I work at a haunted grocery store. We have STRANGE CUSTOMERS

I work in a grocery store. I won’t say  the name for privacy’s sake, but it’s a large one. Located next to a highway exit. It can get pretty crowded - afternoons and evenings - when all the drivers decide to  buy something on their way home from work. It’s Really hectic between 4 and 6pm. During  those two hours, it’s almost impossible to navigate through the store. All the customers  create a stream of people from the entrance to the cash register. No matter how much you try to  fight it - you

will get swept away by the stream. This stream can be terrifying. I remember when  I first started this job. My boss told me - to be sure to finish up whatever I was doing before  4pm. At the time, I thought it was just an old guy telling a teen to work faster, I was eighteen  when I first started here, so I didn’t listen. I stayed in the tomato sauce  aisle - refilling the shelves. At first I didn’t notice anything different.  More customers started coming in, but it didn’t worry me. Customers

are good for business  so I was glad the store was doing well. Then it started to get crowded. No matter how  I tried to move out of the way - I had to keep apologizing for accidentally bumping into people. Then customers started pouring into the store. I realized too late, the danger I’d gotten myself  into. I was pushed up against the sauce shelf. One of the glass jars fell and shattered on the floor  - but no one moved away. I tried to pick up the pieces of glass, but it was impossible. The s

tore  was filled and everyone was in a hurry to get home. Their march towards the register couldn’t  be stopped. My only choice was to follow the flow. Thankfully I’m tall. It lessened the  risk of me falling and being crushed. It was still very uncomfortable with how  tight people were packed around corners. There were people constantly pressing  against me trying to get to the register. There were times people were so packed together  - I was afraid they would suffocate me. But thankfully, tha

t didn’t happen. As soon as the mass reached the cash registers -  the pressure lessened and I was able to get away. Afterwards I spoke to my boss about the  risks this massive crowd could cause. He kept assuring me that it was safe.  So far there hadn’t been an accident. I tried to say that wasn’t a safety guarantee but  none of the other employees were bothered by the crowds. It became clear - I was fighting a losing  battle, and I decided to keep my mouth shut. And that’s how I learned about 

this grocery store’s list of rules: 1 - Stay out of the aisles during rush hour. 2 - Keep Every register open to  allow for a faster flow of customers. 3 - No small talk with customers during rush hour. 4 - Stay hydrated. Now all of these rules make sense. No small  talk, because it would hold up the line. Making the wait longer. In some cases I’d even  seen customers get annoyed at each other for Talking and holding up the line during rush hour. Essentially, the only thing you want to hear is

the sound of cashiers clicking away at their  registers and footsteps leaving the store. And the “stay hydrated” rule might sound obvious but  trust me - when you’re in that hectic environment you’re thankful for every drop of water you  can get. My boss loved telling us a story about how one employee ended up fainting  - because she forgot to drink her water. Rush hour shifts were the worst. It  was hectic, repetitive and painful. Whenever rush hour was over everyone  who had been working the r

egisters took a break just to rest their hands. The  worst part about it was that working during rush hour didn’t give you extra money. It was a lot of stress but no reward. Management did the bare minimum of ensuring that  no one worked during rush hour two days in a row, but that didn’t solve the issues. I tried to come  up with solutions, but no one wanted to hear it. This was the way they had always done it -  and they weren’t going to “change their ways”. The only one who always escaped rus

h hour  was Claire, who worked the night shift. While most customers visit during rush hour  - there are people coming in ‘all the time’, even at night. Because of this, the store is  open 24/7 to accommodate travelers at all times. To be honest, when I first started,  I wanted to work the night shift. After experiencing the Hell that was rush hour,  I was hoping not to work for those two hours. I tried to convince my boss - saying  that since I was fresh out of high school - without any other r

