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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:
Thread gallery
6
SucculentCandle · 13/10/2019 02:11

I'd take one in a cool bag for myself and put another with the cut end of a chilli wiped around the rim in the fridge in case she "forgets" her own drink.

HouseworkAvoider10 · 13/10/2019 02:39

Cheeky mare.
That is just not on.

You'll need to get a lock, i'm afraid.

shearwater · 13/10/2019 06:27

I am reminded of the poem "Fridge" by Michael Rosen.

Fridge.

Once I went to the fridge, saw our jug in there and I thought, "What's in it?". A syrup. What syrup? Smell it: sniffs Mmm! Smells nice. Finger in, lick it: slurp tastes nice. Lift the jug and drink a bit. slurp Oh, this is good, this is slurp peach syrup, tinned peach syrup. What a drink! So I drank the lot. sluuurrp

Not long after, few days later, I went to the fridge, saw our jug in there. What's in it? A syrup. What syrup? Smell it. sniffs Mmmmm! Oh yes, this is peach syrup again. Lift the jug and drink, slurp and drink some more, slurp and drink some more, sluuuuuurp

I drank the lot!

Not long after, few days later, I went to the fridge, saw our jug in there. What's in it? A syrup. Yes! Here we go again! Lift the jug and fill my mouth with that thick, sweet juice! sluuurp Bleaaaaugh!! This isn't peach, this is... Bleeugheh! My mouth is full of oil! Thick cooking oil!

I wonder who put that there...!

Hederex · 13/10/2019 07:35

Ooh her reply has me raging!

StealthPolarBear · 13/10/2019 07:44

Where do I find six cans of diet coke for £1.50 please?

DisneyMadeMeDoIt · 13/10/2019 07:53

Her response is exceedingly cheeky (again I’ve just about recovered from awful HG so fully understand ‘what it’s like’)

I would be very cautious of this woman moving forward and deffo consider bringing your cans of drink inside one of those insulated lunch bags. My boss actually does that (has an insulated lunch bag full of cans of pop) as we work in a large multi nat and ‘nice’ as the atmosphere is cans have gone walk about in the past. People are much less likely to unzip a lunch bag and look inside than just pick up a can of Coke...etc

Original poster
openitsoicanseeyousmile · 13/10/2019 08:28

Where do I find six cans of diet coke for £1.50 please?

Who said it was Diet Coke? Grin I can't stand the stuff. Coke Zero is best! The drink in question is actually a KA drink yes they're full of sugar

Her response is exceedingly cheeky (again I’ve just about recovered from awful HG so fully understand ‘what it’s like’)

She doesn't have HG

OP posts:
quincejamplease · 13/10/2019 08:40

That wasn't an apology. That was a "fuck you".

Nobody is stupid enough to think that stealing another person's single portion of lunch is equivalent to eating things that person has brought in specifically for multiple people to share.

Everyone at my work brings in treats to share, but I don't take that as an invitation to steal their lunch out the fridge when it looks nicer than what I have!

"Oh sorry, I thought you'd be okay with me eating your sandwich out of your lunchbox because you brought in a platter of cake for the team last week."

Come off it. Maybe you should try it though. If that's how she thinks the world works I'm sure she won't mind.

rookiemere · 13/10/2019 08:42

Her reply has me fuming OP. Seriously what is it with these lunchtime CFs. So you kindly bring in treats from time to time and she thinks this gives her dibs on your lunch ?? Next time you do bring in something remind people loudly that you're bringing in a treat but your lunch - including drink - is out of bounds.

I like the marking of the can idea. Little effort on your part, but makes it blindingly obvious what's going on.

Hesafriendfromwork · 13/10/2019 08:48

Hang on. Dp bought some biscuits for me to take to work to share with the team.

Does that mean, they can all pop round and take stuff out if the fridge at home? After all 'hesafriendfromwork dp buys yummy treats for us all to share'.

What a pile of bollocks. She thought you were push over. She is also one of those people that thinks being pregnant makes you some sort of mythical creature that we all have to treat as a living deity.

BagpussandTheClangers · 13/10/2019 09:18

I would take a coolbag or learn to drink it at room temperature.

She is self entitled and rude. No excuse for that not even being pregnant.

giantwatermelon · 13/10/2019 09:20

I'd have a word with your manager and ask him to put out a floor wide email about stealing other peoples lunches.

BagpussandTheClangers · 13/10/2019 09:21

So, I messaged her saying "Hi Sharon, please would you stop taking my drinks from the fridge? Sorry to sound petty but I like a fizzy drink with my lunch and I often go without because you have them instead. I hope I'm not sounding snappy! Happy to take it in turns to buy a multipack of them weekly"

Crikey, no wonder she is treating you like a doormat. Shock

fessmess · 13/10/2019 09:24

Buy the multipack and ask her for half. It's a solution, it's kind and you both win. IMO there's not enough kindness these days.

MzHz · 13/10/2019 09:29

Corrected it for you:

Hi Sharon, please would you stop taking my drinks from the fridge? Sorry to sound petty but I like a fizzy drink with my lunch and I often go without because you have them instead. I hope I'm not sounding snappy! Happy to take it in turns to buy a multipack of them weekly"

P1nkHeartLovesCake · 13/10/2019 09:31

Thing is if she’s pregnant and knows she gets bad sickness why doesn’t she buy herself a multipack and leave at work for when needed?

Pregnancy is not an excuse for bad manners. She’s just a cheeky cow

Original poster
openitsoicanseeyousmile · 13/10/2019 09:32

I would take a coolbag or learn to drink it at room temperature.

No way! I'm not drinking a room temp drink for the sake of someone not taking mine from it's rightful place in my section of the fridge

OP posts:
quincejamplease · 13/10/2019 09:34

Then you need to learn how to be assertive instead of passive.

The message you sent was a case study in how to communicate passively.

StealthPolarBear · 13/10/2019 09:35

It's weird but something changed a few years ago and I now prefer fizzy drinks at room temperature. Can't bear ice in it when out and about and particularly when they fill up the glass with ice (when/why did that start?)

StealthPolarBear · 13/10/2019 09:36

Other than wine. Fizzy wine needs to be very cold.

LagunaBubbles · 13/10/2019 09:42

Learn to drink it at room temperature?? I've heard it all now as far as "roll over and let someone else walk all over you" replies go! Why on gods earth should someone not use a staff fridge and drink fuzzy juice at room temperature which is disgusting just because another member of staff can't be arsed buying their own juice and constantly steals the OPs! What an incomprehensible reply.

Elodie2019 · 13/10/2019 09:47

She's a CF. Her 'sorry not sorry' response was rude.
So what if you often bring in stuff to share? That doesn't mean she can help herself to anything she likes.

As for the 'I thought you'd understand as you had morning sickness too' guilt trip -ignore. CF.

Elodie2019 · 13/10/2019 09:49

BTW, ugly cool bag goes in fridge.

If anyone asks why it's locked.... 'Someone keeps taking my stuff' will do.

KUGA · 13/10/2019 09:51

Shes taking the pee,tell her not to do it again. She knows shes pregnant so she should be picking her own up.
Lazy bstard. Christ whats she going to be like as a mother.

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