Would you take a bottle of champagne from a drinks gathering?

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Free drinks hosted by an organisation I am member of. This is a very very very wealthy organisation, worth in excess of £500 million.

There were 50 people and 100 bottles of champagne.

As I was leaving I saw a crate of champagne and so nabbed a bottle. AIBU?

Laguanabubbles obviously each guest recieves new bottles. Half drunk bottles are used in the bar (they have tamper proof caps). They are for use for your stay not for you to steal....

I'd have taken it pissed or sober, posted on MN and count the bu vs nbu.
And still felt guilty either way

YABU
There is a big difference between free drinks and it being OK to take a bottle away with you

Same principle as a free bar at a wedding, if there is lots left over:
OK to drink all you want there
NOK to take a bottle home

If the bottles had been intended for you and the others as a gift, then obviously the organisers would have mentioned it,
or stuck a "Take a bottle home" Post-it on the crate.

If you really felt hard done by, you could have asked

• I expect you didn't because of how cheap & grasping it would look

If there is any hidden CCTV, you could face some very embarassing questions

I would have too

I certainly would have.

I know someone who lost their job after doing something very similar. There were crates of bottles being boxed up at the end of an event and they took a bottle of spirits, not realising that the booze had been supplied on a sale or return basis and had all been counted. They were caught on CCTV.

We had an open bar at my wedding, bought all the booze at asda and provided glasses, ice etc.

We ended up with loads left, but I did notice a friend with 2 bottles of unopened wine in her handbag halfway through the evening. We're still friends, but I won't forget it and it has coloured my view of our friendship. I'm not sure she even knows I noticed.

It is theft and arguably a dismissable offence .

I don't think there is anything 'wrong' about it but I personally wouldn't do it. I would cringe if I saw someone doing this - I would think they were greedy and grabby to be honest.

It seems clear that the spirit of the event was that people celebrate together and drink champagne and the organisation was very generous in the supply. If they were offering left overs at the end of the event that is entirely different.

We had a similar event at our work - where we hosted a drinks and ice-cream social outside on a summers day. The amount of people who just walked in, took several tubs of icecream and then walked straight back out was just depressing. A sign of the times though I think.

And I think the very reason that you are asking is there is a little part of you that knows it was a shabby thing to do...

The definition of 'integrity' to me is doing the right thing even when no-one is watching.

If someone was watching, would you have taken it? I doubt it. There is your answer.

As tempting as it is it’s stealing. They may have had a deal whereby they received refunds on unopened bottles. If you’d asked your manager and they’d okayed it yes but otherwise no.

I can't believe anyone would even contemplate doing something so horrendously tacky. I cringe.

Classless

Drip drip drip...

So are you one of the ‘workers’?

TheLovleyChebbyMcGee

Tight cow ! I would have to say something

I would have probably taken one while very drunk as a teen before being pushed home in a 'borrowed' shopping trolly. I grew out of this pretty quickly though and I'm shocked that grown adults are defending such cringey behaviour.

Blimey, in my industry it would be the bosses doing the ‘liberating’ and encouraging everyone else to do the same!

Laguanabubbles obviously each guest recieves new bottles. Half drunk bottles are used in the bar (they have tamper proof caps). They are for use for your stay not for you to steal

I take it there is something official from the hotel to state this then? Otherwise there is nothing wrong with guests taking it home.

No I wouldn't because I do not steal.

No, I wouldn't.

I also wouldn't think very highly of someone if I spotted them taking one. It smacks of entitled, grabby and no manners. Sorry op but I'd be pretty appalled with you but that's just me!

McDonalds is worth in excess of £500m. I guess I should nab a Big Mac next time I’m there.

Love how the non thieves on here are described as po faced bosom hoikers
As an aside it's a case of champagne/wine.
shuffles off to pedants' corner

Seriously who cares. Only op knows whether it was a crass thing to do. Very much depends on industry as well. Where I work the budget would have been set, signed off and it will all be for spending. They actively want everyone to have a good time and it's all about staff morale.

The question is simple, would you have openly picked it up in front of your boss and said I'm going to have this later. If you would have it's fine, if not you know you are on sketchy ground.

My boss would have laughed and said take two!

This thread has made me realise that even though I am lightfingered, I have standards.

I keep money found in the street; I benefited from a John Lewis mix-up over a returned bit of objet d'art which meant I ended up with two; I kept the rose bush the checkout person at Homebase failed to scan among my big trolley of garden stuff; I'd have kept that £100 purse sent in error for a £12 one from the thread last week even though I thought it was ugly.

But I wouldn't have swiped that bottle of champagne. I'd have been worried some from the organisation saw me and I'd damage my reputation for the sake of what, £25 at the most?

Unless it's one of Jeffrey Archer's parties and it's a £100 bottle of Krug. I still wouldn't do it but if I did Jeff couldn't judge because he has his own problems with honesty.

And it does make me think of drink surfing even though the bottle was sealed.

But I'm not going to condemn you, OP. I'm just saying it would transgress my personal code.

Only op knows whether it was a crass thing to do.

Obviously not if she’s having to ask.