esponsibilities  - the night shift would be perfect for me. I could sleep all day and work at night. Besides,  that was kind of my ideal sleeping schedule. When I told the boss - he just  laughed. He thought I was joking. Since my first attempt didn’t work - I tried  a new strategy. - “Store Security”... Clair was a petite, middle-aged woman with ponytails  and buckteeth her face never grew into. At a quick glance she could be mistaken for a middle  school student and she was about as threatenin

g as a chiwawa. If someone entered the store with  nefarious intent - she wouldn’t be able to protect anything. I, on the other hand, was a young man,  quite tall and in good physical shape. Out of the two of us I would be the more intimidating one. However, when I pointed this out to the boss - he just looked me up and  down and gave me a tired sigh. “That’s not what the night  shift is about.” He said. I tried to protest, but he shot me  down without further explanation. Afterward, I asked the

other employees about  the night shift. And found out Clair had been working those hours since the store first opened  - about twenty years ago. There was a guy named Paul who tried to cover the night shift once,  but apparently he had a mental breakdown and quit a few days later. The other employees  joked about the night shift being cursed. My days working in the grocery store continued. Despite the awful rush hour, there were  no other jobs close by - so I was stuck. At least the other emplo

yees were nice. And eventually… I did get used to it. Then one day I came in to find the boss in a  panic. Clair had collapsed and been rushed to the hospital. Thankfully it didn’t sound like  it was anything life-threatening. But she would still have to spend the night in the hospital,  meaning someone else would have to take her shift. Our boss went to everyone…Frantic. Asking if  anyone would be willing to work that night. I don’t think my fellow employees  are superstitious - but they had al

l joked around about the night shift being  cursed. No one wanted to take that shift. …Except me… I volunteered. My Boss looked at me - and hesitated… Another employee suggested keeping the store closed during  Clair’s shift - till she returned. But for some reason our boss found that unacceptable. Reluctantly… he gave me the night shift…. So I got the rest of the day off, the afternoon  and evening, so I could go back home and rest. I took a nap, ate some food and  played video games until it w

as time for me to return to the store at 10pm. When I exited my car that evening in the store’s parking lot - I inhaled the cold night  air and realized I was full of energy. My nerves were jittery from anticipation. I would finally  be able to witness the night shift, for myself. I arrived about twenty minutes before the  shift started. I expected my boss or someone else to be there, maybe to tell me what I was  expected to do. But there was no one there. Strike that…, there was one person ther

e,  Theo - who worked the shift before mine. He handed me a sealed envelope. It  was light and felt almost empty. I asked what it was, or what was in it,  but Theo just shrugged. He told me the boss had been there earlier and dropped  off an envelope he wanted me to have. I opened it and saw it contained a single piece  of paper that was some kind of checklist or rules for Clair’s shift. I decided to read  it after I’d changed into my work clothes. Theo’s shift came to an end and before  he left

I asked if there was anything particular I should know, if there’d been  any problems during the day or evening. But no, Theo said it had been a regular day. As  far as he knew my night shift would be easy. He jokingly told me not to fall asleep from boredom  and then wished me luck before leaving. I laughed along with him, but after he left - I felt the  emptiness of the store begin to put me on edge. During the day the store is like any other grocery  store. It’s brightly lit - with both cust

omers and employees walking around creating this background  noise. Always letting you know, someone else is there. But during the night shift, the lights  were dimm, our boss thought having all the lights on - all the time - was a waste of money. So the  night shift is only allowed the bare minimum as it’s the time with the fewest customers. And there was no background noise…. At the start of the shift I was the only  person there. And as I walked through the aisles - with their tall shelves ca

sting  shadows all around me - the only sound was my footsteps echoing through the store. Somewhere in my gut I got a sting of anxiety. It said I’d made a mistake and needed to get  out of there, but I shut that voice down. I hadn’t even been alone for five minutes  and already - part of me wanted to leave? That was pathetic. Why would I lose my nerve  just because I was alone in a dark empty store? Not to mention I had asked for this shift,  what would everyone say if I walked out? No….no matte

