Who's eating my lunch????

lostinrates

krlyr wrote: »

Can't say I've ever been tempted to pick someone's lunch leftovers off their desk and eat them!

No, I wouldn't either. But if a colleague I was friendly with and didn't know was a thief was saying ' mm, this cake I have for my lunch is delicious try a little ' I might have a nibble on invitation. I probably wouldn't but I can see it being plausible and not abhorrent.

daisiegg

codemonkey wrote: »

Not that I'd ever advocate going down the laxative route but if you were to, This might be a good bet. (Read the reviews).

Thief eats the scrummy gummy bears. Thief gets punished. You say innocently that you had no idea they had a laxative effect.

Oh those reviews are hilarious!

topdaddy_2

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

I would veer more towards the "doing something to the food that would identify the thief" attitude. That way I would know exactly who they are.

The best solution involves making them ill AND positively identifying them.

I would ignore comments about people wondering if it would "come back on them" personally. If a thief found themselves ill from having nicked my food and then tried to complain that I had made them ill then I'm sure the standard reaction would amount to "Cheek of the Devil. First they want to steal OP's food, then they want to complain about being punished for it:eek:". It wouldn't do their job/career any good whatsoever to be seen as someone who was both a thief and a complainer when they got their just deserts.

There is a very very easy remedy for Complaining Thief Syndrome. That is, go to the boss and explain exactly why Thief is ill in the first place.

this cook some thing thats a week out if date. Then watch as they reap what they sow.

ohreally

yvonne13 wrote: »

As far as I know it's only my lunch that keeps going missing

Lick it and let everyone know.

If the food still goes missing you have a bigger problem.

Gigervamp

Bogof_Babe wrote: »

It seems to be the meat item that is repeatedly stolen. Are any of your colleagues omnivores married to a vegetarian who makes their lunch pack up? You get my drift with this.... .

That's a possibility. I used to know a couple. The wife was a veggie and wouldn't allow any meat in the house. The husband loved coming to our bbqs! He would end up taking over the cooking and eating as much meat as he could! :rotfl:

skintchick

I had this issue once in an office where I was on a short-term contract and someone kept stealing my cereal. In the end I sent an email round the entire office, fairly lighthearted, pointing out I was pregnant and making out they were starving my baby by nicking my cereal.

No-one replied (although lots of people told me they thought it was hilarious to read) but it stopped the problem. My cereal remained untouched thereafter.

Just call them out on it by group email, and if it continues you can send another one. I think once they realise everyone knows, and that people will be looking out for it, they will stop.

You could even just email asking everyone to help you catch the lunch thief. If they feel watched they won't do it.

minerva_windsong

Personally I think it's weird that they're specifically taking the animal products rather than the whole lunch, but I can't think why you would nick that. All I can come up with is someone with an iron/calcium shortage and can't afford supplements or extra food themselves, an angry vegetarian/vegan, or someone with a religious view about meat consumption, and all of those just sound too odd to actually happen.

I am fully aware it falls into slightly dodgy territory, but could you 'accidentally' overspice something? Too much chilli/garlic/curry powder etc? I'm not talking lacing it with ghost chillies but just an extra shake or two than you might usually put in for that recipe. Of course there is then the issue that the person might have a high spice tolerance so it might not affect them (and if you don't then this could backfire) but it certainly seems less risky than laxatives for example.

As a safer option, I'd go for the cashbox/coolbag - and be very vocal about it when people ask why you're doing it. Speaking up might get others to say 'oh yeah, this has happened to me as well' and kind of draw the thief out so to speak. Granted it's not good that you have to initiate it, but it could stop other people's stuff going missing (if it is).

aggypanthus wrote: »

are you brave enough to address everyone en masse, and ask for it to stop?

Actually that's not the worst idea - can you ask your office manager/receptionist to send an email round about stealing food from the fridge? If the thief thinks they've been spotted it could stop them doing it again.

savingmummy

How annoying!
I have no advise but the idea of letting everyone know via email or noticeboard notice is a good one, they will indeed feel less confident helping themselves!!

coolcait

As this discussion has gone on, I'm quite surprised to see how few of the responses suggest publicising the problem.


From personal experience, that is by far the best solution.


Do it in a "more in sorrow than in anger" way, and you also get to keep the moral high ground.


Your colleagues will fill in the gaps, take forward the outrage - including their descriptions of the kind of person who steals another's lunch - and all the while you can be gently understanding.


In my workplace it certainly stopped the food thieving. For now anyway.

PasturesNew

How often do you go to get your food? Do you put it in, then take it out at lunchtime and eat it? Or are you a serial dipper?

If you're a "once only" then use cheap cable ties to keep it shut until you want to open it (then cut it off)..... if you're a serial dipper then I'd keep it with an ice-pack block under the desk or get some small bag with a small padlock/combination lock to keep the box in.