Not to buy colleague a ready meal?

[CloseYourEyesAndSee]

I hardly ever think of AIBUs but this feels appropriate
In the office the other day, I was going to stretch my legs. A colleague asked me to buy her a chicken ready meal if I went near a shop.
I went to marks and Spencer to buy Percy pigs. The ready meals were about £5. She didn't offer me money before I went, she's not in my team and I might not see her in person for months. I would probably have ended up paying for her lunch.
I also don't like her, she's rude and weird and messed with my stuff once because I was using the desk she likes.
Final point, I'm vegan and don't want to buy chicken, but I was too chicken (lol) to say that.
If I liked her, I would have happily bought a meal but I would have said can I get you a veggie one instead, and I wouldn't have minded if I didn't get paid back.
I told her the meals were £5 and I didn't feel comfortable spending that much of her money without her agreement. But I never had any real intention of buying one, mostly because there were no actual supermarkets nearby anyway.
Context, I'm a manager and she isn't, but I'm a lone parent and broke as shit.

So, was I a total cow (YABU) or a diplomatic genius? (YANBU)

@Iamthewombat

The overreaction to a lighthearted thread is crazy. OP you've brought out all the angry people who WANT their dopamine kick.

The thread must be going against the OP and her apologists if you’re resorting to this.

Now will somebody drop in and tell us that Percy Pigs are vegan? We all need reminding.

Whereas you’re an apologist for a rude person who moves things from people’s desks and then wants lunch without offering money.

Go you.

Should've 'accidentally' bought them the low calorie version of the ready meal. 😂

@hollowtalk

Sounds like a hot desk to me.
OP says she's not the other person's manager, just that she is a manager and the other woman isn't.
If someone was going to the shop I wouldn't think oh I can't ask them they're a manager!
I would offer the money though.
But given that OP makes a point of saying she's a manager, I find it odd that she didn't have the confidence to ask for the money upfront.

@CloseYourEyesAndSee

Does nobody think she was unreasonable to ask a manager she barely knows to buy her lunch without offering cash up front? I would never

I'm so confused about why you keep mentioning you're a manager? What has that got to do with anything? Do you have a bit of a superiority complex?

I wouldn't buy a colleague I barely know something for lunch in those circumstances. I must be rude because I'd either just say "no, I don't have time" or conveniently forget. It would be very easy to conveniently forget if you hadn't actually been given the money to pay for it.

On the other hand, maybe I'm not so rude after all because I would just go and get my own ready meal from the shop if I wanted one and wouldn't ask someone else at work to get it for me. Avoids unnecessary conflict in the office that way.

@CloseYourEyesAndSee

Does nobody think she was unreasonable to ask a manager she barely knows to buy her lunch without offering cash up front? I would never

Not sure why you keep mentioning you're a manager?

Sorry but I find this very selfish and mean. You never bought someone a sandwich just based on the fact you ‘don’t like her’ you didn’t even ask her if she was paying you back which I’m sure if you’d have walked back in the office & said ‘here you go, you owe me £5’ chances are she would have paid. You don’t know when she was going to get a chance to go the shop to get food for herself. You literally could have been the only chance of her eating that day til she got home & you made false intentions saying yes to show back up to the office with nothing for her. Wow. How sad are you.

Your certainly not a cow, however you need to be more assertive especially as a manager. Why should you spend money on someone you don't even like, plus like you said single parent do you need to be mindful if the pennies. Say it like it is if your skint your skint end of, then if someone hasn't got the decency to offer money don't bother.

Oh dear

P.S. Thanks for making us vegans look like twats again

www.google.com/amp/s/www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mum-dubbed-petty-after-refusing-26402261.amp