Thrifty PayLess
Encyclopedia
Thrifty PayLess Holdings, Inc. was a pharmacy
holding company that owned the Thrifty Drugs and PayLess Drug Stores chains in the western United States
.
The combined company was formed in April 1994 when Los Angeles-based TCH Corporation, the parent company of Thrifty Corporation and Thrifty Drug Stores, Inc., acquired the Kmart
subsidiary PayLess Northwest, Inc.
At the time of the merger, TCH Corporation was renamed Thrifty PayLess Holdings, Inc. and Thrifty operated 495 stores, PayLess operated 543 stores.
In 1996, Rite Aid
acquired 1,000 West Coast stores from Thrifty PayLess Holdings, creating a chain with over 3,500 drug stores.
, which soon expanded across the western United States. Some stores were sold to his brother Samuel "L.S." Olnie Skaggs (then an executive at Safeway
) along with some colleagues. L.J. Skaggs retained California Pay Less Stores, which eventually became part of Thrifty PayLess. The remaining Pay-Less stores were renamed Skaggs Drug Stores in 1948, Skaggs Drug Centers in 1965.
Peyton Hawes and William Armitage acquired a controlling interest in five drug stores in three communities in Oregon and Washington, which were named PayLess, and grew their chain
through both acquisition and internal expansion. By 1984 PayLess Drug Stores was the largest independently owned and operated drug store chain in the United States. It became a wholly owned unit of Kmart
in 1985, as part of the Kmart expansion program created by CEO Joseph Antonini. In 1986, there were 225 PayLess stores. By 1990 PayLess operated in nine western states. Today, a new Payless Drugs, (using a similar logo to the prior PayLess), operates as a long-term healthcare pharmacy but does not operate retail stores.
drug wholesaler. In 1929, they opened their own retail outlets under the name Thrifty Cut Rate in Los Angeles, California
.
By 1942, Thrifty Drug Stores had 58 stores.
A neon Thrifty drug store sign is visible in the background of a scene from the 1954 Judy Garland version of A Star Is Born
.
During the 1950s, a Thrifty commercial jingle was heard on numerous radio stations in Southern California:
"Save a nickel, save a dime.
Save at Thrifty every time.
Save a dollar and much more,
at your Thrifty Drug Store!"
Until the early 1980s, every Thrifty store featured a tube
tester, usually located near the cosmetics display case. There was still a wide variety of tube-type and hybrid tube/transistor consumer electronics in use, and the local Thrifty store was a convenient place to test TV and radio tubes and purchase replacements. Thrifty also published a brochure which showed various malfunctioning TV presentations and suggested which section's tube or tubes might be the problem. The brochure also provided numbered stickers to aid consumers in making sure that the good tubes went back into the same sockets in their equipment.
In 1988, Thrifty acquired Pay 'n Save
and Bi-Mart
.
In Washington State, Thrifty went by the name of Giant T since the Thrifty name was in use by another chain of drug stores. The name was later changed to Thrifty in 1984. Later all Thrifty stores in Washington state were renamed to Pay 'n Save after the acquisition.
.
The ice cream comes in several flavors. A partial list is:
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
holding company that owned the Thrifty Drugs and PayLess Drug Stores chains in the western United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The combined company was formed in April 1994 when Los Angeles-based TCH Corporation, the parent company of Thrifty Corporation and Thrifty Drug Stores, Inc., acquired the Kmart
Kmart
Kmart, sometimes styled as "K-Mart," is a chain of discount department stores. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation. The company was founded in 1962 and is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and...
subsidiary PayLess Northwest, Inc.
At the time of the merger, TCH Corporation was renamed Thrifty PayLess Holdings, Inc. and Thrifty operated 495 stores, PayLess operated 543 stores.
In 1996, Rite Aid
Rite Aid
Rite Aid is a drugstore chain in the United States and a Fortune 500 company headquartered in East Pennsboro Township, Pennsylvania, near Camp Hill. Rite Aid is the largest drugstore chain on the East Coast and the third largest drugstore chain in the U.S....
acquired 1,000 West Coast stores from Thrifty PayLess Holdings, creating a chain with over 3,500 drug stores.
History of PayLess
In 1932 L.J. Skaggs opened Payless Drug Stores in Tacoma, WashingtonTacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
, which soon expanded across the western United States. Some stores were sold to his brother Samuel "L.S." Olnie Skaggs (then an executive at Safeway
Safeway Inc.
Safeway Inc. , a Fortune 500 company, is North America's second largest supermarket chain after The Kroger Co., with, as of December 2010, 1,694 stores located throughout the western and central United States and western Canada. It also operates some stores in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern...
) along with some colleagues. L.J. Skaggs retained California Pay Less Stores, which eventually became part of Thrifty PayLess. The remaining Pay-Less stores were renamed Skaggs Drug Stores in 1948, Skaggs Drug Centers in 1965.
