossed it up to the top of the steps and there were several broken jars despite yards of bubble wrap. Replaced free by the shipper but still a waste and a hassle. One of my pre-holiday cleaning sprees involved tossing all the practically empty bottles, stuff we don't use any more, things visitors had left behind, etc. It made an amazing difference. Prescriptions also come in the mail, not so good if you want to talk to a flesh and blood pharmacist about something but otherwise better than waiting in line at a pharmacy, especially since so many of them seemed to have an urgent care clinic full of sick people sharing the limited space.
ReplyDeleteHappy new year,
Ceci
Ceci, I always enjoy your feedback, thank you--gee I'm so sorry about the peanut butter but this is precisely why I hesitate buying some of those products above in the mail. I haven't seen a single fluid on sale on Amazon that doesn't come with lots of complaints about leakage. Well I know I have to look into the prescriptions by mail, I'm going to bring it up to my doctor at my next visit--based on what you wrote here, you talked me into it :^)
DeleteWe have two cvs’s and two Walgreens in my town. But they never seem to have what I need. Such as a 3” ace wrap with Velcro. Had to order it. I am guilty of playing the drugstore game occasionally where you get “ bucks” for buying something. I like to stay stocked up on toiletries so it works for me. The pharmacists here appear to be overworked and lost that “ personal touch” long ago. As for real drugs, I love mail order. Sounds like you are now in a drug store desert. Joyce
ReplyDeleteThanks Joyce, this is so ironic. Was just talking to a friend who reminded me that a CVS was a couple miles from me, if I wanted to hop a bus. But she also told me that they seem to be out of everything; she also told me a couple weeks ago to sign up for mail order prescription service. Your comment here and others sure are sounding alike..
DeleteWe buy our Dr Teal products from Wal-Mart. They also sell Irish Spring. Don't they have big box type stores there?
ReplyDeleteThis is Debby, btw.
DeleteDebby I like Wal-Mart, but without a car it's tough to get to one. We have a closed down GC Murphy's on our Main Street that I've been telling people for years, they should come in and make that a Walmart Junior! Darn it, why not?
DeleteDollar General? Or as Mary Moon would cal them: GDDG. I see quite a few boxes that could be ticked at that store, if you have one near.
DeleteThank you (Debbie? Mary?) I DO have a Dollar General nearby (closer than Rite-Aid in fact) and why didn't I think of that, that's a capital idea--I'm going to scope the place out tomorrow :^)
DeleteIt r me: Debby
DeleteSoap and toothpaste from a drugstore? Not from a supermarket? Or is a drugstore the same as a supermarket? I thought it would be the same as a chemist/pharmacist. Why do you have two brands of toothpaste?
ReplyDeleteRiver I believe American drug stores are the same as your chemist/ pharmacist. Supermarkets here do sell soap and toothpaste, but the one in my neighborhood isn't a very big supermarket and only has a couple shelves devoted to personal hygiene. You ask good questions! I have two brands of toothpaste because sometimes my gums/ teeth get sore so I need to use the Sensodyne.
DeleteI use Curél, Edge, and Crest too, but different varieties. A whole case of popcorn! You have 36 bags to eat in 3 months before they expire and become stale and tasteless! I’ve always loved drugstores, even as a child. They always seem to carry something that the larger grocery stores don’t. I have to go a drugstore to source my Dial Mountain Fresh bar soap too (I dislike body wash!!) as I can’t find it at any other store.
ReplyDeleteBetter get poppin’ that corn buddy!
~Jase
Jase! It's good to hear from you! Where does Starfleet have you stationed? You have a good eye, I was a little dismayed with the date on that box too. But I can't see popcorn kernels going stale that fast, so we'll see! Well, it's good to know another soap bar fan, we have to stick together. Thanks my friend!
DeleteI keep popcorn in the freezer and it lasts forever, or close enough.
DeleteCeci
Ceci that's a great tip, I'm doing that right now--thank you :^)
DeleteYou and David both love popcorn! He's just as fussy as you. Not too salty, not too greasy. He is still trying to find the perfect brand.
ReplyDeleteGigi the more I know David, the more I like him. 🙂 He should try my brand, it’s just right!
DeleteDoug, store your popcorn in the freezer. It will stay fresh. Dee
ReplyDeleteThanks very much Dee, I am doing just that--I had no idea this was a thing!
DeleteThe contents of your table looks a lot like my bathroom cabinet! Actually I hardly ever go to a drugstore. I buy all our toiletries and over the counter meds at Target as the drugstores are often more expensive. The health insurance we have does mail in prescriptions so those are covered. Recently I have ordered a few such items from Amazon as they have a larger selection. I'm sorry to hear you've lost your nearby drugstores. I imagine that is especially difficult if you don't drive. I hope you have good public transportation.
ReplyDeleteNow you have got me curious about Jolly Time Healthy Popcorn! I stopped buying microwave popcorn a few years ago because I kept hearing how unhealthy it can be, but I've been missing it. I'll be buying my groceries tomorrow and I'm going to look for that popcorn! Take care Doug!
Thanks Bonnie, I really need to check out prescriptions thru the mail, I believe my insurance carrier has that as well. And I really hope you check out the Jolly Time Healthy Pop and like it! I feel like I owe you for turning me on to Ricearoni! 😄
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