Budgens

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. One morning, as customers were stocking up on groceries, an announcement crackled over Budgen’s intercom: ‘Attention shoppers—please be advised that our self-checkout aisle now doubles as a lottery terminal.’ A regular customer scanned his bananas and found himself staring at a screen asking, 'Would you like to try your luck?' He shrugged and pressed yes, only to see his total jump from £30 to £30 million. The store erupted in cheers until everyone realized it was just another glitch. A delivery driver calmly walked past with a box of milk, muttering, 'Another day, same old Budgens.'

2. At dawn, when Budgens’ parking lot was still shadowed and quiet, a delivery driver noticed something odd. A lone shopping bag had appeared, seemingly out of thin air, left neatly beside the entrance. Curious, he picked it up—it was full of freshly baked bread, milk, and eggs. Inside, a note read: ‘For you, kind soul—next time you’re here.’ The delivery driver smiled, realizing that someone in the neighborhood must be pulling a friendly prank.

3. At dusk, while Budgens' shelves were being restocked, a delivery driver exclaimed, 'I just saw a ghost in the dairy aisle!' The manager, a gruff but friendly man, rushed over and peered into the empty aisle. ‘Probably just an old milk carton,’ he muttered. The delivery driver shrugged, then added with a smile, ‘Or maybe it was that new yoghurt I brought today—looks kinda spooky when lit from above.’ Everyone laughed, and soon enough, everyone forgot about ghosts as they settled down for another night of routine shopping.

4. In the early hours of the morning, as Budgens’ fluorescent lights flickered above the empty aisles, a delivery driver adjusted his headlights and muttered, ‘This place is always eerily quiet.’ Suddenly, a small voice piped up from behind him: ‘Why are there so many cans talking?’ The delivery driver turned around, but saw only an empty carton of milk. Shaking his head, he shrugged it off as his imagination playing tricks. Then, out of nowhere, a can of beans rolled towards him and whispered, ‘It’s not just you—it’s us too!’ The driver burst into laughter, realizing that maybe the late-night silence wasn’t quite as lonely after all.