'I can’t help but feel a little bit guilty': Rare plant aficionado confiscates office plants from coworkers

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Jun 26, 2024 11:00 AM EDT

This person isn't sure how to feel about their office plants suddenly being redistributed by their coworkers. 

The plant people of the world, those with green thumbs, often develop a close bond with their plants. They're living things that thrive with sunlight and water, and unlike pets, they don't need constant attention. You can give your plant a name and talk to it, which is apparently good for the little sprout. If you're especially good at keeping your plants alive and thriving, it becomes a point of pride, which is something that u/Any_Strain_3673 would know all about. 

This person loves plants so much that they brought a bunch of them to the office with them. That requires putting a lot of trust in the coworkers of their office! A lot of people have black thumbs… they think that plants need way more water than they actually do, or they'll take it upon themselves to give the plant full sun when it needs a bit of shade. This person brought some of their rare plants into the office and then left them for a week! They realized that their plants had been moved around, and decided to ask r/AmItheA****** what they should do next. 

Up next, one retail worker shared four stories of exceptionally petty revenge they got on some of their worst customers, including one customer who thought she'd peel all the clearance tags and relabel clothing. 

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  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10365967104
    via Samule Sun on Unsplash
  • 02
    AITA for stealing back my office plants? Hey Reddit, first time poster here. If you knew me personally, you would know that I am an avid plant person. I love taking care of plants, and I tend to spend a ridiculous amount of money buying rare plants. Plants are my hobby, and everyone in my office has dubbed me the office plant lady.
    via u/Any_Strain_3673
  • 03
    My boss asked if I would help cover another office that was short staffed, I agreed since I would only be out of my office for a week. I watered all my plants before leaving, and didn't give them another thought.
    via u/Any_Strain_3673
  • 04
    When I got back from helping the other office, I noticed that all of my plants had been disbursed around the office, not just near the window, where I had them previously. My coworker had moved my plants from my station to her station, and my manager had claimed my larger (and very rare) plant for her office.
    via u/Any_Strain_3673
  • 05
    I was peeved, because I was gone for a week and it's as if my plants were up for dibs. So I wordlessly moved my plants back in front of my station, and moved my rare plant from my managers office to where I had it before.
    via u/Any_Strain_3673
  • 06
    Even if I had humored my manager and let the plant stay there, it would not have lasted long because my managers office has no natural lighting, and I paid too much for the plant to watch it slowly die from lack of sun.
    via u/Any_Strain_3673
  • 07
    My coworkers made some comments about me taking back my plants, but I just casually shrugged and said "sorry, these are my babies. I like to look at them where they are."
    via u/Any_Strain_3673
  • 08
    I paid for all my plants myself, but I can't help but feel a little bit guilty for taking them back. AITA?
    via u/Any_Strain_3673
  • 09
    C_Majuscula NTA. If they were company provided, you would still have a bit of an argument. Those are YOUR plants. This is no different from your coworkers and manager going into your purse, taking your charging cords, or swiping your desk calendar.
    via u/C_Majuscula
  • 10
    Expressing Thou... NTA - your coworker and bosses are AH for touching and stealing your personal property. Unless they wanted to keep them safe while you were away?
    via u/Any_Strain_3673
  • 11
    emi_delaguerra I worked at a company that was bought out. On the first Monday of the new owners, all my plants were gone. I almost quit on the spot. They said "oh we thought they were the office plants, I'll bring them back, it's no big deal" They came back trimmed and in different pots. I was so mad. You are NTA, friend.
    via u/emi_delaguerra
  • 12
    OldGmaw2023 Take your expensive plant home and any others you are fond of. In case someone spite pours saltwater into them. If you are inclined, buy them a cheap starter plant so they can find out raising one to be a nice huge plant takes time and care.
    via u/OldGmaw2023
  • 13
    ArrrWalkThePlank Apparently you work in an office full of AH's, but heck no, you're not one. Maybe bring in some poison ivy and give it to your coworkers as a peace offering, then sit back and enjoy the itchshow
    via u/ArrrWalkThePlank
  • 14
    holisarcasm NTA. I would have a closed door discussion with your manager. "Hey, I was shocked to come back and find my plants scattered all over the office. How did that happen?" Listen. "I am not sure if you are aware that
    via u/holisarcasm
  • 15
    many of those plants are difficult to come by and you can kill an indoor plant just by moving to a less ideal place with conditions it does not like."
    via u/holisarcasm
  • 16
    Flimsy-Wolverin... Take them home, at least the rare one. Oh, and even if you don't, you're probably effed at the workplace. People are going to resent you, possibly the manager will turn on you; there really is no way to fix this. Did the rest of the office know you'd be back?
    via u/Flimsy-Wolverine-663
  • 17
    Because taking your property while you were helping out another part of your company was really low. And your manager apparently led the steal, commandeering the valuable plant. Update your resume, and rethink having anything other than geraniums at your workplace. You're NTA, but this sort of thing leads. to gossip and backbiting.
    via u/Flimsy-Wolverine-663
  • 18
    DolwantToKnow... Tell them how nice it is that they share your interest in plants, and then proceed to give them the address where they can buy their own.. NTA
    via u/DolwantToKnow6417

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