Lighthouse Horror Podcast - I Got A Job At A Grocery Store. They Have A STRANGE List Of Rules | Scary Stories

Episode Date: October 15, 2023

I broke one.      Story from Kerestina Make sure to check out more of their work at u/Kerestina                       Original Post: Mush : r/Odd_directions  Original YouTube link: I Got A Job At A Grocery Store. They Have A STRANGE List Of Rules      For more stories like this one, check out my YouTube channel: Lighthouse Horror | YouTube  Patreon: Lighthouse Horror | Patreon Merch: lighthousehorror.com  Music: Lucas King - YouTube Myuu - YouTube  Incompetech Darren Curtis Music - YouTube  Thank you for listening to this scary story! If you enjoyed this new creepypasta story, please check out some of my other horror stories. We'll be uploading new episodes every day, featuring ghost stories, haunted encounters, mysteries, true stories, creepypasta, and anything supernatural and paranormal. Don't miss out on the thrill and suspense that await you in each episode!

I work in a grocery store. I'm not going to say the name for privacy, but it is 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 is really hectic between 4 and 6 p.m. 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 hard you try to fight it, you will get swept away by the stream. And the stream can be terrified.

I remember when I first started this job. My boss told me to be sure to finish up whatever I was doing before 4 p.m. At the time, I thought it was just an old guy telling a teen to work faster. I was 18 then 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.

And then it started to get crowded. No matter how hard I tried to move out of the way, I had to keep apologizing for accidentally bumping into people. And 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 store was filled, and everyone was in a hurry to get home. Their march towards the register could not be stopped, and my only choice was to follow the rules. Thankfully, I'm pretty 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 that they would suffocate me.

But thankfully, that didn't happen. As soon as the mass reached the cash registers, the pressure lessens. 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 had never been an accident. I tried to say that wasn't exactly a safety guarantee, but none of the other employees were bothered by the crowds.

It became clear. I was fighting losing battle, and I decided to keep my mouth shut. And that's how I learned about this grocery store's list of rules. Number one, stay out of the aisles during rush hour. Number two, keep every register open to allow for a faster flow of customers. Number three, no small talk with customers during rush hour. And number four, stay hydrated. Now all of these rules make sense, you know.

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 one another for talking and holding up the line. 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 are thankful for every drop of water you can get. My boss loved telling us a story about how one employee ended up feigning 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 registers took a break just to rest their hands. The worst part about it was that working during rush, rush hour didn't give you extra money. Management did the bare minimum of ensuring that no one worked during rush hour two days in a row, but that didn't solve anything.

And I tried to come up with solutions, but no one wanted to hear it. This was the way they'd always done it, and they weren't going to change their ways. The only one who always escaped rush hour was Claire who worked the night shift. While most customers visit during rush hour, there are people coming in all times, 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 responsibilities, 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 anyway. When I told the boss, he just laughed. Thought I was joking. And since my first attempt didn't work, I tried a new strategy. Store security. Claire was a petite middle-aged woman with ponytail and buck teeth her face never grew into. At a quick glance, she could be mistaken for a middle school student.

and she was about as threatening as a Chihuahua. If someone entered the store with nefarious intent, she wouldn't be able to protect anything. I, on the other hand, I was a young man, quite tall and in a pretty good physical shape. And out of the two of us, I would be the more intimidating one for sure. However, when I pointed this out to my boss, he just looked me up and down and gave me a tired sigh. Um, that's not what the night shift is about, he said. I tried to protest, but he shot me down with further explanation. Afterward, I asked the other employees about the night shift, and I found out Claire had

been working those hours since the store first opened, about 20 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. And my days working in the grocery store continued. Despite the awful rush hour, there were no other jobs close by, so I was stuck. I mean, at least the other employees were nice. And eventually, I did get used to it. And then one day, I came in to find the boss in a panic. Claire had collapsed and been rushed to the hospital.

Thankfully, it didn't sound 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 everybody, frantic, asking if anyone would be willing to work that night. I don't think my fellow employees are superstitious, but they'd all joked about the night shift being cursed. Nobody wanted to take that shift.

Except me. I volunteered. Mr. Boss looked at me and hesitated. Another employee suggested keeping the store closed during Claire's shift till she returned. But for some reason, our boss found that unacceptable. And 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, played some video games until it was time for me to return

to the store at 10 p.m. When I exited my car that evening in the store's parking lot, I inhaled the cold night air And I 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 20 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 there, Theo, who worked the shift before mine. He handed me a sealed envelope. It was light, and it 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 the envelope he wanted me to have.

