Rite Aid, Wrong Hours

Published September 17, 2007

By Julia Taddonio

I live on Buell Street, a mere stone’s throw from what used to be my regular late-night pharmacy/general store/everything you could possibly need-store, better known as Brooks Pharmacy. Just the other night, on a serious Phish Food craving, I took my usual stroll to good old Brooks – I say “stroll,” because there’s never the urgency to bolt down there because it’s always open. “Ahhhh, the beauty of 24 hours,” I think to myself as I kneel down to stroke my favorite neighborhood cat that’s lounging on the sidewalk.

I eventually get there and to my horror, those crystal-clear sliding doors do not respond to my presence. Thinking that there’s obviously something wrong with the power, I gently try to force them open by hand when I notice it’s pitch black inside. This confirms my previous assumption about the power outage, until the store hours flash before my eyes: “Mon.-Fri.: 7am-11pm, Sat: 8am-11pm, Sun: 9am-9pm.” Rather flustered, my attention is drawn to the left of me as I see the Mobil “Quickstop & Deli” full of life; a seemingly never-ending line of people snakes out the door and into the parking area. Wondering if the quickstop can satisfy my Ben & Jerry’s addiction, I take my place in the line, though I grow impatient quickly and head home with an empty stomach.

I come home pint-less and distressed, only to learn from a friend that Brooks is being converted to Rite Aid, which will not be open 24/7. I didn’t believe her until I was blinded by the larger-than-life fluorescent indigo Rite Aid lettering that replaced the former humble red Brooks sign on the side of the building. Still unable to get a grasp on things, I busied my anxious mind with some research and found out that this past June, Rite Aid “acquired” Brooks, and that it would eventually be retired all over the country. So apart from the owner, the name and the store hours, not much has changed inside those four walls.

Although I’m personally more of a CVS girl myself, what it comes down to is numbers: There are twenty four hours in a day and seven days in a week, and no matter what hour or day, Brooks would be there to serve you. Whether it was cigarettes, candy, or condoms that you needed, there was no doubt that you’d walk out of there with the “last pack you’re ever buying in your life” (and you mean it this time), a sugar high and a mouth full of cavities, or the notion that you might “get some” later from that chick that lives across the street.

Brooks supported the nocturnal lifestyle of many Burlingtonians, including myself. This is more tragic than the mammoth building that was recently erected on UVM’s campus (the Davis Center for those of you who have apparently gone blind). Although Rite Aid appears to offer the same quality of products, and did not cause any employees to be laid off, it has definitely cut down people’s shifts.

It also brings about the cruel and harsh reality, that there is currently no 24/7 establishment in Burlington for partiers, insomniacs, Adderall study freaks, and the like to go obtain “late-night necessities,” whatever that may be. I commend those loyal (or desperate or new) employees who were committed to the former “graveyard shift”. So, I feel the least I can do is dedicate this article to them.

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