Called “greedy” at work

Tbh I think it depends on the layout of the office, I wouldn’t be able to gelp
BUT notice if someone was passing g my desk four times with plates of sandwiches….I’m nit sure I’d have to look very hard to see that!

I don’t see why people should expect to take left overs home for their children, that’s ridiculous. The buffet was for you and your colleagues, a work thing.

However going back several times throughout the course of the afternoon and taking several items each time does look a bit greedy. And someone noticed enough to comment so I wonder if perhaps you took more than anyone else without realising.

I’m sorry but it does sound very greedy. You went up four times.

I dislike these sort of work lunch buffets. I am always conscious of others and like to ensure there is enough food for everyone so I take minimal food to begin with, this means I am still hungry after. I would therefore go for a second helping if it was available later and possibly some people would think I am greedy for doing that.

Are you overweight by any chance OP?
I ask because i am and I regularly got accused of being greedy/eating all the biscuits/chocolates etc that our little team were given. In reality, I had no more than my other colleagues, but a couple of my team mates would always comment on how I’d ‘made short work of those!’ ‘They didn’t last long!’ etc
It made me feel shit tbh and I honestly think it was because I was the ‘fatty’!!

i agree with you entirely. Maybe I think some of my colleagues do their hair in an unflattering way or have bad dress sense. I’m allowed to have my own personal thoughts - what I’m not entitled to do is voice them at my work.

There should be boundaries at work that are respected. I don’t understand why negative opinions on colleagues - that have no relevance to your professional duties - need to be expressed.

Nobody should be dictating who gets the leftover food. It does sound like you were eating an awful lot; full plate, more sandwiches, couple of sandwiches, flapjacks, muffin... most people stop at 2 slices for lunch, so max 4 little triangles. However, it's your right to have lots if you want to, and I doubt it was the sandwiches that were the issue as they would be nasty by hometime, more like the flapjacks and other treat foods.

Say you are taking the hard curled ham sandwiches home for your cat.

People get extremely feral when there is 'free' food around. I used to cater for a course and people not involved in the course would try to nab a sandwich before the course began.

I could eat 3 three course meals in a day. I’m a good eater and love food. You shouldn’t shame others just because they can eat and enjoy more food than you.
And no I'm not fat.

Why are some people obsessed with how much others eat? I wouldn't have noticed or care about someone going to pick at the left over buffet during the afternoon. The only way it would have been greedy is if you helped yourself to loads BEFORE anyone else had a chance to get any, which from your post wasn't the case. People have different appetites, some people like to eat big portions, who cares?! Why do people get to decide what amount of food is "greedy" for someone else and taking it home for their kids? Fine if it's sealed packages but I wouldn't be giving my kids foods that have been left out all afternoon.

At our work buffets people were encouraged to eat as much of it as we could so it didn't go to waste. I think it's greedy to shame someone for eating something that they clearly want to take home themseleves!

You were greedy, but they were rude, and I know which is worse.

There's a difference between thinking someone is greedy and outright saying it. Also, the only reason they bothered to say anything is because they'd already eyed it up and decided it was theirs for their precious children to scoff later on.

That's a far cry from calling you out for taking more than your share.

It would have been one thing if you were first in line at the buffet, piling your plate to capacity, and then scoffing more food throughout the day so that no one else got a sniff. Then, you'd deserve to be called out for that.

The fact that they called you out specifically because they wanted to keep the food for them and theirs says how unbelievably selfish they are.

It's one thing taking leftovers home from a buffet-that's fine, but not fine to restrict it to just people with kids. Everyone who contributed should have an option to have a share of the leftovers. Leftovers mean just that-they're what is left over at the end of the day.

It's entirely another to expect your colleagues to not eat anymore (even if they wanted to) just so you can squirrel the food away for your kids. No, it's a work's function, not a kid's party.

You were about to take a fourth share an hour before the end of the day. Sorry, but I do think that’s greedy and while I wouldn’t have called you out, I don’t think your colleague was awful to have done so.

The polite thing to do in that situation would be to ask around if there was a general plan for food. My first assumption would be that any leftovers would be offered to the person whose party it was first, or that people would want to take home leftovers of the thing that had contributed. People taking stuff home for their children would be my last thought, but I’d still consider that some people might not have had a second helping so they might have wanted to take some home.

At our work we have decided roughly what to bring, and take turns. So one month my team will bring cheese, another team ham/meat and vegetables and cakes etc. (once a week). It works out about equal. If anyone wants to bring anything extra apart from this, it’s up to them.

But yes, if you don’t do this, it’s not going to be fair. And cf’s feeding their kids is batshit.

It does sound a lot op and it sounds like you were eating it to be a human dustbin rather than actually taking enough to satiate you. We all know eating for the sake of it is bad for us. Having said that we’ve all eaten too much at a buffet I am sure. Your colleagues were unbelievably outspoken to voice their opinion.

Sorry but my first question would be, are you overweight? If so, then yes perhaps you were being greedy.

That does sound like you ate a lot. At least three lots of sandwiches is too much.

Beyond excessive 🤔

This mistake you made was in not saying ‘blimey, didn’t realise I was so interesting that you were watching em intently and making a tally’. Then when they said about you not realising ‘well if you haven’t been upfront about it, bit sure how you expect me to be psychic’. When people are rude it needs nipping in the bud so they think twice about it in the future!

Next time, take bigger portions.
Lunch break was over too, so it was probably strange if everyone else stopped after lunch break.
Either way your colleague was rude.

Your opinion if appropriate portion size are irrelevant and made without enough knowledge of the facts. Finger sandwiches can be very small and if she only had a little plate with a taste of a few things to start with (as I would do to ensure everyone gets to try their colleagues contributions) then she might not have eaten very much at all. They all brought food for each other. Parents commandeering the rest for their families and berating the OP for eating is really poor form.

I wouldn't have liked that either if I was you. They were very rude to you.

I don't think you have done anything wrong as it's fair game when the foods been put out.

I know this doesn't help but this is why I tend to avoid buffets in work, I can't be bothered with the judgement of who brought in what and how much people have ate.

I just leave them to eat and then I eat my normal meal in the canteen.

Greed= taking more than you need. Only you know the answer to that op.

Yanbu. Hardly crime of the century 😔

I don’t think it’s that unusual to take food home for dc, both DH and I have been offered food at work for this purpose.
DC were pleased to have a cupcake or whatever.
I don’t think it means that these parents were entitled to it however.
If you were hungry you should eat the food and without any feelings of shame or guilt.
But acting like a human dustbin isn’t necessary or helpful for you in the long run, don’t eat food just to prevent food waste your body is worth more than that.

I’ve got a couple of friends who have commented on my eating habits and I’ve had to set them straight -MYOB!

I don’t mind if it’s genuinely in jest, but sometimes you can see people are faintly disapproving. And it’s really not helpful or kind.

OP would you mind sharing if you are overweight? I’m just wondering because I noticed when I was in my teen and 20s and a size 6-8, people would comment positively and kind of marvel at much I could eat and “still stay slim”.

It wasn’t until I put on weight in my mid 30s that I started getting snide food policing comments. I’ve now lost the weight again but it was definitely NOT helped by people making those kind of remarks.

I do think it sounds like you ate a lot but it also wouldn’t bother me as you were mostly eating what was left after others had had lunch.

Had you taken all or most of one item before others had chance to take any then that would be “greedy” to me. Not eating up leftovers.