Breakroom refrigerator theft

Published

Both of my jobs have signs on the fridge from exasperated coworkers telling people to stop stealing the food of others.

Seriously? If it's not yours, don't take it folks. If you forgot your food, do not, I repeat, DO NOT steal the food of others.

And on a related topic, please take your rotting leftovers out of the fridge after a month or two, ok?

Specializes in Surgery.

I actually caught someone red handed sitting in the break room halfway through eating my food. I confronted her immediately. This B had the audacity to say, "But I forgot to bring food and I'm hungry." I yelled, "I'M HUNGRY TOO AND YOU ATE MY FOOD! WHAT DO I EAT NOW?" Ugh. She looked like she didn't get it. Selfish. I made her give me $10. She argued that my basic lunch probably didn't cost me $10. I said, "We'll, it's costing you $10."

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

Sorry, but you KNOW about your IBS, YOU need to be on top of having some crackers to take care of the physical ache. Stay out of my stash!!

I think we have a major issue in that we can't figure out how to feed hospital personnel. Yes I have put things in refrigerators and had it missing, but I also have wandered in the wee hours of the night searching for a bit of cream to put in my coffee or had my stomach be physically hurting because I need a cracker. ( I have IBS) so my relationship to food is already different. it is because of this that if someone takes something I put in the refrigerator I am ok with it. It is just a little food and I really don't mind sharing. I figure is someone takes food it must be a need.

I notice too that prior to working in the hospital, extended care areas, nursing specifically, my coworkers and I rarely worried about things like that. We usually ordered out and shared. Maybe there was an occasional comment or joke about who brings the coffee or a little fund was started for such ,but it never really an issue.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I actually caught someone red handed sitting in the break room halfway through eating my food. I confronted her immediately. This B had the audacity to say, "But I forgot to bring food and I'm hungry." I yelled, "I'M HUNGRY TOO AND YOU ATE MY FOOD! WHAT DO I EAT NOW?" Ugh. She looked like she didn't get it. Selfish. I made her give me $10. She argued that my basic lunch probably didn't cost me $10. I said, "We'll, it's costing you $10."

Good for you!

Years ago, when we were still allowed to eat at the nurse's station, I got called away in the middle of my lunch to deal with a patient's arrhythmias. When I returned, there were two residents sitting at the station, finishing off my lunch. I blurted "I cannot BELIEVE you a$$holes are my lunch.

"Well it was just sitting here," said one of them while the other jumped up and started apologizing.

I was so angry I started to tell him exactly what I thought about such despicable behavior as stealing food from a colleague. He apologized (half heartedly, as though he really didn't get it) and fled. I went back to my patient. When I emerged from my patient's room and went back to the nurse's station, there was a salad sitting there from a popular nearby restaurant with my name on it and a note apologizing for "my colleague's bad behavior." The next day, take-out from the same restaurant with a note from the original offender with a note that basically said "I'm sorry you got upset."

Time passes, and residents finish their programs and become attendings. The offender didn't stay on at our teaching hospital, but his friend became chief resident. When he'd bring a bunch of newbie docs by to introduce them to the ICU nurses, he never failed to say "hands off the nurse's food. The nurses can help you or hurt you, but if you steal from them they certainly aren't go out of their way to help you."

Only once did I hear anyone say anything to the effect of "just taking a little food isn't stealing."

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No I don't help myself to anything that does not belong to me. I have many dietary limitations. I have had serious stomach issues since childhood. I have found myself because of this wishing there was a cracker or hot soup or coffee at times, just because I feel so horrible. I think that if someone takes food that I bring it's no biggie. Maybe it is someone that is in a pinch. I think if another nurse or CNA takes some food perhaps in the middle of the night, I can live with that. I do see the signs all over the place and am very happy to just avoid the whole refrigerator thing. I have a different relationship with food than most people.