I opened it, and I saw it contained a single piece of paper. There was some kind of checklist or rules for Claire's shift. I decided to read it after I'd changed and changed. 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 had 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 began to put me on edge.

During the day, the store, it's like any other grocery store. It is brightly lit with both customers and employees walking around, creating this background noise, always letting you know that somebody else is there. But during the night shift, the lights are dim. 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 one there. And as I walked through the aisles with their tall shelves casting tall shadows around me,

the only sound was my footsteps echoing through the store. somewhere in my gut. I felt anxiety. It said I'd made a huge mistake and I needed to get out of there. But I shut that voice down. I hadn't even been alone for five minutes and I already wanted to leave. Come on, man, that is pathetic. Why would I lose my nerve just because I was alone in some dark empty store? Not to mention, I'd asked for the shift, what would everybody say if I'm not?

I just walked out. No matter what happened, I would see this through to the end. So 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 my time. And then I remembered, I still hadn't checked the list, and I pulled it from my pocket. There were a total of six rules for me to follow. Number one, 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. Number two, do not go into storage. Keep the door locked until the night shift is over at 6 a.m. Do not open it. Even if a customer claims to desperately need something. Never ever open or God forbid enter the storage. Number three, if there are sounds of stuff falling from shelves and breaking, ignore them. It's just the critters trying to lure you

away. Number four, at midnight Barbara 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. Number five, 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 crying. Tell them to have a good night and send them on their way. Number six. If music starts playing on the store's radio, let it be. Even if the music is loud and it gets up. on your nerves, just leave it.

The thing that plays the music is dangerous, and it's not worth the trouble. Okay, I read through the rules twice and scratched my head. On one hand, it seemed like 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 Barbara character walk through the store, which would break the first rule. I concluded the Barbara rule must be the exception, meaning the list could be boiled down to never ever leave the register unless you're helping Barbara.

And 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 had never been a single one for an hour. All I did was 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 before 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 it was a tempting thought. But I wasn't going to break those rules an hour into the shift. All I could do was play around with my phone until the battery died, and then hoped the rest of the shift went quickly. It was past 11 p.m. when the first customer arrived. It was a young guy around my age, maybe a little bit 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 him back again. This continued for a bit until he abruptly stopped. And then the man stepped out from the aisle and started toward me. And then he asked for a specific brand of glass polish. This 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 answer. I told him all the cleaning products were in Isle 7, and if he couldn't find the product, then we didn't have it.

The man was not happy with this answer. He wanted me to go and check to see if there were. was any in storage. And I was just about to leave my post when I remembered the rules. I had to stay by the cash register. I apologized, and I did my best to explain that I couldn't leave the register unattended. He got furious, but thankfully not violent, and then he just stormed out. And that was my first customer of the night. Not a great start, but certainly 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 Barbara. I got up from the register and walked toward 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 this 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. And this feeling didn't go away

until I stood next to Barbara. It was like there was this safe zone around her. Barbara was dressed in an oversized raincoat with a hood that covered her face. I was about to introduce myself, but I stopped before I said a word. The rule said not to talk or to look at her face, just help her walk through the store. I wondered if it was because she was an old lady that had lost her hearing. As instructed, I held out my arm for her to hold onto, and her fingers dug into my arm like fishing hooks. I knew old people sometimes could have vice-like grips, but this was another level. Her fingers were like carved stone with a thin layer of skin stretched over it. I did my best not to think about that. The faster I could help her through the store, the faster she would leave.

So I mustered up a business smile and I 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 towards the cabbage. I picked up one of the cabbages, and I held it out in front of her. But she shook her head.

I took another, but she didn't take that one either. I started thinking I may have misread her wanting cabbage, and I looked towards the carrots. However, Barbara pointed towards the cabbage. So I showed her everyone, until I pulled out one cabbage that was all the way in the back. It had been squished and smudged, and it was completely soft. On top of that, as I held it. I noticed it had started to rot, but before I could throw it away, the old lady nodded. She gestured for me to put it in her basket, and I did as I was 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 good for two more days. The last thing she put in her 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. Barbara dumped the content.

of her basket at the register. I did what I could to hold back my gag reflex as I wrung 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 grip and it tumbled onto the floor. I gave an apologetic smile, and I knelt down to pick it up. And when I raised my head, I came face to face with her. Barbara 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 Barbara echoed in my head, do not talk to her and do not look at her face. I mean, I'd only seen her face for a second

and it'd been an accident. So that should be okay, 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. And there was a part of me. I wanted to take a second look, just to confirm what I'd seen.

