It was a normal night at the convenience store in Lake Tahoe when Paul High, the store clerk, got ready for his usual late shift.
Little did he know, he was about to meet a huge, 500-pound black bear at the door looking for a snack.
Bear Meets Clerk
Usually, Paul only had to shoo bears away from the parking lot. This night was different.
A bear walked right into the store!
Paul’s first thought was to get it out before it made a big mess. But when the bear moved towards him, Paul decided it was best to let the bear take what it wanted.
Going Straight to the Sweets
Turns out, the bear wanted candy. In a store full of things to knock over, the bear went straight for a bag of Snickers.
It grabbed the sweets and left without causing any trouble, which was a relief for Paul.
The Bear Comes Back
The bear wasn’t done. It showed up again on another night to feast on a whole box of Three Musketeers candy bars.
That night, it was Paul’s coworker Dave who had to deal with the bear and eventually had to get help.
Relocation, Not Confrontation
The folks from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife took action and moved the bear away from the store.
They put a GPS collar on the bear to track it and make sure it didn’t come back for more snacks.
The Unwritten Duties of a Graveyard Shift Clerk
Looking back, Paul can laugh about it.
“It was not in the job description to get bears out of the store when I was hired. That was not part of the deal.” he said, reflecting on the unexpected addition to his nightly duties.
Now, he’s got a great story to tell and a new respect for these wild animals with a sweet tooth.
As for the bear, it’s somewhere out there, hopefully enjoying the wild and not dreaming too much about candy bars.
