These posts are jaw dropping and some very sad too.
I have one - Actually two, but the second is quite sweet more than stingy!
Many years ago, in the late 90s, a member of our staff was leaving, (she was an absolute weirdo to be fair, to tell you some of the things she'd done in the year she was with us, would be very outing!)
But anyway, she decided that she'd like us all to have a night out together at a beautiful Indian restaurant in our city, as her leaving do.
Table was duly booked, we all turned up and there were about 20 of us. We all had a great night, gave her her leaving present and card, all was going well, people were becoming a bit worse for wear etc. Then the bill came.
There was a dish on the table for the money, so we were putting our own bill amounts in, then we said we'd put in extra for tips after the bill was settled. I totalled it up out of the dish, as I was the most sober (made a change!!!) The money came up a good £30 short. People were saying, "Well I put mine in" which I had absolutely no doubt about at all... I was staring at "leaving" woman, who sat grinning round inanely... Eventually one of our other colleagues said he'd make the difference up, it wasn't a problem. I said he shouldn't have to pay for two meals and someone needed to put their share in, all the while, I was still glaring at "leaving" woman! In the vain hope she'd click on. She didn't and at that point I still didn't have the balls to directly call someone out!
So a bit of back and forth and he ended up paying it, as it was getting really embarrassing, as the staff were waiting.
We then all added generous tips to the dish, which totalled at least £60.
We all got up and started putting our coats on, grabbing our bags etc. I saw her take something from the table, but didn't see what it was.
I was told later that she'd pocketed the whole of the tip dish, when she thought no-one was watching! And I still think about that and still feel horrified that the staff looked after us and bent over backwards and got nothing.
And if I'd seen her do that, I would definitely have found the balls to pull her, the meal payment wasn't able to be proven, just major suspicion, but taking the tips definitely was! So in one night, she'd profited by a card, a thoughtfully chosen, not cheap gift and £90!
The second-
My dad was a self employed joiner, he built bespoke kitchens and bedroom suites, but could turn his hand to anything.
So he came to put me some fitted wardrobes in our old, first house. He wouldn't accept any payment at all! So I said I'd provide lunch over the few days he was coming to do it. The first day I had to go shopping anyway, so I told him I'd bring something back. I called at the bakers and got us a ham salad sandwich each. He was absolutely amazed at how big it was and couldn't understand how I could eat a whole one to myself!!! (I was a much bigger lass back then, with a much bigger appetite, so could have easily eaten two, but they weren't exactly massive, just stuffed with filling!)
He said he'd bring something for us for lunch the following day, I protested, as he was doing us the work for nothing, but no, he wouldn't hear of it!
Come lunchtime, he said he'd go out to the car and get our lunch... He came back in with a normal sized tin of Thai chicken soup! Between the two of us! Basically three soup spoons each at the most! When I asked if he'd like some bread, to fill up, he looked horrified and said "ooh no, that would be too much"!
He was always built like a racing snake, when I was a kid he ate normal meals and could wipe a packet of biscuits out in one go! He did a physical job and worked long days, I just couldn't believe half a can of soup could sustain him!
I sadly lost him last year, but when I think of this it still makes me chuckle!