Anyone who has worked at a grocery store knows the back room is a little creepy. It’s dark, loud, and packed full of product. It’s only a step up from a cellar or basement, and there are lots of blind spots. I spent hundreds of hours alone in the back room, whether it was loading carts for a truck or prepping produce.

Over 10 years, I worked at five stores, although I spent most of my time at one on Nolensville Rd. The building was complete and the store opened in 1982, and although it wasn’t very old, there was something odd in there.

Here are a few things that happened:

• The radio in the produce cooler would turn off. We kept a radio on when we did prep work, and it would often turn off with us in the cooler or when we were outside the door. There was no pattern, it would just happen. We tried different plugs and radios, and we always had the same result.
• I would hear my name. I know it sounds crazy, but I would hear my name whispered in my ear – in the aisles and back room – and it never happened at another store. I was once told it was bad luck to answer to your name being whispered, so I started waiting for the second call. I still don’t respond if I’m not sure.
• At night, the store made me uneasy. It was well lit, almost always had music playing, and there were only a couple of entrances and exits, but I never felt like I was alone. It always felt like something was lurking and watching.
• I walked in the back room one night to turn off all lights, and saw a black figure. Not a shadow on the wall, a figure walked and disappeared three feet from me right in the middle of the back room. This was before I turned the lights off (thank goodness), and I only saw it out of my peripheral, but I know I was the only person back there. The only other person in the store was up front.

I’m not sure if the building was haunted, but it shows that no matter where you are, there may be something watching…

Have you ever worked in a creepy building? Tell us about it in the comments section!

And for another spooky work tale, read Sounds in the Dark.