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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Tea club abuse?

52 replies

TexasTyson · 15/10/2023 15:42

At my work we have a tea club. For £10 every 3 months we have:

Various teas, various coffee, hot chocolate, milk and milk substitutes.
Biscuits.
Bread, crumpets, bagels, croissants.
Butter, jam, marmite, peanut butter, soft cheese.
Fruit, yoghurt.
Multipacks of crisps.

There's recently been TeaClubGate where a couple of people have been spotted taking a loaf of bread or a handful of teabags home. Their argument is that they've paid for it and its no different from using it at work. Others think it's stealing and that tea club items should only be used at work. Still others are on the fence and think a few teabags or some bread or milk is fine, but a whole jar of jam or tub of butter is not.

Possibly also worth noting that this isn't an office. We start work in the same place but go out and about to do the actual work, so people often take fruit, yoghurts etc out with them for later. But are still at work, just not at base. This is not frowned upon.

What do you think?

OP posts:
Viviennemary · 15/10/2023 15:43

No they should not be doing this. Not on.

MyCircumference · 15/10/2023 15:43

i dont think they should take things away from the base.

Dramatic · 15/10/2023 15:44

Cheeky b*stards! No they should not be taking any of it home.

DarkDarkNight · 15/10/2023 15:44

They shouldn’t be doing it. I’m surprised they actually think it’s ok, it’s blatant cheeky fuckery.

Allofaflutter · 15/10/2023 15:45

I think taking it as a joblot is wrong. Like a loaf of bread but making a sandwich or bit of fruit to eat while at work even when not a base is fine. Otherwise it’s stealing. I think the rule is it’s ok if everyone can do it equally like taking a bit of fruit for later but if there’s not enough for everyone to do it like taking a loaf home then it’s wrong.

Pixilicious1 · 15/10/2023 15:45

No not on

Mylobsterteapot · 15/10/2023 15:46

Maybe on a Friday if the milk or whatever is going to go off over the weekend, it would be ok.

OneTC · 15/10/2023 15:46

Blatant cheeky fuckery

Viviennemary · 15/10/2023 15:46

Change it to just tea and coffee only. It's a a bit of a grey area now you say people are going off with yoghurts and so on.

wizzywig · 15/10/2023 15:46

£10 for 3 months worth of all that is an utter bargain. I'd love to be in a food club like that

Hardbackwriter · 15/10/2023 15:46

A loaf of bread?! Unless it's about to go off and to waste this is clearly not OK. Taking a handful of tea bags is perhaps more borderline but really very stingy.

Original poster
TexasTyson · 15/10/2023 15:48

To clarify, there's no issue taking food out with you, we rarely gat back to base so makes sense to take it with you. Otherwise no one would get their monies worth! Making a tea or coffee in a hot cup is also fine.

It's the taking things home that's the issue.

OP posts:
DeltaAlphaDelta79 · 15/10/2023 15:49

This is one thing, among many, I don't miss about working at an office. Tea club cheeky fuckery at its finest. I didn't join the tea club at my last work place because of this. I'd rather pay more for my own stuff.

nettie434 · 15/10/2023 15:49

A loaf of bread or carton of milk that are about to expire then fine but otherwise no. If everyone took teabags home every day then there would soon be no stocks left.

Original poster
TexasTyson · 15/10/2023 15:49

wizzywig · 15/10/2023 15:46

£10 for 3 months worth of all that is an utter bargain. I'd love to be in a food club like that

I know, a real bargain, luckily there are so many of us that the organisers buy in bulk so it's cheaper.

OP posts:
CesareBorgia · 15/10/2023 15:50

Unless it's perishables that would otherwise be thrown away, they shouldn't be taking things home.

LaurieFairyCake · 15/10/2023 15:52

Well I think they're nuts

For £10 for 3 months I'd expect ONE CRUMPET ONCE A WEEK and about 3 teabags a day

Anyone taking more than that's a right cheeky fucker !

category12 · 15/10/2023 15:54

The neck of some people.

Nanny0gg · 15/10/2023 15:55

Can't work out the voting

The takers are wrong

happylittlesloth · 15/10/2023 15:55

Time to abandon tea club

LapsedRunnerC25k · 15/10/2023 15:57

Taking a single serving on a work day is very different to taking a whole loaf home! Cheeky fuckery

FarEast · 15/10/2023 15:59

It's stealing. THe point of an at-work tea club is that it's for work. Not to take stuff home.

Stealing.

LardoBurrows · 15/10/2023 16:02

No, its not right.
Their argument that they've paid for it and it's no different from using it at work does not hold up. Everyone in the tea club has paid and by removing items that everyone has paid for for the exclusive use of just those who are pilfering, means that the rest of the group is denied access to items they have paid for. If the people pilfering want to use that argument they would have to use less of the goods whilst at work, to offset what they have removed from the club, otherwise everyone else is financially propping up the CF's weekly food bill.

Of course if things like bread or milk are near their expiry date at the end of the working week it makes sense for people to take them home to use rather than be thrown out, but this should be offered and shared between all parties.

MiddleClassProblem · 15/10/2023 16:03

The only time it would be fine if is it was something that was going to go off so say bread that best before was that day and no one else wanted any.

plumtreebroke · 15/10/2023 16:06

If some people actually don't get as much benefit as others (if that is the reasoning) maybe they get a reduced rate, just deciding to help themselves is not OK.