Employee Notices Her Food Going Missing, Installs A Nanny Cam And Catches The Shameless Thief
You may wonder, what kind of sociopath would think of taking a colleague’s lunch? Well, let me tell you, stolen food mysteries at the office are really part of the package you get when signing that blessed and very cursed contract.
In fact, a survey has shown that a whopping 47% of workers have been a victim to a lunch thief, and 33% of workers admit to “having a bite, or two, or the whole lunch box” of coworkers’ food without permission.
But one Reddit user with “a lot of food allergies,” little free time thanks to a newborn at home, and even less sleep has had enough of her stolen snack hoard. The woman who shared her story on r/ProRevenge has been keeping nonperishable food at her desk, but after a while, she started noticing the sweet and savory goodness going missing.
From boxes of candy to bags of chips, you name it, “I genuinely thought I was just losing my mind,” she said. So she went on Amazon and got a nanny cam, “Not for my baby. For my snack hoard.” The results were instant, and the mystery has been resolved with a shocking discovery.
One office worker has had enough of getting her snacks snatched from her desk, so she installed a nanny cam and made a shocking discovery
Image credits: hamandeggerfiles
Image credits: unknown
To find out about the psychology behind why people steal their coworkers’ stuff, Bored Panda reached out to Arthur Markman, a professor of Psychology and Marketing at the University of Texas at Austin and Founding Director of the Program in the Human Dimensions of Organizations.
“Most people want to think of themselves as generally good, so most lunch thefts involve taking food from a communal spot like an office refrigerator rather than from someone’s desk,” the professor said and continued: “That said, it is common for people who bring food regularly to work to report that some of their food gets eaten by someone else without permission.”
When asked where temptation to take food from one’s coworkers comes from, Arthur named several reasons. “Some people feel like they are mistreated at work (underpaid, overworked) and see taking food as a way to even the score. Some people feel like other people who put food in a communal space know the risks that some of their food might get eaten. Some people are just hungry and looking for a quick bite.”
In some cases, “a few people are just not nice people, but most people who steal their colleagues’ food think of themselves as doing something relatively harmless,” the psychology professor explained.
Interestingly, people who steal food from their colleagues find ways to minimize the sense of guilt or shame. “They typically do something easy (like taking food from the refrigerator or taking something from an open package). They often do something they hope won’t be noticed. So, they rarely open an unopened package or take the last of something.”
Arthur said that “They also look for other justifications. If you think you’re being mistreated at work, then stealing food is just ‘leveling the playing field’ rather than being something you’re doing wrong,” he concluded.
Bored Panda also spoke to Alison Green, a professional work advisor and book author who runs the hugely popular “Ask A Manager” project. She believes that some people are willing to take food from their coworkers “because at some level they see what’s in the office fridge as communal resources—like the way the mustard might be! Or they think the person won’t miss it.”
Another reason may be that “they’ve seen that Lean Cuisine in the freezer for two weeks now so they think it’s been abandoned and no one will notice or care if they take it—which of course will end up being the day its owner goes looking for it.” In some cases, Alison said it’s “is just antisocial behavior—people taking something just because they want it and think they’ll get away with it.”
If someone is taking your food at the office, Alison suggests “labeling it with your name or a note, but that won’t always work if you have a determined thief,” she said and added: “I did once hear from someone who put her lunch in a brown bag in the fridge labeled ‘breast milk’ and no one ever touched it again.”
And here’s what people had to comment on this office mystery
130Kviews
Share on FacebookCan anyone explain the mentality of thinking you can just help yourself to anything that takes your fancy? This got brought up in the airline post about people wandering into the galley and helping themselves to the air stewards' lunches as well! WTF is going through these people's tiny minds?
They don't think, that's the problem. Paraphrased conversation I had with a thieving roommate: Me - "Why did eat the chicken that was in the freezer?" TR - "I was hungry." Me: Did it ever occur to you that the person who BOUGHT the chicken might get hungry, too?" TR - "No."
Load More Replies...We had a sandwich thief in our office who thought it was really great to eat my turkey sandwiches. Sourdough with turkey breast, havarti, lettuce and mayo. This kept happening over and over again. The final time it happened, I left a surprise for him. A nice slathering of Wasabi that, on the sandwich, looked like avocado. I heard havoc in the break room and someone bolting towards the bathroom. When I asked who it was, the first shift lunch crew pointed out a young accounts rep. I told my supervisor who called him into the office and told him if anything else went missing in the fridge, he'd be fired.
That's exactly what I would have done. Don't mess with MY food ☺.
Load More Replies...I see no need to explain WHY yo need your food for yourself. It’s yours. And to steal it is not okay. It’s not okay to install a cam and monitoring your colleges also, at least in my country.
This cam was not monitoring her colleagues, it was just monitoring her desk, and only outside working hours. Still illegal, but I think that's acceptable as a last resort, seeing that nothing was done to solve the issue.