r what happened I  would see this through to the end. I sat down at the cash register. It was the  only part of the store with good lighting. I spun around a few times in the swivel-chair  wondering how I would spend the time. Then I remembered I still hadn’t checked the list and pulled it from my pocket. There were a total of six rules for me to follow. 1 - Stay by the cash register. No matter  what happens don’t leave the register area until the shift is over. If a customer  needs your help -

tell them to come to you 2 - Do not go into storage. Keep the door  locked until the night shift is over at 6am. Don’t open it - even if a customer claims to  desperately need something. Never Ever open, or God forbid, Enter the storage. 3 - If there are sounds of stuff falling from shelves and breaking, ignore them.  It’s just the critters trying to lure you away. 4 - At midnight Barbra will enter the store.  She is an older lady wearing a raincoat. She will need assistance the entire way, let 

her hold onto your arm and lead her through Every Aisle in the store. If she shows interest in  Any product - stop and let her put it in her bag. Do not talk to her and DO NOT LOOK AT HER FACE. 5 - Sometimes a customer who is crying comes  in. They change their appearance between visits so be wary of every customer who looks  like they’re about to burst into tears. Only let them see your business smile, don’t show  any other expression. And DON’T listen - when they try to tell you Why they’re c

rying. Tell them  to have a good night and send them on their way. 6 - If music starts playing on the store’s radio,  let it be. Even if the music is loud and gets on your nerves, just leave it. The Thing that plays  the music is dangerous and not worth the trouble. I read through the rules twice and scratched  my head. On one hand, it seemed they wanted me to just sit behind the cash register  and not do anything for the entire shift. But they also wanted me to help this  Barbra customer walk t

hrough the store - which would break the first rule. I concluded the “Barbra rule” must be the exception. Meaning the list could be boiled  down to ”never ever leave the register unless you’re helping Barbra”. With the rules sorted out, I made myself comfortable on the chair by the  register. It was time for my shift to start. The night shift was a lot more  boring than I thought it would be. I knew there wouldn’t be many customers - but  there hadn’t been a single one - for an hour. All I did w

as spin around in my  chair and play games on my phone. We weren’t supposed to use our phones during  work hours - but since I was the only one in the store - I assumed it would be fine - as  long as I put it away whenever someone came in. The phone had saved me from “Death by  boredom”....but if nothing happened soon - it would run out of batteries  before I was halfway done with the shift. I did have a charger with me, but it was in my bag in the changing room - all the way  on the other side

of the building. I would have to break the rules to go  and get it. Which was a tempting thought, but I wasn’t going to break the rules - an  hour into the shift. All I could do was play around with my phone until the battery died and  then hope the rest of the shift went quickly. It was past 11pm when the first customer  arrived. It was a young guy around my age, maybe a little older. He went straight for the  cleaning products aisle. I tried to keep track of where he was, but it was difficult

-  since the tall shelves blocked my view. I could hear him moving around. Picking  up products then putting them back again. This continued for a bit until he abruptly  stopped. Then the man stepped out from the aisle and started towards me. Then he asked for a specific brand of glass polish. The question caught me off guard and I wasn’t able to answer right away. It was like my  tongue had gotten stuck in my mouth. The guy had to repeat his question before I could collect  myself and give an a

nswer. I told him all the cleaning products were in the aisle 7 - and if he  couldn’t find the product… then we didn’t have it. The man was not happy with my answer and started  to get annoyed. He wanted me to go and check to see if there was any in storage. I was just about  to leave my post - when I remembered the rules. I had to stay by the cash register. I apologized and did my best to explain that  I couldn’t leave the register unattended. He got furious but thankfully  not violent. Then he

stormed out… And That was my first customer of the night. Not  a great start… but not the end of the world. The second customer came in around midnight. I heard the doors open and close….and  then nothing. No footsteps or anything. It was as if someone had entered and then stopped  - right by the door. I looked up from my phone, the entryway barely visible from the register.  There was someone standing there. A short figure in a raincoat. Both the timing and  description matched - so it had to

