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Woman, Notorious For Stealing Workers’ Snacks, Gets Brutally Shamed At Work Party
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What did you bring to your office’s holiday potluck? Perhaps some freshly baked cupcakes, mac and cheese made with your grandma’s famous recipe, or a delicious platter of chocolate chip cookies? Or maybe just a Tupperware container to steal food from everyone else…
Below, you’ll find a story that was shared on Reddit detailing how one company’s holiday party turned into a memorable event where the company “snack stealer” finally got called out for all of her entitled actions.
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Holiday potlucks are all about sharing a lovely meal with others
Image credits: Phil Denton / flickr (not the actual photo)
But when one woman decided to let greed cloud her judgment, her colleagues made sure that her theft didn’t go unnoticed
Image credits: YuriArcursPeopleimages / envato (not the actual photo)
Image credits: NotARobotDefACyborg
“She was an older woman with some significant health concerns, so of course, at first, no one thought she could be responsible for the disappearing snacks”
We reached out to the woman who shared this story in the first place, Reddit user NotARobotDefACyborg, and lucky for us, she was kind enough to share a few more details about the situation with Bored Panda. The OP noted that she was inspired to tell this story after reading another post about people in an office setting helping themselves to desk snacks.
We also wanted to know more about Susan (which apparently wasn’t her real name) and how she managed to get away with this behavior for so long. “[She] was a long time employee, and we worked in a government office,” NotARobotDefACyborg shared. “She was an older woman with some significant health concerns, so of course, at first, no one thought she could be responsible for the disappearing snacks and drinks.”
“After all, why would she steal?” the OP asked. “And the answer to that was, apparently, a ridiculous sense of entitlement to other people’s things. But I’m pretty sure that her long tenure played a significant role in her not being caught until that one holiday party. Seems she just couldn’t resist her own greed and entitlement.”
“She made 5 times my pay and could very easily have gotten any of these things herself”
Image credits: Alpha / Wikipedia (not the actual photo)
Thankfully, NotARobotDefACyborg shared that this was the only job that she’s ever had issues with a colleague taking some of her things. “It was especially impactful because I was very young, it was my first ‘real’ job, and this woman helping herself to my little treats reached my pettiness threshold, since she made 5 times my pay and could very easily have gotten any of these things herself.”
“The other young coworker who sat across from me turned out to be the other person most stolen from (she was the girl who kept her Diet Cokes under the desk),” the OP continued. And as far as what she thought of the responses to her post, she shared that “overall, they were very positive and supportive.”
While the idea of stealing from a colleague probably sounds ridiculous to most of us, it turns out that Susan isn’t the only snack thief in the world. According to a survey from Business Wire, a whopping 18% of employees admit to having eaten someone else’s lunch right out of the communal fridge. And while this isn’t the only issue that can stir up conflicts within an office, it’s certainly an easy way to get on a colleague’s bad side.
If food theft is an issue in your workplace, don’t hesitate to reach out to your manager or HR
Image credits: Sora Shimazaki / pexels (not the actual photo)
Insight reports that two thirds of employees have actually experienced significant conflicts in their workplaces. As far as what’s most likely to create beef between coworkers, opposing personality types, lack of communication and differing management styles are the top reasons cited for issues. And while we all try to remain professional in the workplace, these issues can often inspire workers to find new employment, as 15% revealed that they’ve actually resigned from a job due to conflicts in the office.
When it comes to dealing with a food thief in the workplace, you might not want to react too quickly. After all, once or twice someone may have accidentally grabbed your yogurt instead of their own or forgotten which things in the fridge were up for grabs. But if it’s a recurring issue, Kate Palmer, an HR advice and consultancy director at Peninsula, told Metro that the employer may need to address the issue to ensure it stops. After all, if you’re repeatedly spending money on food that vanishes and leaves you lunchless, that can become a serious problem.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on Susan the snack stealer in the comments below, pandas. Have you ever had to deal with a similar situation at work? Then, if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article discussing food theft at work, look no further than right here!
Amused readers shared their reactions to the story, and the OP joined in on the conversation
Some even had similar stories of their own to share
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What do you think ?
