Colleague stole my mug

[NewtMumLife]

Would you take someone else’s mug in the office?!! I had to rescue my mug from someone’s desk which was half filled with cold coffee yesterday and I think it’s really rude to just take someone’s mug without even asking, especially as there are plenty of other mugs they could use. The colleague didn’t even wash it up and didn’t apologise. The mug was a present from my husband. AIBU?

Ooof cup wars in office politics; it’s just a mugs game.

In our office we all have mugs with our name on-it helps 🤣. We also have a communal mug cupboard for when the consultants come and do admin work in there.

Which bit would you be unreasonable about?

I'm with you OP! In a small office people have their own mugs brought in and you know who's mug is who's! I like my brew from my mug. I get annoyed at my husband when he steals "my" mug for his brew 😂

They used your mug, they didn’t steal it.

Stealing is me buying 6 IKEA cups for staff room for anyone to use. Then a subsection of staff taking them one by one and by 6 months later they are all gone. All of them seem bemused when you point out it is hard to find a cup to make tea.
One day you end up in the room for another matter and discover them in a cup storage area!! Bastards.

This happened to me about 20 years ago. Light fingered colleague not only swiped my two mugs but then kept them hostage in her office. In that office communal mugs were white and uniformed, personal mugs were not. My mugs had been missing for over a week when I glimpsed them on her desk when walking past her office. Clearly she’d been washing them immediately after use and storing them. I simply walked in told them they were mine and not to take them again. She feigned ignorance but didn’t take them again. I still have one of them.

The only time I find this mildly wierd, is when it has photos of someone else on, otherwise, its just a cup, put it away if you dont want it used.

Wash it up yourself and keep it in your desk drawer or locker then. Communal areas aren’t the place to leave personal items at work!

Is she a decent human being in all other respects? Either way, don't be off with her about this one blip. That way factions and ructions lie.

I feel your pain, OP. I like a large mug and took one in to work specially. My manager decided she liked that mug and started using it whenever she had the chance - to be fair, I don't think she knew it was mine, though she must have known I liked using it. The infuriating thing was that she would just have one tea in the morning and the mug would then just sit on her desk gathering dust the rest of the day, whereas I liked regular refills. We started a silent battle of "Who can get to it first", then I started hiding it in my desk whenever I remembered. Finally sanity prevailed and I just took the mug back home. I suggest you do the same.

I love threads like this where the votes are pretty evenly spread.

I voted YABU and over dramatic. She didn't steal it, she used it. Stealing it would be sneaking into her bag and taking it home.

I had this exact situation. Some arsehole stole my cup. It was dirty with lipstick on it. I'd left it on the sink while I went to the bathroom, planning to wash it up on my return. Came out and it was gone. His identical I ❤️ spreadsheets cup was in the cupboard - mine never went in the dishwasherbut his obviously did. I never got mine back and I'm still pissed off about it as it was a gift.

I always have good mugs so I’m used to this, people always want to use the nicest mug or use them for visitors. Fuck that. I always say ‘oh btw I can see you’re using my mug, have you finished with it?’

At least it's nice to know that it's not just my office that decends into chaos over such petty shit! Mug gate is a regular occurrence, often followed by a shitty email.....with photo evidence of any offending mugs 🤣

Did it have a picture of your face on it within the background of a pale blue star? If so, YANBU

I think the moral of the story here is not to bring in to work precious items such as mugs purchased by loves ones.

This is why I take my travel mug home every day. Nothing is sacred!

Leaving it in the dishwasher is leaving out for anyone to use. If you care that much about a mug and don't see it as communal then don't bring it in at all or keep it in your locker.

I once walked in on my office mates comforting my colleague in hushed tones because the MD had rocked up and used her pink "Good Vibes Only" mug with princess crowns all over it😂

Not a mug sharing office! Everyone has their own and the communal ones are company branded (but often brand new and certainly not minging so I can only assume he was just feeling fabulous that morning and went rogue)

Could she have confused it with her mug?

Leave him, now!

Wait...

Something similar happened to me way back when I was working in a huge building and we didn’t have kitchens. Left my mug (it had a picture of the Rovers Return on it, I’d got it when I did a Granada Studios tour)in the loo. I went back almost immediately but it had already gone. Never turned up in the lost property. Never saw it again. I loathe people with that kind of finders keepers attitude.

In kindness @NewtMumLife It's a mug - get a grip. If a mug is special to you - don't take it to the office! Take any old mug to your workplace and keep any special or sentimental mugs at home.

Get a life!