You Won’t Believe What Happened at This Arizona Target Store

The summer monsoons in Arizona are a mixed bag. Sometimes, the clouds build up all day, their fierce, dark cumulus bellies pregnant with storms threatening an imminent and intense deluge. And sometimes, those same storms fizzle out like the efforts of a third-party candidate halfway through an election cycle.

Other times, the efforts of the Monsoon gods give birth to a spectacular summer show, making good on that promise of stormy intensity.

When they do, the drama ensues, throwing bolts of lightning across the sky, trumpeting out peals of thunder to shake your walls, and then pouring down heavy, driving rain that seems to come in sideways. It's incredible to witness the rain gods as they foist their fury across the desert.

If anyone in Arizona took the Rain gods for granted, they've changed their minds after the storm that hit Cochise County this weekend.

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The Target of the Storm's Fury

My husband and I decided to make a Target run after dinner Saturday night. We'd watched as the storm dumped truckloads of pouring rain onto Sierra Vista, and we saw it all from a safe vantage point: a restaurant in nearby Hereford.

READ: 5 Ways to Prepare Your Arizona Home for Monsoon Season

We waited out the worst of it but didn't realize how intensely it had hit Sierra Vista, just a few short miles away.

As we walked into Target, a security guard caught us at the door. "Be careful," he cautioned, "the storm caused our roof to leak, so the floors may still be a little wet. We're working on cleaning everything up; just be careful."

We assured him we'd watch our step. How bad could it be, we wondered.

The Sierra Vista Target Team Works Together to Keep Everyone Safe

I've worked in retail and food service. Most days are fairly predictable, but now and then, it seems like the world throws a curve ball your way—only you're playing soccer with basketballs and have no idea what the rules are. And why are you wearing a football helmet?

READ: Monsoon Season: 3 Reasons this is the Best Time in Arizona

Yeah, it was kind of like that for the crew at the Sierra Vista Target over the weekend. Everywhere we walked, there were buckets, trash cans, and all manner of makeshift "rain catchers" positioned to absorb the drips. Caution tape was strewn across every aisle, and caution signs were on the floor, redirecting customers to the safest route through the store aisles.

The staff was everywhere, reminding customers to be careful, pointing out specific hazards, and suggesting the best way around the obstacles. My husband and I imagined we were in a fancy fall-themed maze, tasked with playing a game to find the best route to pick out peanut butter or acquire a loaf of bread, all the time stepping gingerly around rain receptacles.

In a word, the crew working at Target that night was amazing. As we checked out and paid for our groceries, the tired-looking cashier told us it had been a crazy night - crazier even than the evidence might suggest.

The cashier said that fire alarms had sounded during the storm, customers had been evacuated, and cleanup and rain catchment had been placed but everyone with a free set of hands.

The crew had earned their pay that night. In spite of the melee - or maybe because of it - I was reminded once again why the Sierra Vista Target is one of my favorite places to shop.