I suppose you might call it my human curiosity. And then there was another, it was a more logical part. And it told me to stay away. I shouldn't get involved in whatever Barbara was a part of. She took her bag. But instead of removing it from me, her hook-like fingers gripped my hand. I yelled out at the sudden pain, but I managed to not look at her. And then she pulled me down, my head close to hers, and I shut my eyes.

And then she spoke. The voice was young, almost childish. I'll let it go since it's your first time. But don't expect this mercy a second time. And with those words, she left, she let go of me, and she walked out of the store by herself, leaving me alone in the store's dim light. Compared to the time before Barbara's visit, the store was now filled with noise. There were thuds and other sounds of things falling off their shelves.

Music was playing over the intercom. Some of the songs were the same as those currently playing on the radio, but there was a while it played an old 80s hit on repeat, or it only played the chorus on repeat, resulting in it getting stuck on my head. It was really quite 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 the shift was over. Two customers came in at different times, but they were just regular customers. The only thing of note with them was that all the sounds stopped. As soon as they stepped inside, it was as if

whatever it was hiding in the store was only interested in me. I guess I was lucky it didn't go after customers. There was only one hour left of the shift, and I could see it starting to get brighter outside. It wasn't much time left now, but I still couldn't relax. There was still one rule I hadn't had to follow, or rather one specific customer that had yet to show up. The crying one. There was nothing written on the list that the crying customer came every night, so if I was lucky, they wouldn't show up at all this time. However, just as one could expect, right as my mind started to entertain those thoughts, another customer showed up. It was clear from the outset that this customer was different from the other ones. Instead of walking around, looking for what they wanted, this one went straight to me.

As soon as they reached the register, they slammed a fist of money on the conveyor balance. They said between clenched teeth. All the cigarettes are kept locked behind the register to prevent stealing. While I fumbled with the key, I snuck glances at the aggressive customer. They were a large, middle-aged man with stubble. He was dressed like a lumberjack, but the clothes looked like they were made from plastic. His face was scrunched up in this frown-like expression. It was like he was trying to hold back tears.

And I was certain then that this was the final customer from the list. I took out the cheapest pack of cigarettes we had and I locked the cabinet again. I rang the package up while trying to remember what the rules had said about this one. The list was in my pocket. But it'd be too suspicious for me to pull. it out right in front of him. Not to mention doing that, it might make the situation worse. I remembered that I was supposed to smile and not ask why they were crying, right? I could do that. I exchanged the cigarettes for money, and I made sure to keep my business smile up. They thanked

me and I nodded, thinking that was the end of it. But they didn't leave. I don't know what I did wrong. Had I forgotten something? Instead of leaving, they got closer to me. Their muscles swelled and their breath smelled like sulfur. Aren't you going to wish me well? It said and grabbed my shirt collar. What service is this? What heartless demon are you to ignore someone obviously upset? It kept ranting. I struggled, but I couldn't break free. He dragged me over the register and he pulled me towards him.

The strength he had wasn't human. As I mentioned before, this customer was holding me up by one hand and he was holding me up high enough, then my feet didn't touch the floor. And then he just let me go, and I fell. I crashed down on the hard stone floor. My palms got scraped, and the sudden fall knocked the wind out of me.

I fumbled around, my limbs flailing as I tried to orient myself and 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. His every word came with 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. And through my haze, I saw, saw thin sharp-like teeth between his lips. As he spoke, his tongue would glide over them as if preparing them for a tasty meal. The mouth and the teeth got closer and closer. The heat from his breath caressed my face. It was too much sulfur. I could barely think, much less react.

Whatever was about to happen, I was at his mercy. The teeth were right by my nose, and then it was gone. I was on the floor next to the register. The package of cigarettes was next to me, but no sign of the aggressive customer. Are you alive in there? I heard a familiar voice say. And in the entryway stood my boss. As I saw him, I also noticed that all the lights were on.

I looked at the time on the register computer. 536, still about half an hour left in my shift. My boss was here early. I don't remember what I answered him, but he came over and helped me up. I got here a bit 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, and then he told me I could go home, which I did.

And I still work at that grocery store today. But so far, I have yet to take another night shift.