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Original poster

To think don't keep taking my drink at work?

896 replies

openitsoicanseeyousmile · 12/10/2019 15:34

I'm known to bring a can of drink in everyday for lunch. It's kept in the shared fridge at work - Everyone knowns it's mine as there's a little section box for each person with their name on.

A colleague of mine is pregnant and for the third time has taken my drink and not bothered replacing it. When questioned, she says something along the lines of "Sorry! Bad sickness. This helps. I'll get a new one for you tomorrow".

She always does, it's there the following day. But it means having to go out at lunchtime to get another one. The local shop is only 2 minutes away but it means eating up time I don't have since I have 30 minutes lunch.

I'm really not sure how to go about it. If it was the usual person, I'd tell them to stop the cheek and buy their own to bring in! But she's pregnant and suffering from sickness. I had HG with my son so I feel awful at the thought of telling her she can most certainly never take from me again without asking Sad

I remember the horrendous feeling of needing something sweet and fizzy to curve the sickness and it did often help, so I imagine it's very helpful to her.

Perhaps I should buy a multipack and suggest she goes half's so we can both enjoy them during the week? Or is this too doormat like?

I'm really not sure how to go about it. I don't think she thinks she's being cheeky in the slightest, and is an otherwise lovely colleague.

What would you do? I usually have no issues being assertive but I feel as if the lines have been blurred.

OP posts:
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category12 · 15/10/2019 22:16

Mephisto, it would be the OP's problem because she'd be directly responsible creating an opening for a massive drama. Letting it go that far would be really unethical.

PrettyPurse · 15/10/2019 22:16

I think she is looking to be signed off with pregnancy related "stress" so she has a lovely long time off.....but first needs to find someone to "blame".

If you have your own clearly defined fridge area's then she can't say it's a mistake as she shouldn't be in your area at all

SchadenfreudePersonified · 15/10/2019 22:20

OP - you are having to go out each lunchtime to buy a drink anyway - just start doing that as normal until she is on maternity leave. Then when she (or anyone else) goes into the fridge, there isn't a drink for them to steal.

MzHz · 15/10/2019 22:21

You need to put in a grievance against her, this manipulative behaviour is contrived and targeted directly against you.

She needs help, she needs to understand that she is not entitled to steal whatever she likes and make you suck it up.

If she’s as ill as she is making out, perhaps she ought to go on early ML.

LushyMcLushFace · 15/10/2019 22:21

Why the fuck isn't she AT LEAST giving you the money for the drinks she's stealing? She's pregnant not terminally ill...and I say that as someone who was sick day and night for the whole 9 months with DS1.

Cauliflowerpower · 15/10/2019 22:22

I think you need to make yourself an office chair and desk out of KA cans! Lol. Sit upon it like a throne

BananasAreTheSourceOfEvil · 15/10/2019 22:22

@Drabarni its the dream solution...

If you really wanted to be evil OP you could always ask her how she is in front of the helpful colleague 'how are you Sharon, after yesterday's headache? I was giving it some thought, and combined with how puffy your face has been looking lately, I think you should lay off the sugary drinks, in case youre prone to preclampsia or gestational diabetes. I've left you a nice cold bottle of sparkling water in the fridge instead'.

Mephisto · 15/10/2019 22:23

@category12 Tue 15-Oct-19 22:16:25
Mephisto, it would be the OP's problem because she'd be directly responsible creating an opening for a massive drama. Letting it go that far would be really unethical.

No she wouldn't. It would be OP's drink, clearly labelled and undrugged. Any drama would be created by the CF.

