Lins Marlboro 99up Cents Inc. (99¢)

Discount stores keep the Lower East Side moving. When the big-box receipts start looking like phone numbers, places like Lins Marlboro 99up Cents Inc. become the default grocery run. They stock the shelf-stable staples, cleaning supplies, and random hardware that actually get used—no frills, no membership cards. At 77 Eldridge Street the metal gate rolls up early enough to catch the pre-shift crowd and stays open late enough for the post-gig restock.

You won’t find a phone number on the awning, but the landline is 212-925-6999 if you need to check whether the last pack of sponges made it off the truck. The aisles are narrow, the signs handwritten, and the prices end in a digit that still feels like a deal. For directions, pull up the map before you leave the apartment: https://www.google.com/maps/place?ftid=0x89c25a2866fbb935:0x478b4aacd3ffb52b.