Sonja 11 months ago (edited)
Food thieves are the worst of thieves, because they steal something that another person needs and counts on. I can forgive a store thieve, to a degree I can even forgive a pickpocket under certain circumstances. But a food thieve at the office is a vile, unmoral person who directly steals food from other people's mouth. And all the excuses people make for them also count exactly the same for the owners of the food. Many people who fall on hard times try to pretend in the workplace. A person's lunch could easily be the only thing they can afford to eat all day and stealing from them can rip a deep hole in their finances. They'll go just as hungry without their lunch they planned for and brought with them than a food thief is without lunch and honestly? Up to now I have never met or heard of a poor food thief. Poor people in need are the least likely to steal your personal food because they know how it is to go without. Food thieves at work are entitled AHs who don't respect your needs
BarkingSpider 11 months ago
Had a weird guy I worked with one year that instead of sitting at any other empty table in the break room to eat, insisted on the one that was set up as my temporary desk. He was notoriously messy and always left crumbs wherever he ate. He would shove my work over to eat and get grease and crumbs everywhere. I even made a sign, politely asking that no one eat there because that was my desk. He would pick through the food left in the office for everyone and I found his secret stash, including something he took out of my stuff. The kicker was when my phone charger went missing (it was plugged in under my desk) and I asked the office ladies if they borrowed it, but when one came to help me look, found it in dude's cubby. I took it back, wrote my name on it, and plugged it back in. Stay out of people's stuff creepos!
Zoe Vokes 11 months ago
My office thief was called Evan. He would go through people’s drawers and steal food then later replace it later with generic, boring flavoured alternatives so he wasn’t stealing it in his opinion. My table mate had a box of instant soups that were Thai flavoured and really tasty. He ate them and replaced them with cheap tomato flavoured instant soup. I ended up keeping any food in my bag. It’s so disappointing when you’re looking forward to food and it’s gone.
Load More Replies...
Inclusion2020 11 months ago (edited)
I would’ve held a secret meeting with some of the other people she steals food from. And from that point on for the next few weeks only put food mixed with laxatives in the office fridge. And keep any prepackaged snacks in your purse. That’ll teach her. Make sure people’s names are clearly labeled on the containers so that she can’t try to claim anything weird. And if she asks, I’d say “well Susan, we’ve all been extra stressed this month, and that makes us constipated. Of course we would never think that someone with our names clearly written on it would be eaten by someone else. That’s be a d**k move now wouldn’t it Susan, and certainly if someone did eat food that was not theirs they’d themselves would be liable for any consequences.”
Sonja 11 months ago (edited)
Food thieves are the worst of thieves, because they steal something that another person needs and counts on. I can forgive a store thieve, to a degree I can even forgive a pickpocket under certain circumstances. But a food thieve at the office is a vile, unmoral person who directly steals food from other people's mouth. And all the excuses people make for them also count exactly the same for the owners of the food. Many people who fall on hard times try to pretend in the workplace. A person's lunch could easily be the only thing they can afford to eat all day and stealing from them can rip a deep hole in their finances. They'll go just as hungry without their lunch they planned for and brought with them than a food thief is without lunch and honestly? Up to now I have never met or heard of a poor food thief. Poor people in need are the least likely to steal your personal food because they know how it is to go without. Food thieves at work are entitled AHs who don't respect your needs
BarkingSpider 11 months ago
Had a weird guy I worked with one year that instead of sitting at any other empty table in the break room to eat, insisted on the one that was set up as my temporary desk. He was notoriously messy and always left crumbs wherever he ate. He would shove my work over to eat and get grease and crumbs everywhere. I even made a sign, politely asking that no one eat there because that was my desk. He would pick through the food left in the office for everyone and I found his secret stash, including something he took out of my stuff. The kicker was when my phone charger went missing (it was plugged in under my desk) and I asked the office ladies if they borrowed it, but when one came to help me look, found it in dude's cubby. I took it back, wrote my name on it, and plugged it back in. Stay out of people's stuff creepos!
Zoe Vokes 11 months ago
My office thief was called Evan. He would go through people’s drawers and steal food then later replace it later with generic, boring flavoured alternatives so he wasn’t stealing it in his opinion. My table mate had a box of instant soups that were Thai flavoured and really tasty. He ate them and replaced them with cheap tomato flavoured instant soup. I ended up keeping any food in my bag. It’s so disappointing when you’re looking forward to food and it’s gone.
Load More Replies... Inclusion2020 11 months ago (edited)
I would’ve held a secret meeting with some of the other people she steals food from. And from that point on for the next few weeks only put food mixed with laxatives in the office fridge. And keep any prepackaged snacks in your purse. That’ll teach her. Make sure people’s names are clearly labeled on the containers so that she can’t try to claim anything weird. And if she asks, I’d say “well Susan, we’ve all been extra stressed this month, and that makes us constipated. Of course we would never think that someone with our names clearly written on it would be eaten by someone else. That’s be a d**k move now wouldn’t it Susan, and certainly if someone did eat food that was not theirs they’d themselves would be liable for any consequences.”
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