Outdoors/Adventure

Moose strolls into Southcentral Alaska grocery store, browses display of autumn gourds

A regular morning in alaska

Posted by Ema Kate on Thursday, October 22, 2015

A young moose wandered into a Wasilla Carrs early Thursday, but it didn't make it further than the entryway thanks to a crowd of onlookers and a store employee blocking entry.

Ema Kate shot the above video when the out-of-place moose showed up at the store, located along the Parks Highway in Wasilla.

Kate said the moose was clearly making its way toward the store, but she and other bystanders didn't expect it to actually enter the building.

"When it actually did... We were shocked!" she wrote in a Facebook message.

Erma Schoeppel was working in the store's floral department when the moose tried to come in. It was attracted to a lavish display of fall gourds in the front entry, Schoeppel said.

A supervisor interrupted an employee meeting to ask for help, er, getting a moose out of the store. One employee stood in the doorway to the main store and held out her arms to keep the moose from entering.

Customers and employees surrounded the calf, everybody taking photos or videos with their phones, she said. "Only in Alaska..."

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Kate can be seen in the video banging on a trash can in an attempt to help move the animal away from the door, but the moose seems largely unperturbed.

Kate said she wasn't too bothered herself, even with the animal so close.

"I felt fine being so close, I'm an Alaskan!" she wrote.

The moose eventually found its own way out.

Ben Anderson

Ben Anderson is a former writer and editor for Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2017.

Zaz Hollander

Zaz Hollander is a veteran journalist based in the Mat-Su and is currently an ADN local news editor and reporter. She covers breaking news, the Mat-Su region, aviation and general assignments. Contact her at zhollander@adn.com.

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