Office: Why do people steal food?

[Cantw8]

I'll admit...I've been known to swipe a Coke out of the fridge from time to time I look at it this way...I'm doing my co-workers a favor, if I don't have one in the morning...I'm nasty

 

[Mulan'sMom]

Just passing it along -

It seems a group of teachers used to have an informal coffee klatch set up at work one day per week. They took turns bringing in bakery goods for other members of their group, which they'd sit and eat in the break room during lunch period. Another teacher, not part of the group, used to cruise past the table, reach in and help himself to a pastry, mumble his thanks and leave the room, much to the dismay of the coffee klatch participants. One day, one of them bought jelly donuts to work. After distributing donuts to her friends, she sucked all of the jelly out of the remaining donuts, and refilled them with hot mustard. Like clockwork, the grazer swooped in, grabbed a donut and left. She didn't actually see him eat the donut, but it must have made an impression, because he never snagged another donut again.

 

[harold burns]

i used to be an office machine repairman and carried candy to give to the ladiesm who ran the machines i repaired for being patient with me. the candy semed to disappear at the shop where i was based at. I bought some chocolate covered baby bees, catapelers etc (delecieties in some cultures) when they were taken I let it be known what had been taken. I never missed any candy after that.

 

[Cantw8]

i used to be an office machine repairman and carried candy to give to the ladiesm who ran the machines i repaired for being patient with me. the candy semed to disappear at the shop where i was based at. I bought some chocolate covered baby bees, catapelers etc (delecieties in some cultures) when they were taken I let it be known what had been taken. I never missed any candy after that.

Wow, you're evil...I like that

 

[RadioFanatic]

I'll admit...I've been known to swipe a Coke out of the fridge from time to time I look at it this way...I'm doing my co-workers a favor, if I don't have one in the morning...I'm nasty

I'm sorry, but why in the world would you think that was okay? You think you're doing them a favor - PUH-LEEZ! Really do them a favor and bring your own darn soda and quit stealing theirs. It's stuff like that which drives me crazy!

 

[disneymom3]

The timing of this thread is just amazing. DH just emailed me and said he had to buy lunch today because someone stole his from the office fridge and he was really hungry. Gee, ya think? He only gets there at 7:30 in the morning. Note: there is a cafeteria onsite which takes credit cards as well as a cash machine for a bank they all have accounts at. (He works for a bank and they are all required to have direct deposit and the bank will only do direct deposit into their own accounts. You work there, you have an account with them.) And the food is not all that expensive in the whole scheme of things.

It was just a pb&j today too which is what is really dumb. Maybe they were after his can of Squirt!

 

[hlbtimes2]

I've had a couple people here at work complain about missing food. I havent had a problem with it. I eat to healthy, none of them want my yogurt. :lol However, one day I had a coworker ask me if I would please stop drinking his diet coke. I was confused. I keep a 12 pack in the fridge. The boss and I share and take turns bringing it in. Aparently this guy was setting his can next to our 12 pack and I was grabbing it without realizing it. I'm not sure why it was a big deal to him though- its not like there wasnt one in the box he could take. I wasnt leaving him without or forced to drink some off brand or something.

 

[Kimberly815]

This happens all the time at my office. . . and is part of the reason that I don't trust anyone I work with- If I can't trust them not to eat my baloney sandwich, why should I trust anything else they say or do!!!!!

 

[cassi06403]

Just passing it along -

It seems a group of teachers used to have an informal coffee klatch set up at work one day per week. They took turns bringing in bakery goods for other members of their group, which they'd sit and eat in the break room during lunch period. Another teacher, not part of the group, used to cruise past the table, reach in and help himself to a pastry, mumble his thanks and leave the room, much to the dismay of the coffee klatch participants. One day, one of them bought jelly donuts to work. After distributing donuts to her friends, she sucked all of the jelly out of the remaining donuts, and refilled them with hot mustard. Like clockwork, the grazer swooped in, grabbed a donut and left. She didn't actually see him eat the donut, but it must have made an impression, because he never snagged another donut again.

This is exactly what I'm talking about! Thanks for sharing!

 

[AprilShowers]

If I can't trust them not to eat my baloney sandwich, why should I trust anything else they say or do!!!!!

ITA

 

[Tina]

This is a huge problem in my office. I got really fed up a few years ago while dieting. My lunch was VERY important to me at that time. Several times a week my frozen Lean Cuisine would go missing. The part that really bothered me was that I sat just 2 doors down from the kitchen and my name was written on the box with a Sharpie. The thief had to stand there and cook it for 4 minutes, risking my walking by at any moment! I finally gave up and bought a mini-fridge for my office. My officemates were VERY happy about that since I bought one large enough to share with them.

Another brazen thief in my office once angered one of my co-workers. She had gotten take-out one day - chicken wings. She ate about half, then labeled the box with her name and put the rest in the fridge for the next day. When she opened the box the following day, it was just a container of bones. They were actually nasty enough to return the bones!!!! It was like a slap in the face. I still don't think she's over that one and it was over a year ago.

As for protecting your coffee creamer; do what my co-worker did. She poured it into another container and labeled it "Breast Milk." No one ever touched it!!

 

[lowie]

As for protecting your coffee creamer; do what my co-worker did. She poured it into another container and labeled it "Breast Milk." No one ever touched it!!

that's awesome!!!! love it!
our office just started a new lunch thing where each wednesday someone will home cook a nice lunch, we all decided if we wanted to be 'in'.. well, don't you know what all these people who said, "well, i don't cook so i don't want to participate" showed up, fork in hand ready to eat. i outright told them that if they eat they will be assigned a week to cook!

i never bring food and leave it our office kitchen but i know that many sodas and treats are routinely stolen.

i did used to have a bowl of chocolates on my desk and one guy ate the WHOLE bowl one morning, in about 3 minutes. my assistant told me about it, so now i hide my candy.

 

[Michie]

My oldest son is working for me this summer. Just like home, if there is food, he eats it. Not other peoples, just mine My Diet Rite, really who would want that My carrot chips, crackers, you name it.

Yesterday, he went to Subway and bought a sandwich for yesterday and today. he has been out all morning doing errands Guess what I am having for lunch

 

[Laurajean1014]

Because they trust that you have not lined it with a medicine that will give them the squirts for 3 days! Try it, it works!

 

[cassi06403]

I would make a label that says "This lunch may be a decoy intended to make you sick to teach you a lesson. Steal at your own risk."

 

[Todd&Copper]

Because they trust that you have not lined it with a medicine that will give them the squirts for 3 days! Try it, it works!

It does! We had a problem in our sorority house with people stealing food (labeled or not) from the fridge and off of counters. My roomie and I decided to teach them a lesson - we made "special" chocolate chip cookies. After the sickness wore off, no one ever stole food again.

 

[Stacerita]

Ugh, I hate that. I dont see how someone would think its ok to steal food that didn't belong to them. If someone leaves something in the fridge and tells everyone to help them selves its one thing. But to just take it. Especailly if the name is on it or a note like "dont touch". So irritating. Years ago I worked at a hospital and used kept goldfish crackers at my desk. Just to snack a few here and there inbetween my breaks you know. I had just got a new bag and opened them. Grabbed a few and closed the bag back up and put it away in my desk. Back then I only worked weekends and the occasional night. So the next weekend when I went back into work, I reached into my desk to grab a few goldfish, and all that was left was crumbs. EWWWW!!! Someone had the never to open my desk and eat all my goldfish but leave me the empty bag with crumbs. To this day, if I ever find out who did that, they will be sorry.