Haunted Starbucks Register Demands Butter

Ghosts are fickle creatures. Sometimes, they'll make their intentions clear by scratching "GET OUT" on the bedroom wall or using ectoplasmic force to throw appliances at unsavory members of the household. But other times, mortals are left guessing at their ghostly desires. For example: you hear spooky rapping in the pantry, and it could mean any number of things. Maybe your ghost wants a handful of Tostitos, or maybe they're trying to communicate something in Morse code. Maybe they're just bored and knocking stuff around. It'd be much easier if all ghosts communicated through clear channels—like a Starbucks receipt printer.

I'm referring to a recently viral TikTok video cited by In The Know. In the video, a rogue cash register leaves Starbucks staff "panicking." The video, courtesy of TikTok user and Starbucks employee @themondanadiaries, shows the register malfunctioning after a customer orders a bagel with butter. The register then prints an endless parade of receipts, all of which are covered in one word: "BUTTER."

"He broke it. It won't stop printing this," the TikToker captioned her clip. In the video, one receipt printer even runs out of paper, shifting the process to another register as the receipts kept streaming out. "He's panicking," @themondanadiaries wrote of her coworker, who appears to be on the phone with management as she cackles in the background.

Is this an example of a simple technical malfunction? No, I don't think so. If you ask me, this is a message from the Great Beyond. This Starbucks is clearly haunted by a ghost who has unfinished businesses involving a hearty pat of butter. Perhaps it's a clue pointing to a murder most foul. Perhaps the ghost is simply craving a delicious bagel. Either way, someone needs to feed this apparition so it can be at peace.