I don’t go to the 99 Cent Store all that often. It has been my experience across this fine city of ours that the 99 Cent Sto’ attracts the craziest people. Something about those deals and that lighting and the weird assortment of merchandise (Underpants! Canned octopus! DVDs of Z-grade 1940s adventure films! Sweatshop-made figurines of French shepherds!) really draws in odd customers. I have been in that one near Fairfax and Wilshire on strange nights and we left before some Arkham Asylum shit could break out. Nerdy references aside, I found myself in the Highland Park branch the other day, buying cheap religious candles and dish soap. And…staring in horror at this.
I stared in so much horror I forgot to take note how much they cost. It could be 2 for 99 cents. Maybe it was just 99 cents a pop. They seem to be the standard little bottle of wine they normally give you on an airplane. Could this be castoffs from some failing airline? Could it be cooked? Old? Smelling of socks? Just plain bad? Sorry dear winos, I am not that brave of a blogger to find out.
While I was taking these photos, nearby customers became interested in the plonk at hand and I got crowded out from looking at the bottles more closely. Two old ladies discussed the wine bottles at length. I had earlier seen then talking quite seriously about 2 jars of Ragu pasta sauce.
I know people are on strict household budgets and this recession is making it necessary for lots of people to have to bargain shop…but I’d have to draw the line at drinking wine from the 99 Cent Store. It just don’t seem right.