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Food Stealers At Work

tictax707

By tictax707
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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tictax707 Apprentice
tictax707
Posted

We have at work, a shared fridge and freezer. I never put my stuff in the fridge, but because the freezer is really empty, I keep some "emergency" snacks there for me. There were two, each in a labeled container from GLUTEN FREE creations (in Arizona - I live in California mind you, so these are not easy to get). I was in there on friday and they were there and today one was GONE! I AM SO HOPPING MAD that someone would take my food. It's not like I can just run to the cafeteria and get another muffin. I am disgusted.

I am still so mad I can't even find words anymore.

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tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

I had this happen at work onc. I left a printed message on the fridge along the lines of " Dear whoever stole my food, since I have food allergies, I can't just go to the cafeteria to get something to eat, instead I get to feel hungry and crappy the st of the day. Thanks, and next time, keep your hands off my food."

Adalaide Mentor
Adalaide
Posted

I'd be steaming too. I know it doesn't help you today, or maybe ever but I'd recommend attaching a note of some sort to your snacks. Something short, to the point and very blunt about what an awful person you have to be to not only steal someone's food but to steal the food of someone who is now forced to go hungry because there are no other options. It could be extreme but a visit to HR could also be in order. There's simply no excuse for you to be hungry because of some inconsiderate jerkwad.

pricklypear1971 Community Regular
pricklypear1971
Posted

I think you should overly package your food before putting it in there.

Mark it "FECAL SPECIMEN".

Marilyn R Community Regular
Marilyn R
Posted

I had this happen at work onc. I left a printed message on the fridge along the lines of " Dear whoever stole my food, since I have food allergies, I can't just go to the cafeteria to get something to eat, instead I get to feel hungry and crappy the st of the day. Thanks, and next time, keep your hands off my food."

I'm curious...Did that work tarnalberry? I've always wondered about people who steal food from their co-workers, do they have any morals at all?

One interesting sidenote, I just adopted a 4 year old German Pinscher with food aggression issues. (At first it was with people and dogs, now it's just with dogs, we're workin' on it.) She went after a dog twice her size for taking interest in a bone she hadn't touched for over two weeks with a show of hostility that took my breath away.

So your feelings are perfectly normal, survival instinct. A visit to HR is a good suggestion. Who want's a theif and a cheat on the payroll? My company actually stuck a surveillance camera in the lunch room. Nobody ever got caught. For all I know, it wasn't a real camera, but the sneak was scared to get caught, and the thievery ended.

Liars, cheaters, theives, there's one in your group of coworkers. I'd feel noble about making an issue of it even if it wasn't about stealing my gluten-free food.

bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

I had the BOSS steal food from me once, and I caught him red handed. I threatened to go to HIS boss, and when he laughed at me it ticked me off so much I DID go to his boss. After being reprimanded, he came to me an apologised, but I still didn't trust him so I started bringing a soft sided cooler that I could put a small padlock on. I would freeze a small bottle of water and put that in the cooler to keep my food cold. As the ice in the bottle melted, I had ice cold water to drink too.

Lincoln Rookie
Lincoln
Posted

I know this is not nice but just leave some decoy muffins or something (gluten free or not) in there but remember to lace them with a decent amount of laxatives. This effectively stopped the food stealing problem I had at my workplace within a matter of days and has only resurfaced once for a VERY brief time.

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tictax707 Apprentice
tictax707
Posted
  • Author

Well, at the moment I am not feeling very nice. It seems that from multiple sources the decoy muffins are the way to go. I am a baker so I know how to make them look good. And I am going to get a mini fridge and install a lock and put it under my desk.

bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

Well, at the moment I am not feeling very nice. It seems that from multiple sources the decoy muffins are the way to go. I am a baker so I know how to make them look good. And I am going to get a mini fridge and install a lock and put it under my desk.

In the heat of anger that may sound good, but as someone with food allergies, you should know that that could make someone VERY sick. And because they already know that you are ticked off about this, it could come back on you. You might even be arrested. Go with the cooler and the padlock, and rest assured that whoever did this will get it in the end. Everything that goes around, comes around.

Jestgar Rising Star
Jestgar
Posted

In the heat of anger that may sound good, but as someone with food allergies, you should know that that could make someone VERY sick. And because they already know that you are ticked off about this, it could come back on you. You might even be arrested. Go with the cooler and the padlock, and rest assured that whoever did this will get it in the end. Everything that goes around, comes around.