FrenchBoule · 15/10/2019 22:26

@Drabarni, tabasco sauce,fucking hot one. Piss in the fridge might deem unhygienic

category12 · 15/10/2019 22:29

Right Hmm

And when CF is crying & screaming about having "accidentally" drunk the drink in haste and whipping everyone into a frenzy about needing A&E, OP's just going to stand there and feel great about herself, is she? And the accident & near-miss records at work and the boss having to step in and warn her not to store improperly labelled medication in the fridge etc. Hmm

Sweetpea55 · 15/10/2019 22:30

For gods sake stop putting it in the fridge. Keep it in a mini cool pack at your desk and leave an empty one in the fridge
She's a bit of a cheeky fucker

LushyMcLushFace · 15/10/2019 22:35

Could you get one of those bottles with the built in ice packs and put your drink in that? I know it's not right that you should have to but it might solve things?

Coconutbug · 15/10/2019 22:36

Ffs what is wrong with her.
If you know something helps you like fizzy drinks, you buy them in the bucket loads!!!
I had HG in both pregnancies and would never dream of being cheeky enough to ask let alone take without permission!

It is so disappointing when you are expecting a certain drink with your food and you can't have it anymore.

Hope you manage to sort it

gingerbiscuits · 15/10/2019 22:38

Being pregnant has f*ck all to do with it - she's being downright rude! If she knows that your drink helps her with her sickness, she needs to bring her own bloody stock of them into work!! Stop letting her do this to you!! Outright ask her for the drinks she owes you & start keeping them in a cool bag in your desk - if she asks, bloody tell her why!!

Drum2018 · 15/10/2019 22:40

I bet she won't be in for the rest of this week at least. She'll be signed off with some bullshit excuse. So it's probably safe to say you can bring your drink in. However if she's back next week just bring it in a cooler bag and leave it in a drawer in your desk. Do not feel one bit bad about her sudden illness. Even if it's real it has nothing to do with you. Maybe it's all the fizz causing her to have excess gas!

Nat6999 · 15/10/2019 22:42

Put your can in a cooler bag with an ice pack, the night before, put an identical can in the freezer & put it in the fridge at work as usual. If she takes the can, the moment she opens it, the drink will spurt everywhere. You can blame it on your fridge malfunctioning, nothing she can do to prove otherwise.

HouseworkAvoider10 · 15/10/2019 22:48

you need to raise a grievance.
speak to your manager or hr.
document everything.
this is getting out of hand.

Boireannachlaidir · 15/10/2019 22:52

I was kinda with you until your post at 19:53 OP, why would a random colleague go into a shared fridge and voila...choose YOUR drink at random to offer her?

It's just too preposterous for words and an uncanny coincidence, no?

BigChocFrenzy · 15/10/2019 22:57

Buy yourself a pack of Red Bull - she can't drink that

BigChocFrenzy · 15/10/2019 22:57

Buy yourself a pack of Red Bull - she can't drink that

timeisnotaline · 15/10/2019 23:02

Op , definitely don’t feel bad that you can be blamed for her health (probably faked anyway) as you DID say yes to her having your drink today.
I agree she is heading towards nuts territory and it would be safer to not keep putting your drink in your tray and having to confront. Find another solution, be it under your desk, in a paper bag in a colleague’s tray, etc. No more texts to her. And update your boss that shes heading towards bonkers rapidly, and it seem to be focussed on having your drink.

Oh and there must be something pregnant people mostly don’t eat that you need to bring in to share? Something with raw egg maybe? A cheese plate of soft and blue cheese as they were left at yours by friends? Grin

PerspicaciaTick · 15/10/2019 23:05

I'd stop taking in a drink for a week or two and make do with tap water. The satisfaction of breaking her cycle of game-playing would be ample compensation for foregoing my preferred drink for a few days.

PepsiLola · 15/10/2019 23:07

Keep your can in your desk in a cooler bag?

Or know what time she comes in and go get it just before, should be still cool at lunch

cabbageking · 15/10/2019 23:13

Give it a good shame before you out it in the fridge

iknowimcoming · 15/10/2019 23:13

I'd be fuming! Does your work fridge have a freezer bit? Can you take in an ice cube tray and make ice then keep your drink in your bag and add ice at lunchtime? I certainly wouldn't be putting anything of yours in the fridge again till she's on maternity leave.

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