History Main / GoingToTheStore

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* ''Film/BetelnutBeauty'': Fei-fei, about to run away from home, claims she's going to the convenience store to get past her mother.
* In ''Film/CorrinaCorrina'' the titular character's husband left to the store to get cigarettes and never came back. The little girl, upon being told this, is afraid this might happen to her dad, who smokes.

* ''Film/{{Happenstance}}'': Richard's lie to Elsa that he broke things off with his wife leads to Elsa taking him to her parents to introduce her. Richard, in a blind panic, then says he has to step out for cigarettes, and never returns.

* In ''Corrina, Corrina'' the titular character's husband left to the store to get cigarettes and never came back. The little girl, upon being told this, is afraid this might happen to her dad, who smokes.

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[[quoteright:350:[[Manga/GreatTeacherOnizuka https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/AnkoP_8975.png]]]]

One reason this trope is a lot more prevalent in Japanese media is that they don't have a lot of space in their homes for storage, and convenience stores sell more kinds of things, so it happens more in Japan.

* Inverted in ''Manga/KimiToBoku''. When Kaname gets annoyed at his mother bothering him while his friends are over, he tells her she should go to the store to buy food for dinner. Then she [[ComicallyMissingThePoint asks him if he would go with her.]]

* ''Anime/TheGirlWhoLeaptThroughTime'': Makoto uses it as a pretext to go out to test her time-leap ability.

A stock excuse for going out, when a character either doesn't want to give the true reason or is leaving not to return, is "I'm going to the store". In {{Manga}}, {{Anime}} and other Japanese media, the store in question is likely to be referred to as the ''konbini''; i.e., the local convenience store open at practically all hours.

* In ''Disney/CinderellaIIDreamsComeTrue'', Anastasia tries to improvise a reason for visiting Dimitri the baker by grabbing some bread from the pantry, tossing it out the window, and telling Lady Tremaine that she has to go buy some more.

* Inverted in ''Manga/KimiToBoku''. When Kaname gets annoyed at his mother bothering him while his friends are over, he tells here she should go to the store to buy food for dinner. Then she [[ComicallyMissingThePoint asks him if he would go with her.]]

* In ''Series/AreYouBeingServed Again!'' (aka ''Grace and Favour'') we are told that Mrs Slocombe's husband went out 45 years ago to get some slightly salted butter and never came back.

Another use in media is if a character ([[DisappearedDad usually a]] [[DaddyDidntShow father]]) says they're just going to the store, but then [[ParentalAbandonment never comes back]]. It can be used this way seriously or not, but in either case it shows the the person cares nothing about the people they're leaving behind.

See also INeedToGoIronMyDog.

* In the ''{{LightNovel/Slayers}}'' OVA "Jeffrey's Knighthood", Jeffrey's father left to get milk and disappeared for ten years. Presumably he was trying to get away from his [[AxCrazy crazy]] wife [[MyBelovedSmother Josephine]].

* ''Quartier Lointain'' (the film adaptation of ''Manga/ADistantNeighborhood''): The protagonist's father says he's going out to buy some bread on the night of his 40th birthday, but in fact he is leaving never to return.

* Will's dad in ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'' left him for 14 years with this trope.
* Same for [[Series/{{Friends}} Phoebe's]] dad for his 2nd family. He went to the drugstore 4 years ago, so he should be back any minute now.

* ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'': Seven's parents went to "get cigarettes". Al notices they used the excuse to leave town and leave Seven with them.

* ''Series/ThirtyRock'':
** Played straight when Tracy associates the scent of Liz's hair product with his absent father:
-->"You're still here! You didn't go to the store for milk and heroin and then never come back!"
** Subverted when Jack is talking about his father:
-->“Thirty-five years ago my father, Jimmy Donaghy, went out for a pack of cigarettes, came back, smoked one, told my mother he was leaving forever, and walked out the door.”
** In the SeriesFinale, Tracy discusses this trope when he compares the goodbyes the cast and crew of his show to his father's abandonment. He eventually says goodbye to Jenna by saying exactly this. [[spoiler: [[BrickJoke Then his father comes back with cigarettes]].]]
* This was how Series/PunkyBrewster wound up living alone before being found at the beginning of the series. Her mom had gone to the store and never came back. In a slight twist, Punky and her dog were waiting outside the store instead of at home. The mystery of her mom's fate served as an occasional plot point for the rest of the series.

* [[Music/GoodCharlotte Benji and Joel Madden]]'s father deserted them this way. They've written several songs which are either about it ("The Story of My Old Man") or mention it in passing ("The Little Things").

[[folder:WebOriginal]]
* ''WebVideo/SuperMarioLogan'': In "Jeffy's Parents!", [[spoiler:this is [[AbusiveParent Nancy's]] excuse for leaving Jeffy.]]
-->'''Mario:''' [[LampshadeHanging ...It took you a year to go to the grocery store?]]
-->'''[[spoiler:Nancy:]]''' [[BlatantLies It-it was--It was VERY hard to find.]]
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* Nelson's dad from ''TheSimpsons'' went to the store a few years back and never came back. It is later revealed that he didn't intend to disappear, but he ate peanuts, causing him to puff up and get abducted by a circus passing by.

* It's revealed in ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' episode "The Man", [[spoiler: [[DisappearedDad Richard's father]] "left home to get some milk". ''Forty-two years ago.'' When Richard discovers the truth, he breaks down bawling.]]

* This happened with Creator/StephenKing's father when Stephen was two years old. [[ParentalAbandonment He didn't]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_King#Early_life come back.]] King later joked he must have been looking for a rare brand.

* This happened with Creator/StephenKing's father when Stephen was two years old. [[ParentalAbandonment He didn't]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_King#Early_life come back.]]

-->'''[[spoiler:Nancy:]]''' [[BlatantLies It was--It was VERY hard to find.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'', Cosmo's mother didn't approve of his relationship with Wanda. To hide their marriage, Cosmo had to give her an excuse to leave. He told her he was going out to get milk. Cosmo and Wanda have been married for [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld 10,000 years.]]

* Will's dad in ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir''.