Load More Replies...We had a similar problem, but in our case, it was little things going missing from desks - headphones, a couple computer mice, even pens. One of the IT guys left some headphones out as bait and set up his laptop to record video - a few days later he caught the thief. It was a "friend" of one of the night cleaners who went around and helped himself to whatever he could find using her badge for access throughout the building. The police were called and the company immediately terminated the contract with the cleaning company and found a new one. About half the missing stuff was recovered.
The other side of this is worse. I worked in an office, nothing was taken, if it was left in the fridge, it stayed there. Fine, but staff members who left for another job would forget the food in the fridge, and three months later a toxic sandwich box is not a nice thing!
Our fridges are emptied and cleaned every 3 days, they usually send an email reminding us that from 5pm they'll be emptying and cleaning the fridges so if you have anything in them this is your chance of retrieving it - anything left in the fridges (lunch boxes/bags, tupperware, thermos) will be put in the trash, obviously nobody wants their things put in the trash so people are really good about retrieving their things before the cleaning crew goes to town on the fridges. You should suggest a fridge cleaning schedule for your work, it would help with avoiding 3 month old toxic lunch boxes.
Load More Replies...Want some creative revenge? Use Haribo Sugar-Free Gummy Bears. One time down THAT rabbit hole an your thief will NEVER steal food again.
We had a similar issue back when I had a corporate job, a thief was terrorizing the whole of the west wing on the 1st floor stealing snacks, so 4 of us decided to do a collective weekly snack shop and keep it in my office UNDER LOCK AND KEY since my file cabinets all had locks (I worked in human resources) - anytime anyone of them wanted a snack they would come to my office, open the bottom giant drawer of my file cabinet and pick their poison and whenever I was not in the office that file cabinet was LOCKED so no chance of getting anything stolen. Eventually the measure was so popular that 3 more people joined the club, we had a massive amount and variety of snacks - we would all contribute and replenish every week.
This was happening in our office, too. Only it was several people's desks and their personal stuff. In my office, it was markers and art supplies that were missing, left uncapped to dry and ruin, etc. Our boss set up nanny cams and revealed that the cleaning crew brought their kids in in the evenings and turned them loose in our department. The children were left unsupervised and would eat whatever they could find, play in my office, use my art supplies, and at the end of the shift, the cleaning would return and straighten up as best she could, take any "art" they made with her and go.
I also am the person who eats specialty foods (like non-allergen / vegan) and usually this helps deter people from even wanting to steal. Tell someone a banana is allergen free or vegan and they won’t want it lol. Also if you invite people to share or take whatever they want, it usually slows them down a little since they don’t have to sneak. In this woman’s case that wasn’t really possible though. It’s good that she caught the thief.
In college, I was on the 10-meal plan, that is to say, 2 meals a day from Monday through Friday, and I'd cook for myself on the weekend. My roommate was on the 21-meal plan: 3 meals a day every day. She habitually stole my food which, literally, was all I had to eat on the weekends. I finally had to get a locking cabinet.
Please dont steal, and if you do, dont be so fricken obvious about it, its just rude and mean and you will get caught.
Once our office building was due to evacuated from a bomb threat and the dog squad went through the building. After that the bowl of sweets that was in our department was a lot emptier. So be it, they deserved it.
could buy yourself with that hottest chili chocolate bar to trap and teach him a lesson.
At my work place now we are not allowed to leave food in the staff room because other people was just helping themselves. It annoys me because you didn't pay for it so why eat it.
I can't believe how common this is. It is the equivalent of stealing, it comes out of your groceries doesn't it? Hell some of you are nice. I'm putting in laxatives, not wasabi. Will never happen twice!
How was this janitor's home life? I wonder if they were struggling for food. Stealing is bad, yes. but I wonder if more isn't going on here.
I don't think you have an expectation of privacy in a public workspace. There are already security cameras
Load More Replies...In my office we share foods, snacks and we also share them with our janitor. She works hard and much lower wages. Tho, those were from our permission.
Load More Replies...Well, what did he expect? That he was going to get away with it and be fine and dandy?
Load More Replies...Can anyone explain the mentality of thinking you can just help yourself to anything that takes your fancy? This got brought up in the airline post about people wandering into the galley and helping themselves to the air stewards' lunches as well! WTF is going through these people's tiny minds?
They don't think, that's the problem. Paraphrased conversation I had with a thieving roommate: Me - "Why did eat the chicken that was in the freezer?" TR - "I was hungry." Me: Did it ever occur to you that the person who BOUGHT the chicken might get hungry, too?" TR - "No."
