PayLess Drug Stores

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Barstow2Needles
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Re: PayLess Drug Stores

Post by Barstow2Needles »

Dean wrote:
The San Juan Capistrano CA location @ 11890 Plaza Drive was converted to Rite Aid. Still has the pharmacy in the front left side. Site received a complete Rite Aid remodel. Yet, NO Thrifty Ice Cream scooped on site! When recently there...I asked if I was missing it somewhere in the store! They referred me to the Rite Aid across the street...32121 Camino Capistrano. This site is an OLD Thrifty. STILL has the REDISCOVER THRIFTY signage throughout the store! Surprised that both sites coexist. Especially since the PayLess site was remodeled, and the Thrifty was not.
Hello,

I read this post a few months ago and wrote down the Camino Capistrano Rite Aid address when you mentioned it is one of the few former Thriftys that still have not recieved an interior remodel. Haven't had the chance to make it way down south to San Juan Capistrano, but on Saturday as chance may have it I had some business to attend to down there. Before I left back home I drove to the aforementioned Rite Aid hoping to catch a glimpse of this time capsule. I was first thrown off by a large "GRAND OPENING" banner that loomed over the entrance.

Intrigued, I entered and noticed the entire store had a generic Rite Aid internal packaging inside. A friendly clerk informed me that the store had been remodeled just a few months ago (hence the decieving "Grand Opening" sign)! She confirmed that prior to the remodel the interior still had the original Thrifty decor, including antiquated wooden shelves and racks -- (has anyone else ever seen similar fixtures?) The store manager mentioned that the former Thriftys on PCH x Beach Blvd has not been touched for several decades.

Anyhow, if anyone took a picture of the interior or remembers this wood-inspired design, please speak up! The store was originally built in 1973 and most of the buildings in the shopping center still retain the wood and concrete block 70's architectural design. Also, the Ross department store (adjacent to the north of Rite Aid) opreated as a Vons from 1973-early 1980s before becoming Builders Emporium.
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Brian Lutz
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Re: PayLess Drug Stores

Post by Brian Lutz »

I know that a number of the Payless stores that were in the Seattle area before they were acquired by Rite-Aid had at least portions of the store decor that were carryovers from the Pay 'n Save stores, and in some cases these even lasted for several years before modern Rite Aid decor was applied over them. In fact, there's still a large blue "DRUGS" sign on the wall near the entrance of the Bear Creek (Redmond) Rite Aid that remains from the original Pay 'n Save store.

I also know the downtown Bellevue Rite Aid (which opened in late 1962) even now doesn't look like Rite Aid has done much with it. I'd have to find some of the pictures from my files, but I think there might still be some leftover Payless decor, with bits and pieces of Pay 'n Save thrown in for good measure.
The Sledgehammer - Version 2.0 - Seattle Area Malls, Retail History, and other random things.
tkaye
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Re: PayLess Drug Stores

Post by tkaye »

Brian Lutz wrote:I know that a number of the Payless stores that were in the Seattle area before they were acquired by Rite-Aid had at least portions of the store decor that were carryovers from the Pay 'n Save stores, and in some cases these even lasted for several years before modern Rite Aid decor was applied over them. In fact, there's still a large blue "DRUGS" sign on the wall near the entrance of the Bear Creek (Redmond) Rite Aid that remains from the original Pay 'n Save store.
I don't think PayLess laid a finger on any of the ex-P'n'S stores, except for swapping out the store name. Heck, the downtown Bremerton store still had House of Values logos in plain view through the end.

I thought the strangest thing was that the ex-Pay 'n' Save stores used different plastic bags than the rest of the chain. Before the buyout, Pay 'n' Save had been using beige recycled plastic bags. After PayLess took over, they kept using the recycled bags, only changing the logo -- there was a bunch of text about recycling on the back of the bag that stayed the same. The existing PayLess stores used standard white plastic bags.

