"Stealing" free things from work

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WIBU to pocket about 6-8 sachets of the free sugar that comes with the free tea and coffee at work for when I go camping next week?

It feels wrong although I'd argue if I was here I'd be using them anyway (and possibly more) and it is offered free anyway. Seems a bit pointless to have to pack a bigger container of sugar.

If you have a job why do you need to steal sugar from your employer ?

I would not, as it is a mildly pathetic little thing to do..."stealing" sachets of sugar, LOL

Just do it. I would not, but not necessarily for moral reasons, but I just don't want to be that little person who sneaks little sugar sachets when nobody is watching.

It does not fit with my image of myself

Can't you explain to your boss how handy they'd be, and offer to bring in a little bag of sugar as a replacement? They'd probably say just take the sachets and don't bother replacing

Take one more sugar than you need when you have a drink, chuck it in bag. Better than taking a whole handful at once

Morally, I think that buying food you think you're going to waste is worse than stealing a few packets of sugar.

LOL at gross misconduct by the way

To clarify, I have a perfectly good tin of sugar at home. That perfectly good tin of sugar would be unwieldy to take away, a couple of teeny tiny sachets wouldn't be.

I don't even have sugar in tea (just coffee) but was pondering the ethics of taking a couple of sachets from the free-for-all catering-sized box for personal use.

I guess under definition of gross misconduct there is the word "theft". There was a guy sacked for stealing sugar in the US but he stole 4kg in one day.

In fact, I've just thought again: When I go camping, I take a small plastic bag with a few sugar lumps in it. Buy a box of those. They're more easily portable than granulated.

Theft isn't defined by the amount, but by the intention.

LOL at the sachet police.

I'd probably take a few.

So if I snaffle two biscuits instead of one at a meeting that is also theft?

Take the sugar!!

I can't believe how many people who have condemned taking sugar from work but robbing it from a café is fine!

In a cafe you're a paying customer.
At work yiu can lose your job.
Thats my logic anyways.

I suppose it depends what you need it for, sugar lumps are no use if it's for sprinkling on cereal or something

In a cafe, you have to pay for what you eat/drink
At work, you are supplied with free food/drink as part of your benefts.

That's my logic, anyway!

If something is offered unlimited as part of a benefit, where do you draw the line? What about filling a water bottle with the chilled water before you go for a run?

(Devil's advocate a bit here, sorry)

Is there a reason you can't ask your boss or the catering manager? Problem solved, no guilt and nothing to worry about.

Oh obviously people get treats after holidays anyway :) sweets/biscuits etc

That's only polite

The catering fairy turns up at 6 to replenish beverages, milk, etc. Will have to subtly run it past boss and-hope-she-is-not-a-MNer

Gross misconduct? Some dramatic goody goodies on here.

I'd do what a couple of others have suggested ^
Say to your boss (or whoever sorts the supplies) that they'd be really handy for the amount you need to take camping, would it be alright if you brought some (loose sugar) in to leave at work and had a few of the sachets. In all likelihood they'd say just take them, but at least you've offered to swap.

I usually put the sachets they bring you in a pub/cafe in my bag (for when dh goes camping) because I work on the principal that they are charging you for the sugar if you use if or not, at £2+ a coffee, so, although I don't take sugar myself, I'm still being charged for it, so that's why I'm comfortable taking it at that point.

I get it that sachets may be more convenient for your camping holiday, but for crying out loud, just put some sugar in a plastic container or a bag and take that. Where I work, it would be theft and it's against company policy to take things for home use.