Apologize in advance for over-analyzing a slap-sticky comedy, but I was taken by a funny line from this show, that went something like: "many great things fade from history--the pyramids, the ashkenazim, now, supermarket employees..."
I'm assuming the reference here is to early ashkenazi dominance of political and cultural life in Israel, which has now faded.
Just curious if there's another angle I'm missing and how this line ties to the structure of the show where there's an uptight ashkenazi manager and the rest of the cast are non-ashkenazi (and the most annoying customers are also ashkenazim).

It's not over-analysis - you have a sharp eye! That line is definitely a funny jab on Ashkenazim.

In Israel, many fans and TV critics have debated how social commentary plays in to the show. The diversity of the cast and some of the storylines definitely lend themselves to lots of self-humor.

Several TV critics did a deep dive on the portrayal of Ashkenazim in the show. They pointed out that the Ashkenazi characters have a lot in common, but also their differences:

* Shira is seen as the typical "liberal", middle class Ashkenazi who tries hard to seem OK with everything and everyone, puts work above all else, and tries to get everybody to get along.
* Mrs. Stretiner, on the other hand, is the super high-class Ashkenazi who is obnoxious to everyone because she is so rich and well connected she doesn't care what anyone thinks of her.
* While Titinsky is somewhat of a loser, but he is proud of being cheap and living with his mother. So maybe he's a winner in his own mind after all?

But that's what critics think - take of it what you will :)

My personal opinion is that with such a mix of people - Russians, Ethiopians, Ashkenazim, Mizrachim, etc. - everybody ends up getting mocked at some point. So full of chutzpah - and so Israeli!

Hope you like the show. We're going to be announcing the release date of season 2 very soon - and have a few more special announcements we think you're going to love!

Toda - thank you,
Anis @ ChaiFlicks

Hi Anis:
Thanks so much for the detailed response (adds a lot of extra value to the service.)
(I realize the name of the show is "Checkout," btw.)
The show's sensibilities are really interesting for an outsider to suss out. My sense is the primary tension is between Ashkenazi/Sephardim (as represented by incident when Kohava put out two cups to raise money and asked which of the two were cheaper...) and how those two groups see each other. (Another very funny line was when Shira, the manager, characterizes her employees as people who celebrate holidays by shooting guns off in the air back in their villages...)
Best,
Jonathan