Load More Replies...We had a sandwich thief in our office who thought it was really great to eat my turkey sandwiches. Sourdough with turkey breast, havarti, lettuce and mayo. This kept happening over and over again. The final time it happened, I left a surprise for him. A nice slathering of Wasabi that, on the sandwich, looked like avocado. I heard havoc in the break room and someone bolting towards the bathroom. When I asked who it was, the first shift lunch crew pointed out a young accounts rep. I told my supervisor who called him into the office and told him if anything else went missing in the fridge, he'd be fired.
That's exactly what I would have done. Don't mess with MY food ☺.
Load More Replies...I see no need to explain WHY yo need your food for yourself. It’s yours. And to steal it is not okay. It’s not okay to install a cam and monitoring your colleges also, at least in my country.
This cam was not monitoring her colleagues, it was just monitoring her desk, and only outside working hours. Still illegal, but I think that's acceptable as a last resort, seeing that nothing was done to solve the issue.
Load More Replies...We had a similar problem, but in our case, it was little things going missing from desks - headphones, a couple computer mice, even pens. One of the IT guys left some headphones out as bait and set up his laptop to record video - a few days later he caught the thief. It was a "friend" of one of the night cleaners who went around and helped himself to whatever he could find using her badge for access throughout the building. The police were called and the company immediately terminated the contract with the cleaning company and found a new one. About half the missing stuff was recovered.
The other side of this is worse. I worked in an office, nothing was taken, if it was left in the fridge, it stayed there. Fine, but staff members who left for another job would forget the food in the fridge, and three months later a toxic sandwich box is not a nice thing!
Our fridges are emptied and cleaned every 3 days, they usually send an email reminding us that from 5pm they'll be emptying and cleaning the fridges so if you have anything in them this is your chance of retrieving it - anything left in the fridges (lunch boxes/bags, tupperware, thermos) will be put in the trash, obviously nobody wants their things put in the trash so people are really good about retrieving their things before the cleaning crew goes to town on the fridges. You should suggest a fridge cleaning schedule for your work, it would help with avoiding 3 month old toxic lunch boxes.
Load More Replies...Want some creative revenge? Use Haribo Sugar-Free Gummy Bears. One time down THAT rabbit hole an your thief will NEVER steal food again.
We had a similar issue back when I had a corporate job, a thief was terrorizing the whole of the west wing on the 1st floor stealing snacks, so 4 of us decided to do a collective weekly snack shop and keep it in my office UNDER LOCK AND KEY since my file cabinets all had locks (I worked in human resources) - anytime anyone of them wanted a snack they would come to my office, open the bottom giant drawer of my file cabinet and pick their poison and whenever I was not in the office that file cabinet was LOCKED so no chance of getting anything stolen. Eventually the measure was so popular that 3 more people joined the club, we had a massive amount and variety of snacks - we would all contribute and replenish every week.
This was happening in our office, too. Only it was several people's desks and their personal stuff. In my office, it was markers and art supplies that were missing, left uncapped to dry and ruin, etc. Our boss set up nanny cams and revealed that the cleaning crew brought their kids in in the evenings and turned them loose in our department. The children were left unsupervised and would eat whatever they could find, play in my office, use my art supplies, and at the end of the shift, the cleaning would return and straighten up as best she could, take any "art" they made with her and go.
I also am the person who eats specialty foods (like non-allergen / vegan) and usually this helps deter people from even wanting to steal. Tell someone a banana is allergen free or vegan and they won’t want it lol. Also if you invite people to share or take whatever they want, it usually slows them down a little since they don’t have to sneak. In this woman’s case that wasn’t really possible though. It’s good that she caught the thief.
In college, I was on the 10-meal plan, that is to say, 2 meals a day from Monday through Friday, and I'd cook for myself on the weekend. My roommate was on the 21-meal plan: 3 meals a day every day. She habitually stole my food which, literally, was all I had to eat on the weekends. I finally had to get a locking cabinet.
Please dont steal, and if you do, dont be so fricken obvious about it, its just rude and mean and you will get caught.
Once our office building was due to evacuated from a bomb threat and the dog squad went through the building. After that the bowl of sweets that was in our department was a lot emptier. So be it, they deserved it.
could buy yourself with that hottest chili chocolate bar to trap and teach him a lesson.
At my work place now we are not allowed to leave food in the staff room because other people was just helping themselves. It annoys me because you didn't pay for it so why eat it.
I can't believe how common this is. It is the equivalent of stealing, it comes out of your groceries doesn't it? Hell some of you are nice. I'm putting in laxatives, not wasabi. Will never happen twice!
How was this janitor's home life? I wonder if they were struggling for food. Stealing is bad, yes. but I wonder if more isn't going on here.
I don't think you have an expectation of privacy in a public workspace. There are already security cameras
Load More Replies...In my office we share foods, snacks and we also share them with our janitor. She works hard and much lower wages. Tho, those were from our permission.
Load More Replies...Well, what did he expect? That he was going to get away with it and be fine and dandy?
Load More Replies...
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