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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Cake-gate at work

319 replies

EnfysDilys · 31/03/2026 18:43

I made some Easter cakes for work colleagues today, enough for everyone with a few to spare.
One woman ate eight! She cheerfully announced this in front of everyone at lunchtime. This meant not everyone had one.
WIBU next time to leave a note reminding her to share! Or hiding them from her? Or setting an alarm around them …

OP posts:
Minimili · 01/04/2026 05:48

People shouldn’t encourage OP to put laxatives in any future cakes (no matter how much someone deserves it!) because you can get into a lot of trouble for it - or make someone seriously ill.

I used to work nights as a support worker doing 12 hour shifts and spent a lot of money, time and effort cooking proper meals to take with me.
A few of the staff warned me they would gain weight on nights by eating pot noodles, junk food and take aways for convenience so I also made sure I had a few healthy snacks in case my break was very late or cut short.

One woman started doing the same shifts and I noticed my food was partly eaten (which is gross as it seemed to be eaten with a fork straight from the tub) or just taken completely. I could hide snacks but meals needed keeping in the fridge and she would still sometimes hunt out my snacks and eat them.

I approached her and said I knew it was her as it only happened after she started, she admitted it and said it didn’t seem fair that I had nice meals to eat when she didn’t! (She denied taking the snacks but it was definitely her).
I told her to just make her own and she said she didn’t have time because she had children unlike me.

I said that wasn’t my problem and that she was leaving me to go all night without any food because I couldn’t go out to get more and nowhere was open anyway.
She asked me if she gave me £5 a week if I would bring enough food for her too, I told her she was being ridiculous and couldn’t believe she hadn’t apologised when she’d basically been stealing from me.
She just moaned on about how it was easy for me to cook a few meals when I had more time and less responsibilities until I got angry and told her to fuck off and if she tried it again I’d put laxatives in it.

My boss called me into the office before my next shift and said that “Susan” had told him what had happened and he completely agreed with me but that Susan had said if I put laxatives in my food then she would call the police and have me arrested for spiking food I knew she might eat. He warned me I could potentially end up being accused of “administrating a noxious substance”.

Luckily he did give Susan a warning for theft as well and I’m not sure it was that or the threat of the laxatives but she stopped pinching my food and brought her own, she moaned constantly about how stressful it was to do and did everyone’s head in though.
She was also the person who took fistfuls from tins or boxes of sweets at Christmas, tried to take any home in her bag that someone had brought in for everyone and when the company gave us anything like an Easter egg, selection box or anything else edible we had to check she only took one and not them all.

Everyone was relieved when she left after a few months saying the staff all bullied her “like all her previous jobs” I’m guessing she was bullied at any future ones too…

noodleangel · 01/04/2026 06:01

We have similar, small team where we get given packs of biscuits from the sales guys that pop in now and again. One woman will put the packet on her desk and munch them all one after the other. No one says anything as she has a disability and seems to need constant sugar and coffee to see her through her short shift. Most of us sit there silently seething.

OneCoralGoose · 01/04/2026 06:21

MyLimeGuide · 31/03/2026 18:47

Lol! Is she a large lady?

Might not be. The person who eats the most goodies i work with is average size but asd and cant control herself. But if there was cake out she would eat until its gone as she sees its for everyone.

BoogieTownTop · 01/04/2026 06:32

cinnamonda · 01/04/2026 02:22

some people just have a sweet tooth, let her be. When someone drinks a whole bottle of wine or downs like 8 pints of beer or shots pretty fast, noone says they were greedy - noone bats an eye - in fact, mostly they celebrate 🥳

Absolute rubbish!

Not if they drink more than their fair share of the free bar. So for example if someone has put £200 behind the bar, for everyone to have a free drink and someone has eight free drinks and some people get none, then why would people celebrate them? How would it be different to cake gate?

I think you’ve an issue with drink and are totally missing the point.

Daygloboo · 01/04/2026 06:33

EnfysDilys · 31/03/2026 18:43

I made some Easter cakes for work colleagues today, enough for everyone with a few to spare.
One woman ate eight! She cheerfully announced this in front of everyone at lunchtime. This meant not everyone had one.
WIBU next time to leave a note reminding her to share! Or hiding them from her? Or setting an alarm around them …

How big were these cakes?

Mumofyellows · 01/04/2026 06:52

Eight! That’s such a bizarre thing to do in that scenario! Someone has brought cakes in to share and she’s eaten 8?! That’s hilarious! On the positive your cakes must have been delicious 😂

LlynTegid · 01/04/2026 07:04

Next time check when the greedy one is on leave and bring them in on that day.

trainkeepsgoing · 01/04/2026 07:06

Hahaha, 8!! I don’t think you need to do anything as she announced to others. So rude but not worth causing a headache

SardinesOnButteredToast · 01/04/2026 07:08

Namechangefordaughterevasion · 01/04/2026 04:14

TBF not everybody would want one. I don't much like cake & sometimes have to force some down for politeness. I'd be very grateful if someone ate what had been designated 'my' share. Unless it was a chocolate sprinkle Krispy Kreme. That would not be good!

You don't eat eight in one go off the bat because you've unilaterally decided that other people wouldn't want one.

