To have shouted at this person for taking more than 2 apples from my box of apples outside my

[BigRedBall]

I have an apple tree in my garden which grows nice big cooking apples. We just moved here and I thought it would be nice to put a box outside our house for neighbours.

Anyway, I put a sign up saying "free to take, 2 per person" so all our neighbours got some.

I just saw a man come in a car and was piling up a tesco bag full of my apples and taking them to his boot.

I went running outside and asked him what he thought he was doing and to put them back. He looked at me and said it says free apples. I told him it's 2 per person. He just ignored me and sat in his car and drove off.

Now my box of apples is empty and some person who doesn't even live on my road has taken them all. I'm really not happy.

Why would someone do this? AIBU?

Send him round to my house. We have 5 mature apple trees and enough apples to keep a supermarket stocked up for a year. I'm sick to death of the sight of the bloody things. Anyone who wants to fill their boot with apples is my new best friend.

OP, none of these large apples fell on your head when you were picking them, did they?

I would pay actual money to earwig in on the OP reporting the apple theft!

In general though, you've just got to rely on human decency with this kind of thing. You'd like to think people would think "hmm, better leave some for other people" but not always the case.

YABU.

Sorry, but if you're giving, you can't control who gets what, unless you're actually handing them, out one by measly one, or in your case, in Noah's Ark style, two by two.

Maybe you could make a pie with all your apples next year and invite your neighbours round, for tea, and two slices, or give them two pies each to show off how generous you are!

You sound a little batty tbh
if i was giving any away, I would always give the windfalls away, and store the unblemished apples for my own use over the year.

I think this is a matter for 101

Maybe the man who took the lot has a very large family, and didn't realise every member would have to collect their 2 apples each in person.
In that case, he might not be the master criminal the OP thinks he is.

It does sound a fun day out for the family.....Apple World....the possibilities are endless...

maybe he has a large extended family - 2 per person ...he has a 20 people to cater for

It sounds like OP doesn't get on with any of her neighbours if she has to demonstrate her "generosity" in this way. And now some person has ruined it all.

I am puzzled by the idea that children would find it "fun" to pick a couple of apples out of a box. Doesn't sound a riot to me.

Next time - use the apples to make chutney etc and donate them to the harvest festival. Much more likely to impress the locals

There's more than one sort of greed.

The Op is greedy for the admiration of her neighbours - so she 'gave away' apples but by saying 'two only' she rendered the 'gift' useless. Of course she's annoyed somebody took all the apples. it prevents her from boasting to the neighbourhood about how magnificently fair and generous she is.

If this isn't a joke then the OP needs some sort of RL help.

I am surprised you risked leaving a box of apples near your house. What about those pesky horses? It could have resulted in more messy horse shit outside your house.

Please think of the consequences next time you do such a risky activity.

You needed to make the terms and conditions clearer on your sign OP.

Love Greyhounds response! ROFL YANBU there's so many knobbers that take liberties in all aspects of life. I think it's completely reasonable to point out civility and courtesy every now & again. I often 'suggest' people give up their seats on the bus for old/less able people. We cant all just ignore and accept other people's impolite, rude behaviour all of the time.

What if he had used a Waitrose bag?

OldGrannySmith this is terribly funny. I remember that thread.

Yanbu at all, there re are always opportunists about. If you wanted neighbours to have them, I would go round with a bag for them!

Honestly BigRedBall just laugh about it and move on.

Did any of your new neighbours see you chasing the car with the 'applethief'.

They may now not really want to come and take your apples now, anyway, for fear of consequences.

Get over it.
You wanted rid of apples, chap wanted apples.
Round here it's hard to get rid of cooking apples as so many people have a tree themselves. It wouldn't occur to me that a box of free apples was someone being generous.

Op you took a picture of the reg plate , Gish you are a bit erm batty. I woukd have chalked it down to experience and handed them to neighbours next year.

*tattychicken", then he would be a better class of criminal and the OP would have addressed him in her very best Margot Leadbetter voice, instead of her usual Hyacinth Bucket one.

Giving away something you picked up off the floor which didn't cost you a penny is not the definition of generosity OP.

Round here people leave bags of things on the door handles of people that showed the slightest interest in their food.

We get our freebies delivered. Nod as someone's collecting blackberries and you'll have a carrier bag full left the next day. Comment on a cabbage and you'll have 5 on the doorstep. And if anyone sees you in the supermarket buying fruit and veg, you'll have a selection to rival a greengrocers the next day.

If in our village someone had a sign like that I wouldn't bother or would think it's two per a person in the household, to try and get people to take more. I would take 3-4 for our house but with the sign would presume you meant take 8. (4 in our house)

V good pointImaginaryPoster: Did you see how many people were in his car, OP?

maybe he should have left you some manure for your garden