I remember they also used a hodge-podge of uniforms. While employees at most PayLess stores wore a gray vest with a peach stripe (it matched their '90s decor), some of the "forgotten" stores used a blue smock with either a black or a red stripe (I can't remember which).
marshd1000
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Re: PayLess Drug Stores

Post by marshd1000 »

I too remember that PayLess really didn't change the ex Pay 'n Save stores' decor. In fact, at Westwood Village in West Seattle, PayLess they never remodeled the exterior of the store when the mall got a makeover in the early 90's. At that time, Westwood Village, which became Westwood Town Center, applied a exterior of tile and white stucco to most of the mall. But the former Pay 'n Save retained a beige gravel type exterior with wood trim. It looked quite out of place in comparison to the rest of the mall. The store remained unchaged by Rite Aid until Westood Town Center moprhed back into Westwood Village and adopted a semi "Lifestyle Center" look for the mall. At this point, a freestand Rite Aid was built as a outparcel at the mall.
Dean
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Re: PayLess Drug Stores

Post by Dean »

Dean wrote:The Corona CA location off Lincoln @ the 91 is currently Office Depot. CARDENAS Market in the same center was originally LUCKY.

The San Juan Capistrano CA location @ 11890 Plaza Drive was converted to Rite Aid. Still has the pharmacy in the front left side. Site received a complete Rite Aid remodel. Yet, NO Thrifty Ice Cream scooped on site! When recently there...I asked if I was missing it somewhere in the store! They referred me to the Rite Aid across the street...32121 Camino Capistrano. This site is an OLD Thrifty. STILL has the REDISCOVER THRIFTY signage throughout the store! Surprised that both sites coexist. Especially since the PayLess site was remodeled, and the Thrifty was not.
The Corona site is now vacant. Office Depot vacated the site.
Jason B.
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Re: PayLess Drug Stores-East S.F. Bay Area Locations-1983

Post by Jason B. »

The following PayLess Drug store locations in the East San Francisco Bay Area appeared in an advertisement in the Oakland Tribune on September 11, 1983:
Martinez – 1165 Arnold at Morello Ave.
Oakland – Broadway at 51st Street
San Pablo – San Pablo Dam Rd. at Interstate 80
Pleasant Hill – Contra Costa Blvd. at Monument Blvd.
Castro Valley – Castro Valley Blvd. near Redwood Rd.
Hayward – Hesperian Blvd. at A Street
Fremont – State Street at Mowry
Antioch – 2632 County East Mall Somersville Road
Livermore – Chestnut Street at P Street
Alameda – Blanding Ave. at Broadway
El Cerrito – San Pablo Ave. at Moeser Lane
Concord – Treat Blvd. at Clayton Road
Dublin – Regional Street at Dublin Blvd.
Hayward – Mission Blvd. at Sorenson
Newark – Newark Blvd. at Jarvis

The PayLess store in Livermore moved to the Albertson's shopping center at Stanley Blvd. and Murrieta Blvd. in the mid-1980s. Today that location is a RiteAid. The Livermore PayLess location in 1983 is 1635 Chestnut Street. I think that there is (or was) a Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft store there.
justin karimzad
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Re: PayLess Drug Stores-East S.F. Bay Area Locations-1983

Post by justin karimzad »

Jason B. wrote:The following PayLess Drug store locations in the East San Francisco Bay Area appeared in an advertisement in the Oakland Tribune on September 11, 1983:
Martinez – 1165 Arnold at Morello Ave.
Oakland – Broadway at 51st Street
San Pablo – San Pablo Dam Rd. at Interstate 80
Pleasant Hill – Contra Costa Blvd. at Monument Blvd.
Castro Valley – Castro Valley Blvd. near Redwood Rd.
Hayward – Hesperian Blvd. at A Street
Fremont – State Street at Mowry
Antioch – 2632 County East Mall Somersville Road
Livermore – Chestnut Street at P Street
Alameda – Blanding Ave. at Broadway
El Cerrito – San Pablo Ave. at Moeser Lane
Concord – Treat Blvd. at Clayton Road
Dublin – Regional Street at Dublin Blvd.
Hayward – Mission Blvd. at Sorenson
Newark – Newark Blvd. at Jarvis