PatriciaRocks · 01/04/2026 07:09

PinkNailPolish2026 · 31/03/2026 23:49

Perhaps it’ll stop her scoffing cakes and teach her to share in future? I can’t be doing with greed and wolfing 8 cakes that were made for sharing is greedy. There's no other word for it.

It's greedy and selfish. However, punishing someone by lacing food with laxatives is cruel and dangerous.
I'd talk to them about it before doing that.

PatriciaRocks · 01/04/2026 07:11

AppleDumplingWithCustard · 01/04/2026 00:56

Not food related but some people are so greedy. I took a big basket of spare cosmetics/make-up into work. All brand new but items I’d got as gifts/freebies that I wouldn’t use. People were taking one or two bits and all was fine. At the end of the day I saw a staff member waltzing off with the entire basket that was still half full. When I asked her what she was doing she brazenly announced that she was taking them as her brother could sell them to make some money. Said brother was a druggy, out of work scrounger. Needless to say I relieved her of the basket and told her what I thought of that idea. What a fucking nerve!

Edited

Excellent 👍. I'm glad you took the stuff and were assertive about it. Perhaps she won't be so cheeky next time.

PatriciaRocks · 01/04/2026 07:17

Well done for standing up to Susan, @Minimili . You did well to confront her and I'm glad she got a warning for theft.

Noshowlomo · 01/04/2026 07:27

Gutsy wench. Next time keep them near you and let people take one at a time

Lemonthyme · 01/04/2026 07:55

I'm really glad I don't work in an office anymore. I was terrible for never resisting cakes (but would only ever have one). Some workplaces just seem to have an overabundance of unhealthy food. I'd bring fruit if it was me nowadays but then I work on my own mostly so I don't have to worry about not pi&&ing people off.

Although eating 8 cakes is rather indicative of an eating disorder. I feel pity for her not rage and would be careful about how you respond to her. "Teasing" can easily become bullying without people meaning it to.

Lemonthyme · 01/04/2026 07:57

cinnamonda · 01/04/2026 02:22

some people just have a sweet tooth, let her be. When someone drinks a whole bottle of wine or downs like 8 pints of beer or shots pretty fast, noone says they were greedy - noone bats an eye - in fact, mostly they celebrate 🥳

Well I'm tee total so I can bet you I notice and while I might not say it, I'll think that person is probably on their way to being an alcoholic if not already there.

MyDeftDuck · 01/04/2026 08:05

Next time OP, write each name on the top of the cakes in icing…..conveniently forgetting fatties name of course OR make two cakes for everyone else and only one for fattie.

Seriously though, fatties behaviour would piss me off too! I cannot stand greed and avarice. There’s a person who just happens to drop by when our groups of close friends are having a social where we all contribute a plate of food. She brings nothing but circles for the leftovers like a fucking shark! Makes me want to slap her! We have tried countless times but there’s no stopping her, it’s like she reads our minds because none of us tell her to show up.

Francestein · 01/04/2026 08:19

I bet she complains about her weight constantly too

Bitsandbobs2 · 01/04/2026 08:21

EnfysDilys · 31/03/2026 18:43

I made some Easter cakes for work colleagues today, enough for everyone with a few to spare.
One woman ate eight! She cheerfully announced this in front of everyone at lunchtime. This meant not everyone had one.
WIBU next time to leave a note reminding her to share! Or hiding them from her? Or setting an alarm around them …

Im pretty sure she's my ex colleague! 😁

RampantIvy · 01/04/2026 08:22

Next time you make cakes, use laxative chocolate, they will definitely feel the effects if they are a glutton again.

No need if they were made with shredded wheat. I expect she will be regretting it today.

Bikergran · 01/04/2026 08:27

EnfysDilys · 31/03/2026 18:53

They were Easter nest cakes 🐣 when she announced she’d had eight, a fair few people said they’d not had one cos they’d all gone, she just said she’d enjoyed them! 🤣

Greedy cow. If you do it again, I'd put up a note above them. "Please help yourself, there are enough for everyone to have one. Please do not take more than your fair share...this means you, CF."

TeethAreImportant · 01/04/2026 08:29

Merseymum1980 · 31/03/2026 19:21

Now im a big mamma these days but even i couldnt manage 8. Are you sure she hasnt hidden them as a pratical joke or something

Or hidden them to take home for her family? Eating 8 is unreal.

PatriciaRocks · 01/04/2026 08:38

RampantIvy · 01/04/2026 08:22

Next time you make cakes, use laxative chocolate, they will definitely feel the effects if they are a glutton again.

No need if they were made with shredded wheat. I expect she will be regretting it today.

True! 😁

OnlyMabelInTheBuilding · 01/04/2026 08:40

Francestein · 01/04/2026 08:19

I bet she complains about her weight constantly too

Always. And points out if you’re having a salad for lunch as if it’s ridiculous.

zanahoria · 01/04/2026 08:42

She is being very greedy and I can see how annoying it would be but if she has done this in plain sight and robbed your colleagues then I doubt they will forget it in a hurry but they will remember your generosity and lovely cakes (if they had one)

Hillarious · 01/04/2026 09:02

I have a colleague like this. She would have called herself a greedy cunt. She would have enjoyed them. She would have given others a good half hour to get to them. But if she likes something, there’s no stopping her, and we know what she’s like. She’s the most lovely, kind, generous, helpful person, but put food she likes in front of her . . .