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AIBU?

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Original poster

How much is acceptable to put in work fridge/cupboards?

28 replies

Feed500 · 07/03/2017 14:14

Have nc'd for this...

Mentioned to colleague in passing yesterday that it was a shame we don't generally have bread in the office as we have a sandwich toaster. They said they had some shopping coming... well it arrived, and colleague was out of office. It was left on their desk but they won't be back today so we've put it away. There's loads. It's taken all free space in the fridge and a good bit of counter space. Oh, they have food in the cupboard as well. To help imagine how much food this is, it's over 40quids worth from a good value priced supermarket. The fridge is only small under counter one and the kitchen is tiny as it is.

Haven't spoken to them yet so unsure if some of this is going home with them at some point but... I'm not the only one who thinks it's not right. However, I feel like if I mentioned it to manager I would be met with "is it in your way?" kind of response, which I get, and I guess technically it's not, unless someone else wanted to put something in the fridge or on the counter. But is that really the point?

OP posts:
Original poster
Feed500 · 07/03/2017 14:15

Oh in case of "is it communal for the office?" There are less than 4 of us...

OP posts:
IToldYouIWasFreaky · 07/03/2017 14:20

Hang on...so they ordered an online grocery to be delivered to work? When they weren't even around to deal with the delivery?That's clearly not on!

As to what's acceptable...I think the rule of thumb should be are you putting anyone else out? So keeping a couple of bits in a large fridge = fine, filling up a fridge with your weekly shop = not fine.

Original poster
Feed500 · 07/03/2017 15:10

Sorry - I've asked for this to be moved to aibu but thank you IToldYouIWasFreaky for replying. Yes that's part of it, we don't know if it's going home or staying here for their office munches (they are known for always having one desk drawer stuffed with snacks), but some of it is oddly specific for communal kitchen shopping. Like mozzarella, and pineapples. I'm laughing writing that really, it's half annoying half completely bemusing.

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Crispbutty · 07/03/2017 15:13

Was she expecting to be at work when it arrived?

FannyWisdom · 07/03/2017 15:16

An easy one.

Eat it.

Eat it all. It's communal.

It won't happen again.

Original poster
Feed500 · 07/03/2017 15:20

Crispbutty that's not entirely clear. You can book a slot for delivery and they were in until lunch time-ish so should think knew when delivery was. I'm not sure why they left.

Fanny I did wonder about doing that tbf...

OP posts:
ememem84 · 07/03/2017 15:24

I keep a box of cereal some mayo and some sweet chilli sauce in the cupboard at work.

Occasionally if I buy a chicken at lunchtime I put that in the fridge. Usually in the afternoon there is more space as people have eaten their lunches.

flowery · 07/03/2017 15:26

This only happened today? It sounds as though the majority of it will be going home with your colleague, so I'd probably be mildly irritated at having to put it away, wonder why they left with shopping arriving and hope everything was ok, and also be a bit Hmm about getting their shop delivered to work in the first place.

But unless and until it either keeps happening or is all left there for days on end, I wouldn't get too concerned and would write it off as being one of those irritating things which sometimes happen in workplaces.

ChicRock · 07/03/2017 15:27

Who on earth orders a food shop delivered to work in the first place, never mind that there's stuff amongst it that needs to go in the fridge, when they're not even bloody there to sort it.

I'd have left it on their desk to go off...

flowery · 07/03/2017 15:29

I recently moved into a new office building in which I rent one office. My previous office building only had 4 tenants, total of about 12 people in the building. Fine.

New office has about 30 people working there and one small fridge. Within 2 days of moving in I'd been to Argos and got myself a mini fridge for my office. Shared fridges in offices are a nightmare.

Floggingmolly · 07/03/2017 15:29

Did they actually get order a full online shop to be delivered to the workplace and then go home without it? Maybe it's their lunches for the next 6 months!

Original poster
Feed500 · 07/03/2017 15:31

I'll have to see tomorrow where it goes/what happens with it! Baffled.

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Redglitter · 07/03/2017 15:34

I'd have left it all on her desk quite honestly her shopping her responsibility

bloodyteenagers · 07/03/2017 15:36

That's weird. Although wonder if they have gone home to wait for the delivery wondering now where it is and on the phone.

But normally you take minimum space because you have to share with others.

GirlElephant · 07/03/2017 15:39

That's so strange! I would have put the perishable items in the fridge if the person is not back until tomorrow. But I would not have put the other items away, I would have left them under the person's desk to deal with. I'm too busy in work to put away other's shopping!

Original poster
Feed500 · 07/03/2017 15:44

Perishables went in the fridge, people nicer than me put the rest away, I was indeed going to leave it on her desk as I don't know what on earth it's all for.

No, not gone home, gone to a partner office for the afternoon but I don't know if it was planned or because of an absence elsewhere.

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks it's odd!

OP posts:
Allthebestnamesareused · 07/03/2017 16:00

Put the rest away - where?

Surely only the perishables need to go in the fridge and rest stays in bags for her to take home?

2014newme · 07/03/2017 16:01

I would have left it in the bags

Floggingmolly · 07/03/2017 16:04

She'll probably be stunned to come back and find her shopping all neatly filed away.

Gallavich · 07/03/2017 16:05

People put non perishable stuff away in cupboards for her? Daft sods. I bet she wanted to take it home and will have to go and retrieve it all later.

miniaturecat · 07/03/2017 16:05

Getting shopping delivered to the workplace is plain weird! Does she do other things like that, ie treats the office like it's her own home??

SantinoRice · 07/03/2017 16:09

This reminds me of that workplace fridge war thread. Does anyone know how that ended?

esiotrot2015 · 07/03/2017 16:09

Why did you put it all in cupboards ? She clearly forgot she ordered it and will probably be mortified

Original poster
Feed500 · 07/03/2017 17:46

She won't have forgotten-it was ordered yesterday.

Non perishables were just put on the kitchen worktop in a neat-ish corner pile... there was already stuff she has put in the cupboards as well.

It would have been left in bags but it wasn't delivered in any! It was brought in in crates and emptied onto a desk, no bags ordered!

She's ordered loads of stuff to come to the office before but not food, just things most people might if they know they won't be home for a delivery, like things off ebay or amazon for birthdays etc.

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Original poster
Feed500 · 07/03/2017 17:49

miniaturecat well, personally I wouldn't walk around the office without shoes (customer facing) or take personal calls at my desk, or use the heating like I'm at home but that's another story lol

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