I used to have very strong feelings about convenience stores. I thought they were evil. In my mind, their sole purpose was to contribute to our country’s obesity problem while simultaneously ripping people off. Why would someone need to load up on chips and soda when he only intended to stop for gasoline, I thought.
Well, I’ve had a slight change of heart over the last few months. I now understand that sometimes these convenience stores can be wonderful. For example, there are a few nights a week where I don’t know what I’m going to make for dinner until it is time to eat dinner. It’s not an ideal scenario, but a day like today does not afford me any time in the kitchen. On my way home from an evening spin class, I decided I was in the mood for a southwest-style salad — grilled chicken, tomatoes, black beans, corn, cheddar cheese, etc. Upon arriving home, I realized we were down to half a tomato — not nearly enough. So Tim started seasoning the chicken, and I ran outside to see if Three C’s Cleveland Circle Convenience* could solve my produce predicament. Sure enough, a beautiful display of fruits and veggies was there to greet me, and the tomatoes looked surprisingly perfect. And only $1.59 a pound — cheaper than the grocery store! I grabbed two and set them on the counter. But then I realized I was in trouble. A major downside of convenience stores is their hatred of credit cards. Small purchases are cash only. And all I had in my wallet was a $1 bill (I didn’t even have a coin to my name; minutes before, I had handed my last bit of spare change to the friendly homeless guy on the corner). These were pretty hefty tomatoes, and my mental calculation told me I would owe around $1.50. I told the man I only had a dollar. And it was no problem! He sent me on my way and my salad was perfection.
*I prefer not to shop at a store that has a grammatical error in its name. In this instance, the apostrophe is superfluous.
Tagged: Boston, dollar, salad, Three C's Cleveland Circle Convenience, tomatoes
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