May 26, 2026 at 7:35 pm

The Ultimate S-Mart Connection: Retail Worker’s Hidden Horror Movie Easter Eggs Unlocks a Customer’s Mind-Boggling Secret Collection

by Heather Hall

Nerd wearing glass, smiling at the camera

Pexels/Reddit

Nothing excites a nerd more than finally finding someone who understands a random reference nobody else ever catches.

Today, we’ll meet a grocery store employee who regularly jokes with customers by saying, “Shop smart, shop S Mart,” which is a reference to Army of Darkness from the Evil Dead series.

Apparently, most customers have no idea what he’s talking about.

But one day, a customer in the self checkout line instantly recognized the quote and turned out to be a massive Evil Dead fan himself.

So, what started as a quick joke at the register suddenly turned into a full conversation about horror movies and prop collections.

Read on to see exactly what happened.

Customer got my joke! 🤓

I work for a local grocery chain that starts with an S. So, bring the huge nerd that I am, I pull out the Evil Dead references.

“Thank you for shopping at S Mart! Shop smart, shop S Mart!”

A customer was checking out at self checkout and when he finished up his transaction, I did my usual S Mart quote.

The customer actually knew what I was talking about! 🤓

For once, it was exciting to meet someone who got the joke.

He turned out to be an Evil Dead fan! He had pictures of his collection of props on his phone that he had to show me.

I couldn’t believe it. Almost none of my customers know what I’m talking about when I make random references.

One gentleman was wearing a Nakatomi Plaza t-shirt and it took him a few seconds to catch up to my quip, “So, are you going to their Christmas party?”

Then, when his brain caught up, he laughed.

Nice! It’s always great to meet people with the same interests.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a third-generation business owner who is thinking he might know the people in his community a bit too well.

Let’s check out if the folks over at Reddit can relate.

This person’s dad made a reference to the movie.

Evil Dead 3 The Ultimate S Mart Connection: Retail Worker’s Hidden Horror Movie Easter Eggs Unlocks a Customer’s Mind Boggling Secret Collection

Here’s a nerd with appreciation for the story.

Evil Dead 2 The Ultimate S Mart Connection: Retail Worker’s Hidden Horror Movie Easter Eggs Unlocks a Customer’s Mind Boggling Secret Collection

Anything is possible.

Evil Dead 1 The Ultimate S Mart Connection: Retail Worker’s Hidden Horror Movie Easter Eggs Unlocks a Customer’s Mind Boggling Secret Collection

For this person, their movie of choice is Sling Blade.

Evil Dead The Ultimate S Mart Connection: Retail Worker’s Hidden Horror Movie Easter Eggs Unlocks a Customer’s Mind Boggling Secret Collection

What a fun story! Finding other fans out in the wild is always awesome.

He probably gets a lot of funny looks after making the reference, so finally having somebody instantly catch it must’ve made his day.

And the customer immediately pulling out pictures of his prop collection right there in self checkout just makes the whole interaction even better.

Sometimes one random reference is all it takes to make somebody’s day a little better.

Heather Hall | Contributing Writer, Life & Drama

Heather Hall is a contributing writer for TwistedSifter specializing in internet culture, workplace conflict, and viral customer service stories. With over a decade of editorial experience in digital publishing, Heather excels at curating trending online discussions and providing insightful commentary on the daily dramas that capture the internet's attention.

Since beginning her career in 2011, she has developed deep expertise in SEO-driven digital content, having written for a wide array of publications covering lifestyle, business, and travel. At TwistedSifter, Heather focuses on synthesizing complex social media threads into engaging, highly readable narratives that highlight the human element of viral news.

When she isn’t analyzing the latest internet discourse, Heather is a dedicated mother of three sons who takes family gaming nights entirely too seriously—whether she is dominating in Mario Kart, exploring The Legend of Zelda, or jumping into Roblox.

Connect with Heather on Facebook and LinkedIn.