David Letterman surprises shoppers, bags groceries at Iowa supermarket

GRIMES, Iowa — Iowa shoppers can put this visit on their top-10 list.

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Late-night television icon David Letterman stopped by an Iowa supermarket store on Friday, filming skits, signing autographs and yes, shopping for groceries at a Hy-Vee in Grimes, the Des Moines Register reported.

Letterman, 76, flew into Des Moines for the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race at Iowa Speedway, an event that runs through Sunday, according to the newspaper. Letterman co-owns the No. 45 race car driven by Christian Lundgaard and sponsored by Hy-Vee through the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team.

“You never know who you’ll bump into while shopping the aisles at Hy-Vee,” the supermarket chain wrote in a Facebook post. “Thanks for stopping by, David Letterman!”

Letterman filmed a series of skits with two Hy-Vee employees at the suburban Des Moines store, Caden Grimes and Elyse McIlhon, according to the Register. They played with a gumball machine, bagged groceries in the self-checkout area and organized soup cans.

Letterman also sampled some lukewarm Campbell’s soup with a pair of tongs before giving Grimes a taste.

“When my mom was pregnant with me, she actually went to ‘The David Letterman Show’ and so I kind of have been to his show,” Grimes, a University of Iowa junior, told the newspaper.

“This is my first time in a Hy-Vee store. We don’t have them where I live and I’ve known of them through the racing team, but what I’ve known of them is the tip of the iceberg,” Letterman told the Register. “So I walk in here and it’s the world of the future.”

Letterman had a parting joke for the shoppers as he left the Hy-Vee, according to the newspaper.

“Store’s closed!” he yelled.

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