The PayLess store in Livermore moved to the Albertson's shopping center at Stanley Blvd. and Murrieta Blvd. in the mid-1980s. Today that location is a RiteAid. The Livermore PayLess location in 1983 is 1635 Chestnut Street. I think that there is (or was) a Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft store there.
There was also the Vallejo Payless at 2055 Solano Ave. from 1970 that recently relocated to a freestanding building;
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=payless ... 6382%40N00
Dean
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Re: PayLess Drug Stores

Post by Dean »

Dean wrote:
Dean wrote:The Corona CA location off Lincoln @ the 91 is currently Office Depot. CARDENAS Market in the same center was originally LUCKY.

The San Juan Capistrano CA location @ 11890 Plaza Drive was converted to Rite Aid. Still has the pharmacy in the front left side. Site received a complete Rite Aid remodel. Yet, NO Thrifty Ice Cream scooped on site! When recently there...I asked if I was missing it somewhere in the store! They referred me to the Rite Aid across the street...32121 Camino Capistrano. This site is an OLD Thrifty. STILL has the REDISCOVER THRIFTY signage throughout the store! Surprised that both sites coexist. Especially since the PayLess site was remodeled, and the Thrifty was not.
The Corona site is now vacant. Office Depot vacated the site.
Corona site is now FALLAS...http://www.factory2-u.com/
Nice place...had never been in one before. The flooring was stripped...just to the bare concrete. Can still see the former floor tiles. The former PayLess garden area is still there...yet, the awning/patio covering is gone. Not sure if Office Depot or FALLAS removed it.

The CARDENAS market in the former LUCKY is great. Really is a neat store/chain. Still has the former LUCKY frig/freezer cabinets. Same bathrooms. If you are ever near a CARDENAS...get the Pollo Asado Burrito. Made to order in the COCINA area. GREAT!
Dean
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Re: PayLess Drug Stores

Post by Dean »

Former location in San Bernardino CA on Highland Avenue @ Sterling became Staples years ago. Staples now relocated. The site is currently vacant...

The large market next store was an Albertsons turned Grocery Warehouse turned vacant. It sat for YEARS. Then...just a short time ago...the site was converted to HIGHLAND GALLERIA--supposed to be independent shops/booths. It didn't last long...it is not vacant.

The Joann fabrics closed.

Hence, this center is a mess!
Dean
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Re: PayLess Drug Stores

Post by Dean »

Dean wrote:Noticed the old commercial on YOU TUBE:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGCb6lmQq_4

The Victorville CA site on Palmdale Road had the pharmacy in the same spot. Front left-hand side. The site is currently a huge thrift store...and the pharmacy area is used for displaying electronics!

The Colton CA site @ 1210 Washington closed at the merger with Thrifty. For a period, it became PayLess Liquidation Center. Was a neat blend of stuff that they were trying to liquidate due to the merger. Site is still vacant...in a sense. Noticed that on the door, Rite Aid has their logo, and "FTS Depot" listed. The store is filled with pallets of merchandise, shelving and stuff...even a delivery truck is parked inside! (you can see everything...the windows are not covered). Still has the PayLess color strips along the walls. I guess a sort of a centralized distribution center. I assume the landlords enjoy the rent...even though the site is not generating traffic.

The Redlands CA site on Orange Street also became a PayLess Liquidation center. It is currently Office Depot. Still has the patio/garden area to the side!

The San Bernardino CA site on 2nd Street, across from Carousel Mall, is vacant. Still has the OLD PayLess color strips along the walls.
After all these years...the Colton location has finally become something: JUST BARGAINS.

They left the former PayLess decor on the walls. Gotta' love the pink!

It is like BIG LOTS. Comically, BIG LOTS is in the same shopping center, in a former Albertsons.
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