Zannee’s Blog at BargainsLA.com

What the hell has happened at Fair Oaks Pharmacy and Soda Fountain?

It was no longer charming, or old fashioned or affordable now, but a giant rip off.

As a final farewell to summer we drove my daughter and her girlfriend over to this South Pasadena landmark. I thought an old-fashion Root Beer float would be fun for the girls. Outside of the kids Root Beer float ($3.95) the kids also got one kids hamburger ($5.50), one kids grilled cheese ($4.50), one kids soda ($1.50) and the adults split a tuna sandwich ($8.50) and 2 cokes at $2.95 each.

We stop in to this place about twice a year for the last 10 years the ambience and nostalgia, usually sitting at the fountain for a float. This time we had a corner table.

After we had been there 10 minutes, I had to ask for a menu. Since I was with chatting it up with a girl friend, I didn’t scrutinize the menu.

Regardless of my lack of scrutiny, a kids meal at most restaurants usually includes a drink. I expected a Root Beer float in a glass with a serious scoop of ice cream. What we got was a small McDonalds kids size plastic cup with a teeny tiny scoop of ice cream. My daughter’s friend finished the ice cream in two bites. At $3.95 it was way too small a serving and all floats should be served in a float glass.
The $8.50 tuna sandwich was a laugh. The bread was from a sandwich loaf like Van De Kamps served with one tomato and one piece of lettuce. The kids hamburger was like a McDonalds kids hamburger in size with no fries or drink included. I do expect more. How about a pickle or a plate?

The food here sucked, was overpriced and barren of any thoughtful presentation or content. We had to ask for the bill, ask for an extra plate since we were splitting the sandwich. The waiter never came back to see how we were doing. What should have been a bill for about $22 was $32.
But the issues that made me raise my voice and ask for the manager was the soda drinks. This is what people come here for, not the service or mediocre overpriced sandwiches. I ordered a soda fountain coke. What I got was an oversized thin plastic cup (like you’d buy for a BBQ party at Smart & Final - not a plastic restaurant glass) for $2.95. It should have been served in a coke fountain glass.

Is the management here so incredibly stupid or greedy that they think people come here for the food? Hello! They come here for the old-fashioned soda fountain. That means serving sodas in fountain glassware and a little service.

Of course the manager was on her break so the poor help got an earful. I didn’t lower my voice either… I was that ticked off. That was the worst dam service with overpriced boring food I have had anywhere. I won’t be back …ever.

With gas prices still hovering at a too high level for me I am using the web more to scan for stellar buys on gifts and sought after designer “ I wanna haves”.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about Gomatta Girls site and today I started my Christmas Shopping when I saw they had a great buy on Bed Head PJ’s. Suffice it to say that the pricing was lower than Bed Heads Warehouse sale this last summer.  www.gomattagirls.com

The Bebe.com online sale is fun. Savings average 20%-50% off on some rather fun glam duds for gals.
Good seasonless buys include these neat belts for $27.99 instead of $49.

Regent’s Secret is another online site that carries delectable designer wares for less. They have cool designer brands on sale on a weekly basis like Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent, Faith, Antik Denim, Hudson Jeans and recently Tom Ford. Discounts run 35%-80% depending upon brand and sales last a few hours to a few days. Like Ideeli and a couple of other online sample sale sites, they periodically do giveaways. But you have to be a member (Free) and sign up for the opportunity. It actually makes checking your e-mail fun.

www.regentssecret.com

Use your extra time now to cruise around the web and you may get all your shopping done before Thanksgiving.

OY!
The back to school rush is on! If you’re a parent, I feel your pain.  I am in the same chaos. But this year on top of the usual back to school nonsense, I didn’t expect that my daughter was missing one of her shots.

Her pediatrician is over at UCLA. Though we are way over in Glendale now we stuck with the UCLA program cause it’s so good, we love her pediatrician and she was born at UCLA.  We planned ahead for yearly well visits and check ups usually eliminating unnecessary 40 mile round trip to the Westside of town.

We have kept her up on her basic required immunizations and thought we were on top of it. Nope. Somewhere along the line we missed the Hepatitis B. Drat! It’s required for middle school in Glendale. I do not want to drive for 2 hours for a five minute shot.

Today when I was making a quick trip into CVS I saw they had a Minute Clinic and not only a complete list of immunizations for school but also the required Hepatitis B shot. Their menu says it’s $50 shot but it would have cost me just as much or more at UCLA and I am saving both time and the gas … around 6 dollars worth.

The Minute Clinic has nurse practioners on site and you can take care of a variety of little ailments without an appointment. They make it easier to stay healthy.

You can read more here:
http://www.minuteclinic.com/en/USA/