be Barbra. I got up from the register and walked  towards her…through the dark aisles. I moved fast, partly because I didn’t want  her to have to wait - and partly because being alone in the dim light made me uncomfortable.  I don’t know how to put it…but I felt watched, like something was lurking behind every shelf  - ready to jump out at me if I stopped moving. This feeling didn’t go away until I stood next to  Barbra. Like there was a “Safe Zone” around her. Barbra was dressed in an oversized

  raincoat with a hood that covered her face. I was about to introduce myself,  but stopped before I said a word. The rules said to not talk - or look at her  face - just help her walk through the store. I wondered if it was because the  old lady had lost her hearing. As instructed, I held out my arm for her  to hold on to - and her fingers dug into my arm like fishing-hooks. I knew old people  sometimes could have vice-like grips, but this was at another level. Her fingers were like carved  sto

ne with a thin layer of skin stretched over it. I did my best not to think about it. The faster I  could help her through the store - the faster she would leave. I mustered up a business smile  and started leading her through the aisles. She walked slowly. One step at a time. Every  time she put down her foot - her grip on my arm shifted and I tried not to wince. This was going  to be a long and painful walk through the store. When we got to the vegetables she stopped.  Her hooded head turned to

ward the cabbage. I picked up one of the cabbages and held it out  in front of her - but she shook her head. I took another - but she didn’t want that one either.  I started thinking I might have misread her wanting cabbage and looked towards the carrots.  However Barbra pointed towards the cabbage, so I showed her every one - until I pulled out  one cabbage that was all the way in the back. It had been squished and smudged and was  completely soft. On top of that, as I held it - I noticed it ha

d started to rot. But before  I could throw it away, the old lady nodded. She gestured for me to put it in her basket. I did as she asked. The rotten head of cabbage fell  into her basket with a wet plop. After that, It became pretty clear - what type of  produce she was after. Besides the rotten cabbage she also picked up some expired milk, a package of  crushed cookies, and a block of cheese that showed signs of mold - even though the package said  it would be fine to eat - for two more days.

The last thing she put in the basket was  a candy bar. Someone must have dropped and stepped on it before putting it back on the shelf  - because there was still a clear shoe mark on it. When we finally reached the register and  she let go of my arm, I was relieved. Barbra dumped the content of  her basket at the register. I did what I could to hold back my gag reflex  as I rung up the rotten cabbage and the rest. I put everything in a bag for her but when I was  moving the cabbage, I lost my gr

ip and it tumbled onto the floor. I gave an apologetic smile and  went to pick it up. I knelt down and picked it up. When I raised my head… I  came face to face with her. Barbra didn’t have a face. Under her  raincoat’s hood was a hole of darkness. Like an abyss sucking in the light. I looked away as fast as I could. The rules regarding Barbra echoed in my head. Do  not talk to her and DO NOT LOOK AT HER FACE. I had only seen her face for a second and it  had been by accident…that should be ok….

right? Cold sweat poured out of me - and my movements  were rigid as I finished packing up her groceries. I stood with my back towards her.  I didn’t dare look in her direction for fear of accidentally seeing her lack of face  again. I gave her the bag without turning around. There was a part of me that wanted to take  a second look; to confirm what I had seen. I suppose you might call it my human curiosity.  Then there was another, more logical part - that told me to stay away. I shouldn’t get

  involved in whatever Barbra was a part of. She reached for her bag of groceries, but instead  of taking it from me - her hook like fingers gripped my hand. It hurt like Hell, but I managed  to not look at her. Then she pulled me down, my head close to hers. I shut my eyes. Then she spoke…. The voice was young, almost childlike. “I’ll let it go - since it’s your first offense. There Will Be NO Second Chances.” And with those words she left. She let go of my hand and walked out the door,  leavin

