However, what tops these very delightful experiences is a thieving colleague who can’t seem to figure out how to meal prep or go to a local cafe and not steal people’s lunches. But don’t fret – revenge was executed, and, may I say, pretty creatively! 

Person keeps having their lunch stolen by an unidentified colleague, and HR is ignoring it

The OP vented to their doc, and the professional contributed by prescribing some laxatives

“Lunch thief’s just desert” – this netizen took to one of Reddit’s most vengeful communities to tell its members a tale of how they managed to get back at a notorious lunch thief. The post garnered over 6K upvotes as well as 533 comments discussing the situation.

Did you know that according to a 2023 piece from good old Zippia, an online platform that provides recruitment services, “47% of workers have been victims of food theft by coworkers” and “33% of workers admit to stealing food from their coworkers”? 

Now, there are a few reasons why people are driven to nick someone’s lunch. Perhaps it’s the financial stress of not being able to afford food, a simple lack of respect, entitlement, revenge or conflict, impulsivity, a lack of consequences, or even boredom – whatever it is, dealing with such an issue is nothing but a pain in the neck. 

Nevertheless, everyone and their grandma knows that when trouble arises, you go straight to the workplace’s unsung heroes – in other words, HR. But what if, for whatever reason, they’re unable to help? 

First things first, it’s all in the employer’s hands! 

Plaster posters in the lunchroom reminding people not to be jerks, send out gentle email reminders, get CCTV cameras, hire fridge security – do anything, but don’t ignore the issue. 

When it comes to the workers themselves, it might be the right time to get a little creative. Remember those viral anti-theft lunch bags that have fake mold printed on them? Yeah, consider getting them the next time you want to munch on a sandwich at work. Or perhaps pack something unappealing, order in, or simply explore your local Starbucks to save your nerve cells! 

Or! Vent to your doctor and have them contribute with some bowel stimulants to catch the culprit red-handed. 

The medication later went straight into their lunch and ultimately caught the thief

Anywho, the situation starts out pretty ordinary! 

u/WildBillyredneck, the original poster, falls victim to a notorious lunch thief; they’ve escalated the issue to HR about a dozen times – however, nothing was getting done. 

Fast forward to their yearly checkup, where they decided to rant to their doctor, who, interestingly enough, chose to contribute and prescribe the OP some pretty heavy laxatives with the instruction to mix them in the meal for “maximum” effect. 

The fateful day arrives, and the culprit gobbles the Redditor’s sandwich that was laced with prescription-grade laxatives. Naturally, about an hour later, they head straight to HR and report two things: their stolen lunch and stolen prescription. 

Since stealing prescribed medication is a criminal offense, the police were called pretty much immediately, and the bandit from a department over was found red-handed, sitting on a toilet. 

It was later discovered that he got slapped with a fine and assigned community service! 

You know what they say: “The lunch you steal today may leave a lasting bitterness tomorrow” – or, in this case, leave you experiencing some severe digestive distress, so be kind to your colleagues or else you risk getting into the same situation as this guy.  

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