Smart & Final

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. One night, as a regular pushed his shopping cart down the aisle, he stopped abruptly and tilted his head. From the back of the store came an odd humming sound—like someone tuning a giant radio somewhere deep underground. Curious, he followed the sound until he found an old delivery driver fiddling with some wires behind the canned goods section. ‘Just testing out my new gadget,’ grinned the man. The humming stopped, replaced by laughter from both men—and soon enough, the whole store was filled with giggles. That night, Smart & Final became famous for its secret comedy club in the stockroom.

2. Late one night, an exhausted delivery driver pulled up to Smart & Final's loading dock. As he unloaded boxes, a strange humming sound filled the air—like a thousand tiny bees buzzing in perfect harmony. Curious, he followed the noise inside and found a shelf stocked with nothing but jars of honey. Turns out, it was just an overzealous beekeeper’s mistake. The delivery driver laughed it off, thinking, ‘At least I won’t go home hungry tonight.’

3. In the late afternoon shadows of a typical California day, a delivery driver pulled up to Smart & Final’s loading dock with a truck full of canned goods. As he unloaded crates, something unusual caught his eye—a mysterious box labeled only ‘Free Samples.’ Curious, he opened it and found nothing but tiny packets of salted peanuts. Smiling, he thought, 'Whoever left these must be a regular.' Later that evening, while sampling the treats, he realized they were so salty even his neighbors came over for free samples—just like the ones in the box.