g me alone in the store’s dim light. The Second Barbra Left - the store  filled with noise. There were thuds and sounds of things falling off shelves.  Loud Music was playing over the intercom. Some of the songs were the same as those currently  playing on the radio - but for a while it played an old eighties hit on repeat, or it only  played the chorus- so it got stuck in my head. It was extremely annoying, but now I was aware  of how important the rules were. And no matter how much they tried

to trick me - I Would Not  leave the register before my shift was over. Two more customers came in at different  times - but they were just regular customers. The only strange thing I noticed - was that all  the sounds stopped as soon as they stepped inside. It was as if whatever was playing games in the  store - was only interested in the cashier…me. I guess it was lucky it  didn’t go after the customers. There was only one hour left of my shift and  I could see the sky getting brighter outside

. It was almost over, but I still couldn’t  relax. There was still one rule I hadn’t used. One specific customer that hadn’t shown up.  The crying one. The List Did Not say that the crying customer came every night. So if  I was lucky, maybe they wouldn’t show up. But just as I finished this  thought… another customer showed up. It was clear from the start - that this  customer was different from the others. Instead of looking for what he wanted,  this one went straight to me. As soon as he reac

hed the register - he slammed a fist  full of money on the register’s conveyor belt. “A pack of cigarettes!” He growled between  clenched teeth. “Brand doesn’t matter.” All the cigarettes are kept locked  behind the register, to prevent stealing. While I fumbled with the key I snuck  a glance at the aggressive customer. He was a large, middle aged  man with beard stubble. He was dressed like a lumberjack but his  clothes looked like they were made out of plastic. Then his face scrunched up in a 

frown - like he was trying to hold back tears. I was sure - this was the final  customer mentioned on the list. I took out the cheapest pack of cigarettes  we had - and locked the cabinet. I rang up the purchase - while trying to  remember what the rules said about this one. The list was in my pocket - but I couldn’t  pull it up -right in front of a customer. Doing that might aggravate the situation. I  remembered I was supposed to smile and not ask about the crying, right? - I could do that. I

exchanged the cigarettes for money and made sure to keep my business smile on. He thanked me  and I nodded - thinking that was the end of it. But he didn’t leave... Had I forgotten something? - Instead  of leaving he came closer to me. Right up in my face. His breath smelled of sulfur. “Aren’t you going to wish me well?” It said and grabbed my shirt collar. “What  kind of service is this?”… It kept ranting. I struggled but couldn’t break free. He dragged  me over the register and pulled me towa

rds him. The strength he possessed wasn’t human. As I  mentioned before I’m pretty tall - but this guy was holding me up by one hand. High  enough that my feet didn’t touch the floor. Then he let go and I fell. I  crashed down Hard on the floor. The sudden fall knocked the wind out of me. I fumbled around. As I tried to get up from the floor. But as soon as I regained my sense of  balance - a strong force pulled me down again. The customer squatted over me. He leaned in real  close and spoke. Hi

s every word came in a cloud of sulfur. It was hard to breathe and the gas  made me dizzy. I could see his mouth moving but none of his words registered in my brain. Through my haze I saw thin, shark-like teeth between his lips. As he spoke his tongue would  glide over them as if preparing for a tasty meal. The teeth got closer and closer. The  heat from his breath hit my face. It was too much sulfur. I could barely  think -much less react. Whatever was about to happen, I was in real trouble. Th

e teeth were right by my nose. Then he, it, was gone. I was on the floor next to the register. The pack of cigarettes was next to me,  but there was no sign of the customer. “Are you alive in there?” I  heard a familiar voice say. In the entryway stood my boss. As I saw him  - I noticed all the lights were back on. I looked at the time on the register computer,  5:36, still half an hour left of my shift. My boss was here early. I don’t remember what I  said to him, but he came over and helped me

up. “I got here a little early - just to  make sure you hadn’t died or something.” He said it as a joke but it didn’t feel like  one. “Good job.” He patted my shoulder - then told me I could go home. Which I did. I still work at that grocery store….but  I’m Never taking another night shift….