J & J Grocery & Liquor

Poor selection. Incredably over priced. $ 3 for a quart of milk… Seriously.

This place is awful.
Horrible selection, empty shelfs, overpriced everything, mean owner, smells like smoke!!!
Go one block down to SHUFAT’s!!!

Me: «Excuse me, how much for a six-​pack of Anchor Steam or something like that?»
Sketchy dude behind the counter: «Do you want that for here or to go?»
Me: Hesitate, look around and wonder if ‘for here’ means sitting in the aisle next to the candy with my beer and a porno mag, «uhhhh, what?»
Mr. Sketchy: «You want for here or to go!?»
Me: «For here?»
Mr. Sketchy: Looks me over, contemplates it for a few moments, «$ 10.99.»
Me: «What about to go?»
Mr. Sketchy: «No to go for you, just for here!»
Me: (running out the door)

Scenario: Must. have. booze. Soapbox Derby.
Price: Over-​priced. Something like $ 15 for a crappy miniature bottle of Vanilla Smirnoff. Sodas were over-​priced as well.
Service: The dude barely said hello.
Atmosphere: Is that crappy Indian daytime drama on the TV above the counter, or just random infomercials? Parking is a bi-​otch near this corner.
Uniquity: It’s close to where I live.

hot and sunny with little shade for walking… exhausted in walk… luckily liquor store in almost every corner these parts… finding refuge from sun… j&j grocery… small, quaint with tv blasting… snacks, beers and drinks… simple selection. nothing fancy… tempted, but going to front counter ‘frig’…sugar free rockstar… white can…$two.ninety-two…open within store and gulp… ahhhh~~~…refreshing…must continue on quest… up the hills of 24^th… walk from 24^th bart to firefly quite the uphill trek…

so today, i lost my entire mother fucking key ring, found out i have a near broken back thanks to a hug from MICK F (do not accept hugs from this man! he will break you from breast to spine!) and i had to fucking break into my own house using a ladder concocted of milk crates, a broom handle and sheer force of my unstoppable will. this new me in 2007 plan is NOT going as expected. all i wanted from j&j grocery & liquor was a liter of diet coke and an entire bag of lay’s bbq potato chips to eat in their entirety and then use the bag to suffocate myself with. i’m for serious.
however, an exchange with the adorably lecherous employee at j&j turned this all around. sometimes all it takes is a somewhat skeevy/​somewhat heartfelt interaction with a seemingly harmless but actually might try to rape you even though he looks like santa claus gentleman to change your day 110%. for the better. you know the kind of man i’m talking about, right? like the harmless dude at work who is very sweet but every once in awhile you catch him checking out your rack. or the one guy who lived down the street who seemed so quiet and always said hello and then years later you find out he’s been doing it to 10 year-​old girls for years and you barely escaped his clutches (or maybe he never wanted you because you weren’t pretty like the other little girls? I’M KIDDING! and this is going in an entirely different direction than i intended).
so anyway, i go to j&j to buy a bunch of crap i’ll feel bad about eating in the morning and the creepy/​cute guy who works there is all:
«You know, yesterday was the holiday of my people.»
and i’m all, «PASSOVER! holla!»
and he’s all, «oh you know? are you jewish?»
and i’m like, «girl, NO. but i dated a jewish man!»
and he’s all, «and what a lucky jew he was! his loss!»
and i’m all, «OKAY???»
and he’s all, «but seriously, i hail from Jerusalem.»
and i’m all, «okay?»
and he’s all, «you’re a very beautiful woman, he is too bad to have lost you.»
and i’m all, «OKAY???»
and he’s all, «what are you doing tonight?»
and i’m all, «uh…ooookay. i’ll be seeing you! happy Hanukkah!»
go check out this dude immediately. HE RULES. also, j&j has a nice selection of potato chips, paper towels and malt liquor. plus, nudie mags and lottery tickets… what more does a girl need? oh that’s right… a job that pays decently, a good dude or lady depending on your sexual preference and the will to live. so far i’m batting ZERO. it’s cool, don’t worry about me, i’m not planning on hanging myself or sticking my head in an oven or anything. that requires ambition.

This place has the weirdest hours! Regardless, they’ve got a little bit of everything. And they’re open really late so I can always duck in and grab some Ben & Jerry’s when I stumble home.