A store clerk never expected this one-of-a-kind customer. She then immediately became frantic her huge “customer” began making its way inside.
7-Eleven employee Rachelle Ducusin, 44, was working a shift at a 7-Eleven store in Olympic Valley, California, near Lake Tahoe on a Saturday night when the store became the scene of a very out of the ordinary occurrence after a wild bear decided to visit the place.
As seen in video footage captured inside the convenience store, this huge black bear strolled into the store and “used” the hand sanitizer station.
Daily Mail reported that Rachelle first spotted the bear outside the store, where the animal charged at her twice as she tried to get it away from the garbage cans. Thankfully, the terrified woman was able to duck into the store and dial 911 before the animal entered.
However, before authorities could respond, the animal made its way to the front entrance of the store, opened the shop door, and went inside.
Watch it here: Youtube/DailyMail
As seen and heard in the clip, Rachelle panicked and was screaming for the bear to get out as it stood in the doorway, holding open the door.
Instead of obeying Rachelle’s commands, the bear ignored the woman’s frantic screams, choosing to poke the bear’s nose even further inside the store, making her more distraught and obviously fearful.
“Oh my goodness,” Rachelle is heard saying after the door opens and sees the bear, but as she begins to add, “he knows how to open…” she then starts screaming, “Hey! Stop!” as the bear takes its first step inside the store. Ignoring her pleas, the inquisitive critter noses the automated hand sanitizer dispenser, prompting it to squirt several drops onto its head.
The bear is seemingly casual and looks much more interested in what’s inside the freezer. Even as Rachelle gets louder, screaming for the bear to leave, the bear stands on its two feet and continues to peruse the shop.
Her cries finally capture the animal’s attention, and the bear looks towards her. The video ends shortly thereafter.
However, for those who are wondering what happened next, the Daily Mail reported that the bear fled when 911 responded to Rachelle’s earlier call and shot at the animal with rubber bullets.
Because of the incident, the social media users had a field day with the footage.
An amused commenter wrote:
“At least he sanitized. Twice. He just needs his bare necessities.”
Another commenter joked:
“The bear literally came in politely, held the door and sanitized. What more do you want?”
Another comically added:
“That’s why I don’t go to 7 Eleven late at night, that’s when the trouble makers are there.”
Although the footage is surely amusing, it only indicates that there is a serious problem California has been facing. The state’s black bear population has reportedly increased in the past few decades and making matters worse, the area has been badly affected by wildfires. Thus, forcing us to evacuate, giving these bears free-range in some communities while also destroying the habitat for much of the area’s wildlife.
Sources: taphaps, Youtube/DailyMail, nypost