Just make them with salt instead of sugar. Same unpleasant way to get your point across.

mommida Enthusiast
mommida
Posted

My food was stolen from work back in the gluten days. It was just one of those frozen meals. Come to find out another co-worker was buying the same meals and hers were being stolen too. Came to have a conversation about it when both of us were writing our names all over the box in HUGE letters. Turns out it was the cleaning crew on nights, not our co-workers.

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

Turns out it was the cleaning crew on nights, not our co-workers.

Hmmm. I worked in a place long, long ago, way before celiac disease, where the instructions to the night cleaners included emptying the fridge on Friday night, and then cleaning it. It was known if you asked, but was not prominently posted. On Monday morning the fridge was clean and empty.

sariesue Explorer
sariesue
Posted

Were they labeled with your name on it? Because if they weren't and it was left for an extended period (more than a week) of time it may have been assumed that they were forgotten about and just thrown out. If you are looking for emergency food can you keep a packaged snack at your desk, in your car, or purse instead? Then people don't have access to it.

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

Just make them with salt instead of sugar. Same unpleasant way to get your point across.

I wonder if there is a way to get that awful unripe persimmon pucker into a muffin? That would be awesomely funny.

researchmomma Contributor
researchmomma
Posted

I think you should overly package your food before putting it in there.

Mark it "FECAL SPECIMEN".

This or "BREAST MILK" works great!

tictax707 Apprentice
tictax707
Posted
  • Author

To answer a few questions... we do have rules about the fridge in terms of cleanup, but not the freezer. There were 4 (now 3) items in the freezer: my muffins, someone's ice pack, and some else's toaster waffles. It's really clean and not high traffic in the freezer. I know that someone didn't just throw them out thinking they were old because they took the whoopie pie but left the muffins. Both labeled "gluten free creations," in very similar clear containers. Many people I work with know that I am the gluten free girl around.

Ultimately I have calmed down a bit. I don't even feel like spending money on ex lax, although I still kind of like the salt idea. Oh, that could be funny.

I do keep some non-perishable stuff in my drawers as well, so I won't ever really be up a creek with *no* paddle. However the non-perishable stuff is not quite as yummy. I was upset because of the principle, :angry: and the stuff from this bakery is really really a treat for me. :( :(

And part of the irony is that I really love to bake, and I am constantly bringing in my experiments to share with people at work. Usually they disappear within the hour. Over the holidays I slowed up because I was so busy. Guess they couldn't wait, eh? :o

OH WELL.

Thanks for your thoughts and letting me vent!!

Marilyn R Community Regular
Marilyn R
Posted

Just make them with salt instead of sugar. Same unpleasant way to get your point across.

It would be fun to stick a note in there too, like they do with fotune cookies, but I'm not sure if ink is toxic or not. A thin strip of paper with an anger appropriate message could be fun. Something like "Inconsiderate jerk, stay away from my food or ELSE. This is a warning muffin, Hope you hated it." Or maybe after sticking the salt muffins in the frig or freezer, you could annonymously post a sign on the refrigerator.

Katrala Contributor
Katrala
Posted

I think a better route would be to make muffins from Bob's Red Mill with bean flour and leave them for the food thieves. Make sure to mark them "gluten-free" .. that should scare them from ever trying gluten-free marked food again. :D

bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

I think a better route would be to make muffins from Bob's Red Mill with bean flour and leave them for the food thieves. Make sure to mark them "gluten-free" .. that should scare them from ever trying gluten-free marked food again. :D

Te-he. You could also make a sandwich using Ener-G rice or tapioca bread. :lol:

mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

Te-he. You could also make a sandwich using Ener-G rice or tapioca bread. :lol:

I don't think ANYONE would steal that!

tictax707 Apprentice
tictax707
Posted
  • Author

LOL!!! So true!! I'd make a big huge sandwich with lots of meat and good extras, and then the e-nerg bread. Or a rich rich chocolate brownie with ONLY bean flour. I'd know who the culprit is for sure because we'd smell him/her tooting away in a short while. double whammy. ;)

Debbie48 Rookie
Debbie48
Posted

That seems to make complete sense. Someone like the cleaning crew. They may even actually truly need the meal to have something to eat for themselves or a family member. However, one never knows for sure.

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