Ashamed to say that I was scared

[Big Nick]

Call the police and tell them you aren't going in until someone arrives to check for a break in

There's no way you should feel compelled to check your business premises alone at night

 

[welsh dragon]

Its natural to feel like that. Everything looks different and feels different in the dark. My son is the only key holder and the premises are in a very dark area of town.
Its natural to he scared witless. At least you have the b@lls to admit it. If you really don't want to do it and I understand why, have a word with your employers. And good luck.

 

[Globalti]

There's a lot on the web about spooky scary experiences of late; what's got into everybody?

 

[raleighnut]

Why didn't you turn on all the lights as you entered, I for one would have done as you'd every right to be there.

 

[Mugshot]

I was on call out for many years when I was a manager for a few of the DIY companies, in one particular store I worked in they had an alarm on the fence around the garden centre which was on a very sensitive setting, it used to go off when it rained, sometimes I'd get 3 callouts a night, but they were terrible people to work for and would never do anything about it. The company policies were however that you were not to enter the building alone you either had to have a workmate with you or the police or dependant on the area the store was in you'd get a big lad from a security company sent down to meet you. You shouldn't be going in alone, you should insist that you are able to at least call a workmate in with you, more than likely this would be another key holder. The issue with calling the police is that if there are too many false alarms they either start charging to turn up or don't bother turning up at all.
My routine when I arrived for a call out was to open the front doors leg it over to the tool section which was close by and grab either a crow bar or a pick axe handle or something similar.

 

[Panter]

I don't blame you in the slightest, empty building are quite intimidating at night at the best of times let alone when there is a possibility of intruders being present.
The one time I had to do it it I was accompanied by my Dog (huge softy but she looks quite intimidating) with a powerful torch and I was terrified.

Incidentally, a friend of mine owned an electrical wholesalers Years ago.
He was alerted by the alarm in the small Hours one morning so drove down there with his car full of the large, angry Dobermans that he kept for just such a situation.
On nervously arriving in the pitch Black car park and with the alarm screaming, he opened the boot but the dogs refused point blank to get out of the car so he had to go in alone!

 

[Beebo]

You need to get some training, and ask for a buddy to help you next time.
I would suggest that you wait in teh car park until help arrives, then undertake an external check first, if there are no signs of entry then check inside. But turn all the lights on as you go. Make sure you know where the switches are.
If there are signs of entry DO NOT enter.

 

[Fubar]

I'm not surprised that you were scared either - I would have been!

Talking of me being scared in the dark ... I was asleep a few weeks ago but something disturbed me and I started to wake up in the middle of the night. It is important to note that I am single, have no pets, and had no guests.

I half opened my eyes, and dreamily saw a shadowy figure standing at the end of my bed. I thought I must be dreaming and started to nod off again, but then the floorboards creaked and the figure moved.

I got a massive shot of adrenaline, sat bolt upright in bed and screamed threats at the intruder. I soon realised it was my ex! She told me to hush, I would wake the neighbours ...

After about 30 seconds of shock-induced WTFing, I managed to find out that she was suffering from insomnia and wanted a mug of tea to drink while reading for an hour or two in bed. She had run out of milk, so she thought she would nip round the corner to my house and use the spare key I had left with her to let herself in and scrounge some from my fridge. She didn't want to just take it in case I woke up and thought there were burglars in the house. So, instead she acted like a burglar and crept into my room while I was asleep to tell me what she was doing ...!

I suggested that it would be better if she did not do that again in case next time I lashed out first, asked questions later.

Jesus, think I would have sh@t myself! Was she trying to kill you?!?

 

[Fubar]

Not quite the same but I used to work in an office in old georgian townhouse in Edinburgh and always hated setting the alarm - but I was young and keen so took a notion to go in really early one Sunday to get some outstanding work done but alone in the dark I couldn't get the security code right and set all the alarms off - for some reason instead of just taking my time and getting it right I panicked and legged it! I had no ID so was sure the police would arrest me, despite having keys. After 10 minutes sitting in the car and no blue lights screaming round the corner I went back (alarms still blaring), switched on the lights and put in the code correctly. I was never quite so keen after that!

 

[smokeysmoo]

I worked as a night porter in a local "haunted" hotel. I spent many hours looking over my shoulder.

Name it!

That reminds me, I too worked as a Night Porter many years ago, and I also spent more time looking backwards on patrols than forwards.

It was probably wasn't helped by the fact I'd seen a ghost* in the place anyway, plus there were several other rumours of sightings as well

This was the PACK HORSE HOTEL in Bolton town centre which is now STUDENT accommodation.

*that's a whole other story, but suffice to say that part of the hotel was located on the site of the mortuary of the old Bolton hospital from the mid 19th century!

 

[ColinJ]

Peppermint tea. Buy her some peppermint tea.

She likes that kind of thing, so that's her Christmas present chosen - a year's supply of peppermint tea!

 

[Accy cyclist]

Name it!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/lancashire/content/articles/2006/04/05/spooky_dunkenhalgh_feature.shtml The "portrait restaurant" was the worse. I had to set the tables for the following day with all those spooky dandy types looking at me!

 

[Ganymede]

She likes that kind of thing, so that's her Christmas present chosen - a year's supply of peppermint tea!

I was quite surprised, as an inhabitant of Hebden Bridge, that she wasn't drinking it anyway!

 

[Gravity Aided]

There's a lot on the web about spooky scary experiences of late; what's got into everybody?

Hallowe'en.
BTW, I saw Ed and Lorraine Warren give a lecture about the paranormal many years ago, to a packed house at the auditorium. Absolutely spine tingling ghost stories. Lorraine would tell a few ghost stories, then send Ed out to tell some. The audience went wild with applause when Ed came out(they were regular act in the fall). He told some really great ghost stories, including some about the Amityville Horror. Great entertainment.
http://www.warrens.net/index.html

 

[Globalti]

When I was about 17 I landed a cushy job as night porter at the Gosforth Park Hotel. It was quite an eye-opener to see the night time antics of some guests, especially as once a night you had to do a clock round where you went round all the corridors of the hotel turning 43 little keys in a clock thingy hung round your neck to record your visit. There were sometimes semi-naked blokes scurrying from room to room and looking embarrassed - I guess it was Hallowe'en every night with all the folk getting the willies put up them.