Conversations at Rite-Aid (or, Hanukkah’s Been Discontinued)

Let me preface this by saying I hate the Rite-Aid in my neighborhood, and only went to it because a) I was hoping to avoid the parking structure and super slow elevator at the West Hollywood Sav-on and b) it’s right by my apartment. I went in for three items: night-light bulbs, cough suppressant so I can sleep tonight (I have a horrible cough), and Hanukkah wrapping paper. Should have been easy, right?

Me: Hi. I’ve walked around the entire store but seem to have missed the Hanukkah wrapping paper. Would you please show me where it is?
Sales Clerk: It might be in the back still. Which is kind of weird, because isn’t Hanukkah way before Christmas?
Me: Sometimes. Not this year though.
Sales Clerk: Oh. Let me ask someone. (Talks to another clerk.) Yeah, we don’t have any. All of our holiday stuff is out.
Me: You don’t have any Hanukkah stuff?
Sales Clerk: No. Sorry.
Me: Okay, thanks. May I speak to your manager?
Sales Clerk: Sure.

(Manager comes over and I explain to him I couldn’t find any Hanukkah stuff.)

Manager: Yeah, it was probably discontinued.
Me: What was discontinued?
Manager: Hanukkah.
Me: Hanukkah wasn’t discontinued.
Manager: Well, Hanukkah wrapping paper.
Me: Um, yeah, I don’t think Hanukkah wrapping paper was discontinued. I mean, it’s a holiday. [ed. note: What the hell?]
Manager: We didn’t get any then. All of our holiday stuff is out. Some of our stores get different merchandise though, so maybe it’s not a popular enough item at this store.
Me: You guys are on Fairfax.
Manager: (Blank stare.)
Me: There’s a ton of Jews around here. They need Hanukkah wrapping paper.
Manager: Yeah, sorry.

As funny as this conversation is, it’s also really sad. And frustrating. Come on, it’s 2005. It shouldn’t be so difficult to find Hanukkah wrapping paper at a huge drug store in Los Angeles. Give me a break.

Guess who should be expecting a letter from yours truly?

12 Comments »

Dave

November 30th, 2005 | 8:05 pm

Hannukkah’s been discontinued! :-(

Luc

November 30th, 2005 | 9:37 pm

Feel well!
:idea: Don’t forget to ask for the traditional Jewish chicken soup at your local Rite-Aid. Tell the clerk it’s a traditional Chinese medicine.

Stacey

November 30th, 2005 | 11:38 pm

Unbelievable!! I would expect that here in TX, but in L.A.??

mom

December 1st, 2005 | 2:08 am

Hanukkah discontinued???? Please return all the early Hanukkah gifts I bought you last weekend when you and Bethany were here!!! Discontinued, huh??? I should have checked BEFORE we went shopping. Well, I certainly won’t make that mistake again!!!!!!!!!!!
hahahaha

Love you,

MOM

Esther

December 1st, 2005 | 9:32 pm

Hanukkah discontinued is like Wallyworld being closed. It should not happen, or else Clark Griswold’s gonna blow a gasket and eat a sandwich from a gas station.

That’s it. I’m going to sleep.

Noah

December 4th, 2005 | 2:15 am

Chanukah is ALWAYS(!!) on the 25th of Kislev and always ends on the 2nd of Tevet. There! It’s that easy. And no, it’s not a major holidy, in fact it was barely ever celebrated until pope gregory decided to make a christian holiday on the same day (”christams” though he messed up the callendar so bad that all the christian stuff happens on different days every year) and I have one question…. If New years day is the new “year of the lord” and easter is when he died… then what the hell is christmas anyway?

Hilary

December 4th, 2005 | 2:31 pm

Noah, I don’t think telling people (who don’t know when Hanukkah is) that it’s always on the 25th of Kislev is going to help them. At all.

mcaryeh

December 4th, 2005 | 5:42 pm

That is an incredible story…did they have no chanukah related items at all in the store?

sarahjoy

December 5th, 2005 | 10:05 am

I have completed a few designs for my little shop featuring Chanukah and Christmas as well as situations where they are intertwined (*wink). As a result, I have pondered the ‘is there a market for Chanukah stuff’. Knowing that the market meets the need, how have Chanukah gifts been wrapped for zillions of years without the assistance of Rite-Aid or Savon?

Sarahjoy

Hilary

December 5th, 2005 | 10:10 am

Sarahjoy, as a kid we used to buy Hanukkah wrap at the Hanukkah bazaar at synagogue. But Target or Bed Bath & Beyond should have it. Rite-Aid is just run by morons.

Sarahjoy

December 5th, 2005 | 12:23 pm

That is funny

“Rite-Aid is just run by morons.”

Bob Goldstein

January 15th, 2007 | 10:50 am

Loved the story about Rite-Aid. Sending it off to
Walgreen’s in Phoenix, AZ. I work in a school transportation dept and there are supervisiors that never heard of or no what a Menorah is. Last year had to contact the ACLU. They were useless. Kept erasing Happy Hanukkah on the wall but Merry Christmas stayed. Christmas tree remained, something about its not a religious symbol, Had to take my Menorah home. This year not as bad as last year. Worked at Frys Grocery and one year I took off for the New Year, than wanted to take off for
Yum Kipper and was asked why, I just had a holiday last week. I could go on and on, sorry for the
misspellings, I just get annoyed when I write this.
Dont move to AZ, 90% of the people live in a fish bowl, bury their heads in the desert and have no idea about the rest of the world.

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