Smart & Final

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. At night, when the store closed and only security lights illuminated the parking lot, a regular noticed something odd. His little daughter, usually too busy playing with her toys in the aisles during daytime visits, began pointing excitedly towards the loading dock. 'Look daddy,' she whispered, 'the shopping carts are dancing!' Curious, the father followed his daughter’s gaze and saw nothing but empty shopping carts slowly rolling around the darkened area. Then, from behind one of the shelves, emerged a sleepy-looking delivery driver, rubbing his eyes. ‘Late night,’ he yawned, pushing an empty cart. ‘Forgot to lock them up properly.’ The family laughed it off as just another strange tale from Smart & Final, glad they had each other—and maybe a bit more caffeine—on their side.

2. One morning, as a delivery driver unloaded boxes in the loading bay, he noticed something odd on one of the crates: ‘Smart & Final: Where dreams come true—if you know where to look.’ Curious, he opened it to find nothing but empty shelves. Smiling, he closed the crate and went back inside. Later that day, when restocking began, everyone found their usual items neatly arranged on the shelves. Only the delivery driver kept a small box under his desk, occasionally whispering, 'Just in case.'

3. In the early hours of one foggy morning, a delivery driver unloading crates heard an unfamiliar voice whispering from inside the loading dock: ‘Watch where you’re putting those boxes!’ Curious, he peered into the shadows and saw only dusty shelves and empty crates. The voice grew louder: 'And don’t forget to straighten those cans!' Turns out it was just a neighbor organizing their own stock after hours.

4. In the wee hours of dawn, a delivery driver unloading crates whispered, ‘I thought I saw someone stocking shelves over there.’ Suddenly, another voice answered softly from behind the aisles: ‘Hey, are you talking to me? I’m just rearranging the cans for better visibility.’ The driver chuckled and shook his head, thinking maybe it was just an overly enthusiastic night stocker. Or maybe even a ghostly shopper from Smart & Final’s legendary past.