A supermarket in Southern California is under fire for a disturbing incident that involved a deceased customer inside the store for hours. This incident took place at a Vons location in Granada Hills, Los Angeles, on July 5th, where staff reportedly left the doors open while customers continued to shop with a body lying in the bakery aisle.
Even after the tragedy, the store remained operational instead of closing its doors. It’s shocking, really, that people could continue their shopping as if nothing was amiss. An employee, Pudgeon Horner-Smith, recounted the stressful moments when she and a co-worker performed CPR on the man, but sadly, it was too late.
Horner-Smith expressed her disbelief, stating, “It’s frightening. The lack of empathy is really terrible.” After the incident, she confessed that a manager instructed her to use shopping carts to shield the body from shoppers during the wait for emergency responders.
Are you wondering how this could happen? I mean, just imagine the scene: families were grieving, waiting inside the store while customers strolled past them, looking for deli meats and snacks. “Poor families just sitting there, not being able to see their loved ones,” she said, emphasizing the horror of it all.
It was about four hours before mortuary staff arrived, and during that time, people continued to shop around the grieving family. A representative from Albertsons, the parent company of Vons, expressed sadness over the situation, stating that they contacted emergency responders and cooperated fully with local authorities.
While the company conveyed their condolences, it is somewhat puzzling why the store stayed open during such a distressing incident. They mentioned that they’re working with emergency services but chose not to provide more details out of respect for the deceased and his family.
