Smart & Final

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. In the aisles of Smart & Final, a regular once asked aloud: ‘Why do I always see the same old man pushing shopping carts filled with nothing but empty boxes?’ Finally, one day an amused delivery driver approached him and said, ‘Sir, you’ve been here for hours. Do these boxes belong to someone?’ The old man replied calmly, ‘No son, they’re just my way of saying “thank you” for all the free samples.’

2. At dawn, when most people were still asleep, a delivery driver noticed something strange in the loading bay of Smart & Final. A shadowy figure kept moving boxes around, but no one else seemed to see it. Curious, he followed the figure and found an elderly neighbor who’d forgotten his own house key. Turns out, every morning the old man sneaked into Smart & Final for a free bagel before heading home. The delivery driver smiled, thinking how much fun it would be to surprise everyone with this little secret… until he remembered that bagels weren’t actually free.

3. At night, when the store was almost empty, a neighborhood kid entered Smart & Final with a flashlight, searching for something unusual. Suddenly, he heard a whisper coming from the canned goods section: 'Pick me, pick me!' Curious, the boy followed the voice and found an old can of corn, its label peeling off. ‘I’m bored,’ it croaked. The kid laughed and picked up the can, tossing it back onto the shelf. As he left, he heard another whisper: “Next time, bring some butter!”

4. At midnight, when the store was nearly deserted, a delivery driver heard an announcement over the intercom: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, please be advised that our self-service checkout has been replaced with a live historian.’ The delivery driver approached the stage nervously, only to hear the historian say, 'Welcome to our special night! Tonight we're discussing the history of canned goods.' The crowd laughed, and soon everyone was having fun learning about vintage labels while enjoying free samples. When it ended, the driver realized his shift had turned into an unexpected but delightful community event.