You can get it at the 99, Miss

My students sang praises of "The 99" all year. "Miss, how much did you pay for this? 'Cuz you can get it at the 99."

I had frequented The 99 Cent Store for cheap prizes for my students, but never considered buying things for myself there. Despite penny-pinching in other areas (e.g. bringing my own popcorn to the movie theater), I never saw myself as a real 99 Cent Store customer. Maybe it was the off brands, maybe it was the kind of people you see at the 99, maybe it's the fact that they never have more than two people working check stands and there are always long lines of smelly people. Regardless, the place just wasn't my kind of store.

This all changed Sunday morning. I was at a Weight Watchers meeting, expecting to be bored and annoyed by these people who choose to share their lame ideas on how to eat healthy and bemoan the fact that they can no longer eat a bag of Lay's potato chips and expect to lose weight (seriously!?). The meeting leader was telling us that being on a budget should not limit you from eating delicious fresh fruits and vegetables. She went on to explain that she shops at the 99 cent store for her produce! Shocked and appalled, I couldn't believe my ears. This woman, an educated, health conscious lawyer, did not seem like the type to shop at the 99. She seemed more like a Whole Foods or a Gelson's kind of lady. But, she went on and on about all the fabulous finds at the 99 and I left the meeting set out to prove her wrong.

I pulled up to the 99 on La Brea after the meeting thinking, seriously WW lady, you can't find decent food here! And, as I have often become accustomed to , I was wrong. I walked into the store, observing the guy with 2 shopping carts full of bags listening to some sort of dilapidated boom box next to the door, and thought no way was I going to stay for more than 2 minutes in this place. As I walked pass the two checkstands, I was greeted by a glorious array of fresh produce. Canteloupe, honeydew, asaparagus, lemons, zuchinni, onions, potatoes, strawberries, blueberries, baby carrots...everything I would normally buy at Trader Joe's or Albertsons. The packaging and distributors were the same as the regular store - Dole, Grimmway, Sunbeam. The food was neither rotten nor mistreated. Puzzled, I looked around, grabbed a basket and started filling it. I made sure no one looked at me funny as I loaded up my basket with all of fantastic fresh food. Unless you count the vato with the gold tooth checking me out, no one seemed to care. Sadly, not a single customer seemed as excited was about this as I did.

I waited in the long line to pay, because as usual, there were only two people working. No one smelled that badly, and there were some interesting characters to watch while I passed the time. I made it out of the 99 and spent about $20 bucks, half of my normal grocery bill.

So I'm thinking, doing my regular grocery shopping at the 99 may not lead me down the right path to establishing some sort of normal life here. I mean, I certainly don't think I'll be running into potential dates at the 99. Plus, deep down, I heart Trader Joe's because of their music, friendly staff, and the possibility that Mr. Right and I might be reaching for the same container of Greek yogurt. I guess it's just good to know that the 99 will always be an option.