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.

I think I would be very demotivated if I thought snacks had been left and then I was accused of stealing - and that would be reflected in my work (not that that's what I do for a living). Renovation sites are never going to be tidy...

I wouldn't put a good relationship at risk (if that's what you have) - not even in a jokey way. If they're good at what they do, stock up on the crisps, they clearly like them.

Feed them, you'll get a better service. We all know when people get hangry they do a half arsed effort.
I would maybe put a bin out with a sign 😂

I meant to say I suspect they assumed the crisps were for them.

I probably wouldn’t mention if it were me , but if you do raise it as an issue - wait until the job is done at least!

I came looking for the "full tea and snack station" comment and was not disappointed! 😂

Leaving Tea and coffee making facilities and biscuits is pretty standard.

Is there actually an indoors bin handy for them to use? I'd leave an open empty bin bag and a roll of bin bags and tell them to put their rubbish in there if they want you to provide more snacks. Do it with a smile and a twinkle in your eye, builders are thick skinned, they can take it.

Also complaining to folks renovating your home and making it nice to tidy up their crisp packets.

I think it’s lessen 1.01 on how to get tradesman to go over and above for you. Whinge about 2 quids worth of crisps and empty crisp pack mid renovation.

if I was watching on I’d be curling myself inside out watching the op.

If you take something that is not yours and you weren't told you could have it, that is theft, and most small children know that much. Leaving the evidence all over the house is belligerent theft.
However these people have your house in their hands, and they know it (hence the belligerence). So I wouldn't be getting into it with them over something small, cause if that's their attitude you can guarantee something bigger is on its way. Keep eyes and ears open and keep being on site a lot.

Can you imagine, thanks for such an awesome job, we will pay the hundred grand now. By the way you ate my crisps, they weren’t for you.

This. I would be amused about them being a bit cheeky by eating the crisps, but they should have thrown the wrappers away.

I suspect you've got to that stage when your getting building work done where you just want it to be over. It can be so difficult living with the constant unheavel.

So I suggest you recognise your annoyance is stemming from that and it making you focus on small and (in reality) insignificant things and blow them out of proportion.

I mean yes someone eating your crisps is irritating, but don't assume it was purposely done. Chances are they thought the crisps where left out for them, and didn’t purloin them and leave the crisp packets lying around to taunt you.

Also, building sites are often messy and only cleaned at the end of the job.

Sorry to read this. He's pinched your crisps and thrown the packets on the floor, I'd be having words.

I persuaded my husband to have a new decorator no-one locally could vouch for, and I came home early to find him in our larder/coat cupboard - he said he was looking for the salt. Unfortunately I later found out he'd got paint on my husband's favourite coat.

Well I’d be annoyed.

Also complaining to folks renovating your home and making it nice to tidy up their crisp packets.

I mean they're literally there to make it nice, why is is so bad to not want them to leave rubbish strewn everywhere that could easily be just put into a bin? Empty food packets left everywhere in an empty property is an invite to pests to move in, and is SO easily prevented if they just put them in a bin bag as they go!

Good tradespeople are conscious about cleaning up their work mess. The tradesmen I've had in over the last couple of years have all made a point of putting down paper/plastic to catch the worst of their mess, usually sweep up when they're done and bring wipes to clean away greasy fingerprints they have left. None of them would leave empty packets strewn around the place, even if the place was nothing more than a brick shell that they were working in, and I'm certain they'd all judge another tradesperson harshly if they saw them doing it.

We were turning our under stairs cupboard in to a downstairs loo and the builder doing it over the course of a week, helped himself to our crisps (McCoys no less). It was obvious they weren’t for him, they were in a cupboard in the kitchen. I wouldn’t dream of bringing it up, but I did think he was an extremely CF.

I would’ve just made a joke of it and said “oi, who’s nicked my crisps? Nobody eats my crisps and gets away unscathed!”

but then I do take crisps very seriously!

Sounds like you need to have a lockable box to keep certain things in that you are leaving in the house but you also should have a drinks/biscuits etc area where they can help themselves. Either way they shouldn't leave crisp packets all over the house but generally you've got to put up with this stuff.

I do leave biscuits etc out for workmen but I tell them first .. I do feel it's cheeky to assume the snacks were for them, if they were with baby stuff! Also packets on the floor .. yes tbh I wouldn't be impressed. We've had a lot of work done over the years and nothing like that. Not sure I'd say anything though as I agree with others it sounds petty.

The tradesman should not have eaten your crisps.

Do you bring it up? Only if you are a complete fool.

I'm not sure that there are many other trades where this sort of behaviour is acceptable. If the cleaner, gardener, nanny etc did this would people be saying 'leave more food and drinks out for them haha'

In France it would be knee deep in cigarette ends. I once objected to a workman dropping his cigarette ends on the floor. He then opened a window and threw it into the garden.
Eating crisps isn't too bad.

I was just about to ask this. Can I ask a genuine question to all those saying it’s absolutely fine - would you honestly be completely ok with this if your gardener or cleaner did this exact same thing? Including scattering the packets around?

If they’re taking your crisps without them being explicitly offered, I’d be wary about the overall quality of the work, tbh, so maybe keep a closer eye on them. 🤔

Whenever we’ve had tradesmen in, the ones who do the best work always come fully prepared with food and drink and are incredibly tidy too.

They won’t do as good a job if they’re hungry. It’s a good thing he makes munched on your salty snack.

It was a bit presumptuous of them to eat the crisps and to leave a mess...I had an awful 'Labourer' years ago who smoked and dropped the butts in the floor..When I raised it with him, he continued..
The boss got rid of him from the job, thank goodness when I complained.
Gross, smoking in a non smoker's house.
{A good labourer is worth their weight in gold}

My builders never touched a single thing, working in the house a long time and would ask even to fill up water bottles. They would never have helped themselves to a single thing (obviously we offered biscuits but most builders bring plenty to eat with them anyway). They really should not have helped themselves to any food without you telling them they were left for them.

Totally agree-this is our experience with fantastic builders.