Colleague stealing my noodles

[doitinadayswork]

And replacing them the following day with a pot noodle

The noodles in question are a Korean brand, very tasty. You can actually get them in B&M

I have a colleague who takes my noodles if I hadn't had time to stop and eat that day

And she replaced them the following morning with a pot noodle (argh).

I told my manager who said we like to 'give and take' in this department and was it really such a huge deal? I said she isn't replacing what I got though

AIBU here? What on earth do I do? She isn't one to cross, the thief. She is quite vocal and a higher band who could make me miserable if she so chose to do so

I know exactly which ones you mean and they are SOOOO good. They sell out super quick in my b&m and can be hard to get hold of on the odd occasion so I would be annoyed by this 😂

This must be an advert

Lacing food with non-edibles (laxatives, soap, rat poison (WTF) etc.) is a criminal offence and is likely to get the OP sacked for gross misconduct if she’s lucky and prosecuted if she’s not.

This is the case even if it is of food that is stolen not given if the food is ‘spiked’ with the intention of having it eaten by the person who takes it.

Hot peppers will do but the OP may have to demonstrate this is just how she likes her food (so not too hot for her to eat).

The taker of the food would be able to argue she didn’t think it was dishonest to do so as there is a general understanding that food in that area is free to take. Whether it is or not, since the manager is apparently backing her up on that point, the OP will get nowhere making a ‘theft’ argument.

The manager sounds pathetic - anyone who doesn’t immediately crack down on this sort of behaviour in the workplace isn’t doing his job but since he won’t act, I think the OP needs to keep the noodles somewhere hidden or buy a locking lunch box.

Before anyone starts on about the ‘illegal to spike food’ comment, this is the law. Opinions on whether it should be the law are not relevant to what is likely to happen to the OP if she is silly enough to go along with some of the advice on this thread, particularly as the OP has been told by her manager that it’s understood in the department that food in that location is free to take. If the OP followed the advice of the various keyboard warriors on this thread, she could find herself in very serious trouble.

YANBU

I don't think they need to be advertised.

Sadly, as in a lot of offices. You'll have to keep them on you in some way. Everything seems to be fair game in the communal areas.

I gave up buying milk. So many fuck it's would rather do without.

Has it happened more than once

Are people really blaming OP for leaving her noodles 'accessible'?!

If you work, you know most people leave their lunches in the fridgebwhere anyone could potentially access and of course it's not ok to help yourself to someone else's lunch!

OP, given you say she's not pleasant, I'd be dropping it and hiding future lunches. BUT most importantly, I'd be looking for other jobs where the managers are bullies/idiots.

Don't put your noodles where she can get them.

Look her in the eye when you give the pot noodle back and say "I want the same noodles as a replacement. Never touch my noodles again or I'll stab you with my chopstick."

To pp who said the thief might think pot noodle is better than Korean noodles: no. That is crazy talk. NOTHING in the instant noodle world is better than Korean ones. NOTHING.

Are people really blaming OP for leaving her noodles 'accessible'?!

I don't think so, but with a thieving colleague and a useless manager, keeping her food in her bag is the only way to protect it. Of course she shouldn't have to.

Is it the school holidays already?
This is ridiculous

That is stealing! You should’ve have to hide your food at work. Some postered saying to hide it!? Why should she have to? Are the standards in this society that low? Instead of adapting to that bad behaviour the manager needs to change the toxic culture of ‘sharing’. Otherwise she can also ‘share and give and take’ the managers lunch and replace it with something else and see if she likes it. I’m assuming they are career professionals so wouldn’t expect someone to steal food while at work. If someone at work took your handbag and replaced it with a cheaper version that would be stealing. I can’t fathom why some people would think it’s okay to go the communal area at work and take and eat food that isn’t theirs and they didn’t bring. Clearly they weren’t brought up right! Those people also let their kids break rules and be utter menaces to society where they think simple rules and common courtesy don’t apply to them because they are special. Rant over!

Korean noodle fans have united 🤣 we stand with you OP protect your noodles with your life

I'd make a little hole in the packet and wear it like a lanyard.

Brilliant 😂😂😂

Not ideal but keep the noodles in your desk/ in your bag? (presuming they are the dried ones). And tell the thief it's bang out of order to steal and you DO NOT eat Pot Noodles. Give the Pot Noodles back to her and tell her to buy them for herself in future. What an awful rude childish person. And your boss is an arse. Stealing is a crime. (Before anyone goes off I'm not for one moment suggesting the police/legal route) But the response should be they have a firm word with her and it never happens again.

My cynical mind was thinking- this is a silly story- the type the daily mail would love as a filler. Then this Korean noodle gets an advertisement in the press. Free of charge

Possibly these.
I work in b&m and we always sell out of them

There's no reason for the product to be left in the kitchen. Since neither OP or her boss will not speak to the stealer, she can choose to stop providing the item to the thief.

Why on earth would she buy extra for the thief to use??!!

Heh I came back just to see if someone had suggested bringing more for the thief

I really want noodles now.

You’ve done this the wrong way OP. You need to be concerned your colleague is in financial difficulty and that’s why they are stealing you food. You also need to suggest that the manager gives her a list of food banks to access and how to get a referral if needed.

also, to everyone saying op shouldn’t of left her food in a communal area. If OP had accidentally left her purse in the communal area, should she have expected someone to have borrowed a tenner from her purse? Probably not. How about if somebody borrowed it from her purse and replaced it with Tesco’s voucher. Would that have been okay? probably not.

It’s obvious that this type of food is not provided by the company and would’ve belonged to somebody. There are companies that have a zero tolerance policy to food stealing. They have the assumption that if you’re capable of stealing someone’s food, then you’re quite capable of stealing from the company.

Goodness does everyone work in an office?

From what the @doitinadayswork OP said I would assume Nursing or some sort of job where you don't have a desk and can't leave noodles at the desk as there is no desk...

‘Goodness’ nope. 😄Since OP won’t tell the thief to not steal, her options are to put the dried noodles somewhere in her space/bag, of course.

Are any of them as good as Batchelors Beef Super Noodles?
for some reason, I love those, but other noodles I don't like.

I hear there's lovely pork noodles but apparently they aren't a thing in the UK .(Batchelors bacon flavour tastes weird).