Colleagues keep using my milk!

[Immo8]

I don't want to sound petty as in the grand scheme of things, milk isn't an expensive item and maybe I should leave this be, but it's really starting to grate on me...

Work in an office with around 30-ish staff, the majority are on shift work including weekends so people are in & out a lot. I work standard hours 4 days a week. The company provides tea & coffee but staff bring in their own milk etc. I buy a large filtered milk every month as it lasts and I only have a few cups of tea a day so makes sense.

However, over the last 6 months or so, people will ask me if they can 'borrow' some milk. I would never say no to someone asking but they NEVER bring in their own milk or buy one to replace mine that they've used over the weeks...

Today, I brought in a brand new milk, name on it, placed it at the back of the fridge so hard to find, and I've just gone to make a cuppa and it's been opened without asking, and a 1/4 of it has gone!

How do I word an email to my colleagues (if people think I should) that is polite and doesn't sound too petty?

Label it 'immob only'. Might make a difference.

Not something I would boast about.

Start a tea kitty. Then everyone contributes money and supplies are topped up as required

Because-

Immo8 · Today 11:58

Ohthatsabitshit · Today 11:56

Put it in a different bottle. Why on earth don’t you all just pool some ££s to buy milk?

OP- That's been tried in the past, but you'd have people who didn't opt it but would still use the milk...so the amount of time taken to organise it was just pointless! Plus people like to use different milks etc.

Yeah working in the local authority or civil service - you had to provide your own tea/coffee/milk. I had 0 milk issues ever since working from home 😁But yeah those udder locks look good, or a flask.

I've have also known the same thing , people will also assume that because they they have paid their £s into the fund that they can have porridge with half a pint of milk each day

Put the milk in a bottle or flask that isn't transparent.
However I think your employer should provide the milk really. Would people be prepared to chip in for a regular delivery?

Imagine admitting this. Rank.

I was going to say the same thing

write on the outside "I have spat in MY MILK - not for general consumption".

Or make a flask of tea at home in the moring and bring it in each day.

How crappy & tight that your employers don't pay for general milk for their staff.

Obviously unaware of the very old joke where the person who wrote 'I have spat in my milk' comes back to find a note taped to their carton which read

SO HAVE I!

You can buy milk lids that you need a special key to open. They advertised them in my teaching union magazine. Udderlok . If people ask just say you can't afford to be the only one buying milk.

I love working from home.

Health & Safety won't allow you to store bodily fluids (breast milk, spit etc) into a fridge with consumables. Employers are required to provide a separate, clean fridge for anyone who needs to express at work.

I'm intrigued by the UdderLok thing but wondering how non-interoperable the locks are. If you are buying milk and locking it, can I sneak into it if I buy my own UdderLok? <evil moustache twirl>

(I promise not to steal any milk, this is hypothetical).

Jo <suspiciously white moustache...>

Pretty much! Unless OP has a large desk at work and can have a mini fridge under her desk.

OP can try to send a memo but the reception will be "it's just milk who cares"

Alternatively, start using powdered milk/creamer. Not for everyone but I like it.

If you're going to be evil...put your lock on someone else's milk mwahahahha

Add some food colouring, my sister did this in uni, a bit of blue made it go grey and unappealing and stopped people stealing it. Probably not a long term solution and does risk people binning it. Though I guess you could say you've added something like vitamins or medication as the cause. If write on it discoloured due to medication so please don't bin, etc. that should scare off any thefts and an excuse to say no to people.

Actually don't think would work with Cravendale as the plastic is opaque iirc. But I agree writing on it opened on such and such probs would stop people after a week haha.

Where I used to work, the company provided milk for tea & coffee. One selfish colleague brought in boxes of cereal and used half of the whole day's supply for his bowl of cornflakes so it ran out by lunchtime. There's always one greedy fucker who spoils it for everyone.

Option one - label as "This Milk Contains Medication".
If they ignore the mention of Medication, they're Grade-A whoppers.

Option two- email "Hi All. Instead of having individual milks (mine constantly disappears anyway and no longer lasts) why don't we start throwing in or taking turns instead?"

Scare tactics, or call them out in a totally passive aggressive manner. Always good to have a bit of fun with it 😀

Put it in a jug and label it "breast milk"?