Colleagues keep using my milk!

Could you write I AM STEALING SARAH'S MILK / PLEASE INFORM HER on the carton?

I’m from an office full of thieving skinflints: three suggestions for you. Labelling it ‘breast milk’ will apparently entice any curious young males to take a sip, just to try it. A curious young male assured me of this, and said he used to put a scraggy piece of loo roll or tissue over the top of a regular milk bottle before screwing the lid on, and nobody touched his. But two more things that worked for me: one was to use a feeding bottle, with teat, to store my milk (nobody wants what they think is aptamil in their tea, apparently); the second was to stick a note on said feeding bottle to request, do not touch; milk contains medication. Nobody wants to take unknown medication. This is only credible for a short period. It never got to the point where I replaced the milk with milk of magnesia, which was my next move 😂. I’d go with the feeding bottle. If someone takes some: stick on the note about the medication alongside a recommendation that the person who took some contact their GP - at least you’ll soon find out who the culprit is, when they come begging to know what they have ingested! 🤣

Cancel the cheque

I'd take your own milk with your Udderlock and leave another one in their but add some salt to it, that'll stop the CF's!

Ah, so they'll see how much is used, then - and if the use is 'reasonable' or not.

But either way, they probably won't care that much. It really changes the dynamic if it's provided by work, as the manager presumably just keeps on buying it when needed and the company pays. That's very different from when you've spent your own money and people are continually stealing from you personally.

Start a milk kitty

In my work fridge there is a bottle that says "X's milk do not drink" it's Sharpied.on it and no one touches it.

Just do that. Maybe decant into a bottle that says lactose free or something to help dissuade people.

Don't do this. Famously someone tried it with a pint of beer and got back from the loo to find someone else had written "PS so have I."

Don't go sending emails about this. You can't do it without sounding petty because it is.

Decant your milk into a vacuum flask and keep it with you if this is really getting to you. Personally, I like blue milk and the office only supplies green, so when I'm in I take a one litre bottle and don't mind The Borrowers as long as there's enough left for me - it does hack me off a bit when people make their porridge with it, mind.

A dear sweet colleague minded on my behalf and started to put my initials on the lid with permanent marker. I had to beg her not to.

Are you based in the south east, and if so, have you got any vacancies?

NHS it depends on the trust. Some do provide tea,coffee,milk, Some don’t.
I imagine the press being scorching about it. Lazy staff drink tea at your expense
Ahhhh the tea kitty- I worked in a team that had a formidable woman who got everyone to pay. She left. It fell apart

Keep it at home and take a flask of milk in each day …::.

https://amzn.eu/d/gF9zvU5

Get a milk lock, we've done this is our office, problem solved 😊

The reason some people do things like steal other people's milk is because they have an entitlement attitude that anything goes if they can get away with it. This attitude is reinforced every time there are no consequences for externalising costs. Tainting the milk with laxative will quickly internalise the consequences of stealing, and eventually they will take the hint that perhaps they should buy their own. The reason why the behaviour of the public in general has deteriorated (especially since the pandemic) is because of a combination of entitlement to externalise costs/inconvenience and no consequences for doing so.

My work do supply milk - UHT in those little pots. But my fresh milk will still go missing if I bring any in, presumably because it's nicer than the UHT. I've eventually trained myself into accepting the UHT in tea.

It's a big single story building with a few tea points, and loads of staff from various different teams, so very hard to work out who's taking it. I happen to be at the 2nd lowest grade there (apprentice is the lowest), so among those with the least income. The bottle was always labelled with my name clearly in large permanent marker letters on all 4 sides and my initials on the lid.

🤣🤣🤣

I used to keep coffee creamer in my personal desk draw ( unlocked). Thought I was imaginig it going down so fast until I came into work earlier than normal and found some fucker helping himself.

My advice would be to put some laxatives in the current carton of milk that you have.

wtf

It was certainly a novelty when I started working from home in the summer and could grab a lolly out of the freezer to suck on whilst working. I'm in the civil service, so we'll never get that luxury.

In the public sector it's common for the employer not to supply staff beverages.
In my last place we had expensive vending machines to use but most office based staff had their own kettles and brought their own tea, coffee, milk etc to avoid using the over priced vending machines.

Is "label it as breastmilk" the "cancel the cheque" of this thread?

Label it with 'expressed breastmilk for @Immo8' might put them off.

I can't wait to read what the reaction will be in the office

I do! I always make sure there are snacks available, and I get ice creams on the hot days in Summer. They work hard, it's the least I can do. I fully appreciate my employees.

I’m surprised that there are companies out there who provide tea, coffee and milk. Us public sector staff can only marvel at such luxuries!😃

Please nobody reply to say your company provides biscuits as well, I couldn’t cope with the jealousy!