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I think we have a major issue in that we can't figure out how to feed hospital personnel. Yes I have put things in refrigerators and had it missing, but I also have wandered in the wee hours of the night searching for a bit of cream to put in my coffee or had my stomach be physically hurting because I need a cracker. ( I have IBS) so my relationship to food is already different. it is because of this that if someone takes something I put in the refrigerator I am ok with it. It is just a little food and I really don't mind sharing. I figure is someone takes food it must be a need.

I notice too that prior to working in the hospital, extended care areas, nursing specifically, my coworkers and I rarely worried about things like that. We usually ordered out and shared. Maybe there was an occasional comment or joke about who brings the coffee or a little fund was started for such ,but it never really an issue.

Cost can be a problem for some people. Ordering out gets costly.

It is just plain stealing to take someone else's food.

If you work Nights, good luck in some facilities finding somewhere to easily obtain food once yours is stolen.

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Here's a solution. Place crushed niacin tablets into a tempting drink. The co-worker who appears beat red and thinks they are dying is a fridge thief. You can also try this with a large dose of vitamin c but you might not notice someone with diarrhea as easily

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.

At the last place I worked (a detention center), a coworker up & stole some of my lunch. I was pregnant & the time so I was starving by the time my break came around. That stupid little twit just laughed, told me she didn't see a name on it & that she would replace my meal.

Did she? No. Was I pissed? Oh hell yeah! You don't mess with a pregnant lady's food! But of course, I said nothing. I wanted to cuss her out. But what good would that have done?

People suck. Lazy & entitled people suck more.

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I left a restaurant leftover in the fridge one time. Someone on the cleaning crew ate it and left the empty styrofoam container in the fridge. That's when we discovered the cleaning crew was also napping in the lounge chairs during the night shift.

( outpatient recovery room )

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No I don't help myself to anything that does not belong to me. I have many dietary limitations. I have had serious stomach issues since childhood. I have found myself because of this wishing there was a cracker or hot soup or coffee at times, just because I feel so horrible. I think that if someone takes food that I bring it's no biggie. Maybe it is someone that is in a pinch. I think if another nurse or CNA takes some food perhaps in the middle of the night, I can live with that. I do see the signs all over the place and am very happy to just avoid the whole refrigerator thing. I have a different relationship with food than most people.

I can't believe that after all this you still don't get it. YOU don't think it's a big deal so I really hope that everyone in the hospital who feels in need of a snack or a full meal goes to your lunch bag instead of mine! I don't think that you have a different relationship with food than most people, that's nonsense. You don't know who also has IBS, who has a very restrictive diet that requires that they eat specific things at specific times. You don't know who is on very limited funds and the soup you took from them was all that they were going to eat for another 10 hours! You don't know that your need for food is more important than someone else's need for food! you can wish for hot soup because you didn't bring any but you can't take mine! I have an important relationship with food too in that if I don't eat when I need to eat I can get SO hungry I just about vomit. Stomach cramps because of hunger have plagued me all my life and you think it's ok to take my food because you feel you need it more? How did you convince yourself this is the right thing to do???? I'm sorry if sometimes your condition makes you feel horrible but I'd have to say that it's your responsibility to plan for it since you know about it, you can't make me suffer instead of you!! IF you were my coworker and said Hey I'm super hungry so hungry I don't feel well can I have a piece of your sandwich of course I'm going to say yes! I wouldn't dream of saying No. But just taking it??? Not ok ever.

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Specializes in Psych, Addiction.
I've had labeled food stolen before made me so hopping mad. I ended up spending 3x as much buying a substandard meal from one of the cafes. Now if I don't eat my frozen meal that day I take it home and bring it back in.[/quote']

And you shouldn't even have to label it!! Omg people if you didn't bring it, don't eat it!! Name labels on food should be completely unnecessary!

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Call the waaambulance

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Specializes in Hospice, Geriatrics.

Forget the food and items stolen. These are the people we work with. What does that say about those people? If they steal food and items, or if they let food rot in the fridge, what in heaven's name do they do other places? What do their homes look like? What does that say about HR and their hiring assessments? I can't imagine taking something that wasn't mine. They also apparently have no fear of being caught because it could easily happen. I don't know. It's just sad that people are so rude.

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