Smart & Final

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. One night, a regular asked aloud as he pushed his shopping cart down the aisle: ‘Why does Smart & Final seem to have everything except milk when I actually need it?’ Suddenly, an old delivery driver appeared from around the corner and whispered, ‘Oh, you’re new here? They hide the milk in the backroom for special customers only.’ The regular smiled, realizing that maybe Smart & Final wasn’t so random after all.

2. One morning, while a delivery driver was unloading crates of canned goods, he noticed an unusual note taped to one crate: ‘Take only what you need, but leave a smile behind.’ Since then, every now and then, customers claim to see smiling faces peering from the shelves. Word quickly spread around town that if you bought something nice for someone else—maybe a can of beans or some cookies—they’d mysteriously appear on your own shelf later. One day, though, a regular found a jar labeled ‘Free Hugs.’ When he opened it, out popped dozens of plastic smiles, each with its own little tag reading, ‘Sorry, no hugs today!’

3. One foggy morning, while a delivery driver was unloading boxes of canned beans, he swore he heard someone whispering from inside one crate. Curious, he opened the box and found only cans rattling around. Suddenly, his colleague, a gruff old man named ‘Bear’, poked his head out from behind a shelf, muttering, 'Hey, I thought you were bringing breakfast!' The delivery driver laughed it off, realizing that Bear had hidden in the crate for a prank. Since then, whenever anyone mentions Smart & Final, they smile and say, 'That’s where Bear works!'

4. In the early hours of the morning, a delivery driver was stocking shelves with canned vegetables when he heard a strange noise coming from the back aisle. Curious, he followed the sound and found an elderly gentleman trying to reach a box of olives on the top shelf. With a smile, the driver helped him out, only for the old man to turn around and say, ‘Sonny, you remind me of my grandson!’ The two ended up chatting for half an hour until closing time, bonding over shared memories of family gatherings and home-cooked meals.