Tradesman ate my crisps - do I bring it up?

[LostSleep]

We are currently renovating a property before moving in. We have all of our furniture there but are staying elsewhere. The windows are currently being renovated. When I went in to see the progress I noticed my multipack of crisps was empty and there were several empty packets of crisps strewn in different rooms.

AIBU to raise this with the lead tradesman?

I have left quite a bit a food there as we are there most days doing DIY/decorating but haven't been there while the windows are being renovated.

My partner says there isn't any point in raising it. Nothing will come out of it.

Stealing the crisps was a diversionary tactic.
Whilst you are preoccupied with that crime they’re thinking of other ways to inflate your bill.
If they are prepared to steal food nothing is beneath them.

We had our kitchen renovated a few Summers ago. The weather was really hot and one of the trades helped himself to a pint of coke from the fridge. Downed it more or less in one (how do people even do that with fizzy drinks ??) and then realized it tasted "strange". He had helped himself to the pre mixed 50% coke 50% vodka my DP had prepared to take to a music festival the next day 😬Luckily I got home before he left and told him what it was so he could get his OH to come and get him. (We had told them to help themselves to milk Tea /coffee/biscuits etc) I don't think I would say anything if they are half way through the job, but I would maybe put your supplies in a plastic box out of the way somewhere. It is a bit cheeky.

Good grief.

I’d leave more crisps and biscuits, I wouldn’t mind at all.

It was rather impudent to think the crisps were theirs when your personal items were next to them. Its the height of bad manners to discard empty packets in various rooms. Yes you ate not living there but it's not a rubbish tip. The bad manners would piss me off.

No wonder you're stressed OP. House renovations take their toll on our mental health plus your juggling a lot what with children, organising the works, doing DIY yourself. I'd personally bring up the discarded wrappers and highlight if food is in the only room you are using its for you only.

LostSleep nowt wrong at all with Walkers but they shouldn't have just helped themselves. I'd be livid if they'd chucked the empty packets on the floor too

Are your overalls pristine?

People usually leave food out for tradesmen. They obviously assumed this was what you’d done.

Really? I hope this is sarcasm..

We have had work done twice now by a large local building firm. They have a good reputation but are also considered to be more expensive. We are happy to pay this because they are very good at what they do. But they are professional and expect anyone that works or subs for them to be so. I overheard two workmen getting told off for stopping work and chatting about football during time I was paying for. In fact I only saw the workmen stop work for lunch, I dont think they were allowed to stop much for snacks. Each time I was asked not only if I was happy with the work but with the workmen. The workmen and sub contractors represent their business and they take that seriously. So I know if I reported they came into my house and helped themselves to my crisps leaving the packets thrown about the place that would be taken seriously. So yes I would say something if I was not happy. Our other work man we use for smaller jobs works for himself. He always refuses snacks and drinks too. I have found the bad workmen are the ones that have time for tea and snacking. The good ones want to get the job done because they have too many other jobs waiting.

I suspect you haven't done many renovations before its well known that good tradesmen are worth their weight in crisps 😉

As standard I do:

• A tea station and a snack box i top up with cheap biscuits and snacks. (if they eat on site there is no driving off down the road for sandwiches/ 2hr lunch break)
• A fully equipped "wash up station" to clean up and an old henry hoover and old dustpan and brush and lots of black bin bags available.
• a walk through of the house pre work commercing to flag what's off limits. (Workmen shitting in the ensuite etc 🤣)
• Friday lunch. i bring them wraps or burgers /kfc and a pack of beers do a check-in/walk through with the foreman and find find out what they need for the next week.

Happy workmen = Happy homeowner

What would you want them to do if you mention it? Hand you £2 to replace them? If you can be arsed asking for money for crisps and won't feel completely embarrassed and like an arsehole begrudging the workers some snacks then go for it.

This wouldn't bother me as long as he was doing a good job. I've made tradespeople breakfast sandwiches, lots of cups of tea and biscuits.

He probably thought you had left them for him.

Op, when I was growing up many many moons ago people would feed their tradesmen meals. So, for instance, my granny would have breakfast ready for them when they came in in the morning, then lunch and cake and tea in the afternoon before they went home. It’s something I’ve carried on doing but more often than not they’ll say, just a cuppa please.

This sounds awfully mean. Buy more and leave them for them tomorrow.

I’d be annoyed but no I wouldn’t say anything. Just be glad you have tradesmen!

As a child my parents were doing a renovation on our home, and the builders ate mine and my siblings Easter eggs. I'm still cross about it.

Did you leave anything at all out for them OP? Tea/coffee/squash etc? You sound a bit tight to be honest, it's only a few packs of crisps.

The packets everywhere would have wound me up though.

I probably wouldn't bring it up unless they caught me on a really bad day but I wouldn't be happy. A bag of crisps on a pile with personal belongings such as nappies and wipes, there's no way I'd think they were there for the taking.
I would bring up about the wrappers not being cleared away. Come to think of it I'd probs say something along the lines of 'if you're going to help yourself to my crisps at least put the wrappers in a bin please'

When we had our kitchen refitted we set up a kitchen station in the dining room with microwave, tea, coffee, biccies etc. We were out at work all day but told our fitter to help himself. I used to leave bread as well with a note on the fridge saying there was spread and ham if he wanted to make himself a sandwich. My only request was that he washed up anything he used.

My neighbour bakes beautiful cakes. She saw him over the fence one day having a coffee break in the garden and popped through the gate with a bit of cake for him as well. He told me he'd never been treated so well on a job!

It may be petty but it is still theft!

no maybe about it, it totally is petty.

we always leave snacks out for workmen, especially on a big job. Many folks do. So this man thinking they were for them is understandable.

I don’t get folks who spend so much money and then want to argue over a couple of quids worth of crisps. And screaming theft. Is beyond belief

They will need the nappies if the OP goes full mumsnet on them and locks them out of the only working toilet.

Don't do it OP!

You sound like hardwork. They likely thought the crisps were for them. I couldnt work for you.

The tradespeople round here post pictures on their Facebook pages of all the lovely home made cake and other treats their customers leave out for them - did you not leave them any refreshments? If not that was pretty poor behaviour. Have you set aside somewhere for them to sit for lunch? If you don’t tell them where to take a break then they will chose somewhere that might not suit you.

I work with tradespeople all the time and id do the same as @Totalwasteofpaper . Minus the beer ( no alcohol on site ).

If there was a mess I’d hand a bin bag to the apprentice ( if I knew them well ) or ask the foreman to get the apprentice to clean up. That’s part of their job.

If you're going to bring it up, do it with a laugh in your voice eg "Which cheeky sod's eaten all my favourite Cheese and Onion?"

If you do it in a serious manner, you'll just alienate them and end up with crap workmanship.

I think I’d be more annoyed at this and the fact they left empty crisp packets which seems disrespectful. The fact they didn’t hide the packets though suggest they weren’t trying to not get ‘caught’. I suspect they assumed it wasn’t for them.