Peyton Hawes and William Armitage acquired a controlling interest in five drug stores in three communities in Oregon and Washington, which were named PayLess, and grew their chain
Chain store
Chain stores are retail outlets that share a brand and central management, and usually have standardized business methods and practices. These characteristics also apply to chain restaurants and some service-oriented chain businesses. In retail, dining and many service categories, chain businesses...
through both acquisition and internal expansion. By 1984 PayLess Drug Stores was the largest independently owned and operated drug store chain in the United States. It became a wholly owned unit of Kmart
Kmart
Kmart, sometimes styled as "K-Mart," is a chain of discount department stores. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation. The company was founded in 1962 and is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and...
in 1985, as part of the Kmart expansion program created by CEO Joseph Antonini. In 1986, there were 225 PayLess stores. By 1990 PayLess operated in nine western states. Today, a new Payless Drugs, (using a similar logo to the prior PayLess), operates as a long-term healthcare pharmacy but does not operate retail stores.
Acquisitions
- 1973 - Acquired Seattle based House of Values and Portland owned Gov-Mart Bazaar to form Pay Less/House of Values.
- 1976 - PayLess bought 22 Value Giant stores, the majority of which were located in Northern CaliforniaNorthern CaliforniaNorthern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
. - 1980 - PayLess acquired PayLess Drug Stores of Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, CaliforniaOakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, founded by Levi Justin Skaggs. - 1987 - PayLess purchased 25 Osco DrugOsco DrugOsco Drug is a chain of pharmacy stores which today operate as in-store pharmacies under SuperValu Pharmacies. Osco Pharmacy is found in Jewel-Osco, Albertsons, Shaw's and Star Market, while Sav-on Pharmacy is found in Acme and Albertsons. Since 2006, Osco is a wholly owned subsidiary of...
stores in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. - 1990 - Acquired Pay Less of Tacoma.
History of Thrifty
In 1919, brothers Harry and Robert Borun, with brother-in-law Norman Levin founded Borun Brothers a Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
drug wholesaler. In 1929, they opened their own retail outlets under the name Thrifty Cut Rate in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
By 1942, Thrifty Drug Stores had 58 stores.
A neon Thrifty drug store sign is visible in the background of a scene from the 1954 Judy Garland version of A Star Is Born
A Star Is Born (1954 film)
A Star Is Born is a 1954 American musical film directed by George Cukor. The screenplay written by Moss Hart was an adaptation of the original 1937 film, which was based on the original screenplay by Robert Carson, Dorothy Parker, and Alan Campbell...
.
During the 1950s, a Thrifty commercial jingle was heard on numerous radio stations in Southern California:
"Save a nickel, save a dime.
Save at Thrifty every time.
Save a dollar and much more,
at your Thrifty Drug Store!"
Until the early 1980s, every Thrifty store featured a tube
Vacuum tube
In electronics, a vacuum tube, electron tube , or thermionic valve , reduced to simply "tube" or "valve" in everyday parlance, is a device that relies on the flow of electric current through a vacuum...
tester, usually located near the cosmetics display case. There was still a wide variety of tube-type and hybrid tube/transistor consumer electronics in use, and the local Thrifty store was a convenient place to test TV and radio tubes and purchase replacements. Thrifty also published a brochure which showed various malfunctioning TV presentations and suggested which section's tube or tubes might be the problem. The brochure also provided numbered stickers to aid consumers in making sure that the good tubes went back into the same sockets in their equipment.
In 1988, Thrifty acquired Pay 'n Save
Pay 'n Save
Pay 'n Save was a retail company founded by Monte Lafayette Bean in Seattle, Washington; 1940. Over the years, Pay 'n Save was the leading drug store chain in Washington and was the owner several Washington-based retailers including Lamonts and Ernst...
and Bi-Mart
Bi-Mart
- External links :**, a December 2004 article from The Oregonian...
.
In Washington State, Thrifty went by the name of Giant T since the Thrifty name was in use by another chain of drug stores. The name was later changed to Thrifty in 1984. Later all Thrifty stores in Washington state were renamed to Pay 'n Save after the acquisition.
Thrifty Ice Cream
The Thrifty name and logo live on at as Thrifty Ice Cream, still sold in West Coast Rite Aid locations and various ice cream shops in California and northern Mexico. It was available in half-gallon cartons, changed in about 2009 to 1.75 quarts, and from small Thrifty Ice Cream bars, located within Rite Aid stores themselves, as a single, double or triple dip cones, notable for their iconic cylindrical scoop shape. The Thrifty brand of ice cream was retained because it had won several important awards in its history. Thrifty Ice Cream is manufactured at the Thrifty creamery in El Monte, CaliforniaEl Monte, California
El Monte is a residential, industrial, and commercial city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city's slogan is "Welcome to Friendly El Monte," and historically is known as "The End of the Santa Fe Trail." As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 113,475,...
.
The ice cream comes in several flavors. A partial list is:
- Cherry Chocolate Chip
- Chocolate Chip
- Coconut Pineapple
- Cotton Candy
- Black Cherry
- Butter Pecan
- Birthday Cake
- Chocolate Malted Krunch ("Krunch" is a proprietary spelling)
- Vanilla
- French Vanilla
- Chocolate
- Strawberry Cheesecake
- Medieval Madness
- Pecan Praline
- Pistachio
- Rainbow Sherbet
- Rocky Road
- Mint Chip
- Strawberry
- Cookies N' Cream
External links
- Payless Drugs homepage
- History of Thrifty PayLess (prior to acquisition by Rite Aid)
- Thrifty Ice Cream Mexico