28-year-old brings lunch to work in Pokémon lunchbox, retaliates when his coworker teases him about it: 'He should worry less about my lunchbox and more about his own life'

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Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Feb 20, 2025 6:00 PM EST

Much like your family, coworkers are people that you don't choose (unless you happen to be the one doing the interviewing). Unlike family, though, there is much less motivation to find a good reason to like them.

Beyond performing the basic pleasantries to keep your job safe, many people shy away from bonding with coworkers, not least because they can sometimes turn out to be massive weirdos. You may have to be in the same space as them eight hours a day, but that doesn't necessarily facilitate bonding.

Of course, some people are blessed with instances where they really bond with their colleagues, but this doesn't always happen. In fact, there are occasions when they will take issue with the strangest things about you that don't have much relevance to how you do your job. Some individuals like nothing more than to make a problem out of nothing in the workplace, and it is something that has to be faced head on.

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    Cheezburger Image 10470423552
    via Caroline Attwood

  • This is something that one employee found himself forced to do after a coworker, Matt, decided that he didn't like his lunchbox. For years, he has used the same Pokémon lunchbox for work, but his older colleague insisted this was childish and unprofessional to both him and other coworkers. Understandably, he eventually retaliated but some other people he worked with thought he had gone too far.

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    AITAH for refusing to stop using my "embarrassing" lunchbox at work?

    I (28M) bring my lunch to work every day in a bright blue Pokémon lunchbox. I've had it for years, and I don't think much about it—it's just the perfect size, keeps my food cold, and honestly, I think it's kinda fun. Recently, a new coworker, Matt (35M), started making comments about it. At first, it was just joking around-stuff like, "Nice lunchbox, dude, my kid has the same one." Whatever, I laughed it off. But then he kept bringing it up, saying it was "unprofessional" and that I should "grow
    via TheSkaldofBass
  • 03
    I told him I didn't see the issue and that it's literally just a lunchbox. But last week, he took it further, telling me in front of our coworkers that it was "weird for a grown man to be carrying around kid stuff." I told him he should worry less about my lunchbox and more about his own life.
    via TheSkaldofBass
  • 04
    Now he's been acting cold toward me, and a couple of coworkers said I was being too harsh, that he was just "messing around." But I don't see why I should change something harmless just because one guy thinks it's weird. AITAH?
    via TheSkaldofBass
  • 05

    Commenters were on his side.

    Space_Toast Cadet Super weird that he feels the need to control a coworker's lunch box choices. Sounds like he needs a different hobby. NTA
    via Space_Toast_Cadet
  • 06
    Comfortable-Tiger346 No. You do you, Matt has issues.
    via Comfortable-Tiger346
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    Resident-Rhubarb8372 I regularly wear my pikachu backpack out and about. Also in my 30s. Don't let anyone beat the inner child out of you in my experience that inner child is the best part of most people I meet
    via Resident-Rhubarb8372
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    Resident-Rhubarb8372 P.s he's probably jealous of your sick lunchbox
    via Resident-Rhubarb8372
  • 09
    Mega-Pints This can't really be about a Pokémon lunchbox. Has to have some underlying control issues there. Call it out, makes it less powerful. "Why are you fixated on my lunchbox? Grown men being obsessed with my lunchbox isn't normal."
    via Mega-Pints
  • 10
    Goat-chicken-show My completely made-up theory - Matt is a lunch thief who is jealous of OPs lunches but knows he can't snaffle them because everyone would recognize him digging in a lunchbox that is obviously not his.
    via Goat-chicken-show
  • 11
    AutisticTumourGirl Yeah, he said a grown man carrying that lunch box was weird. What's weird is a grown man being obsessed with someone else's choice of container to lug food around in. Why tf does it matter, like, at all? There has to be some jealousy there over other things and the lunchbox just happens to be an easy thing to target. This guy sounds like a professional bu¨y.
    via AutisticTumourGirl
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    AdEmbarrassed9719 it's amazing when someone shows you that they are SO insecure, that they are insecure on behalf of other people who aren't!
    via AdEmbarrassed9719
  • 13
    R2face I came here to say this. I work in a warehouse and one of my coworkers has a TMNT turtle shell backpack. Another guy made fun of him for it. All he had to say was "it's weird how much you think about my backpack, dude." Never heard about his backpack again.
    via R2face
  • 14
    AccurateSession1354 My husband has a hello kitty lunchbox I bought him as a joke. He brings it to work proudly every day and anyone who gives him sh he laughs at. He works for the navy building their submarines so definitely has some "masculine men" there and 90 percent of them don't give a
    via AccurateSession1354
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    TooManyNosyFriends My husband's phone case is pink with hearts. He uses it proudly. He wanted to show our daughter that men can rock pink.
    via TooManyNosyFriends
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    Subspaceisgoodspace I have a sparkly unicorn water bottle. No one steals it. It always finds its way back to me. Matt is trying to put you down and be mean. Ignore him.
    via Subspaceisgoodspace
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    teresajs NTA Folks in my office have small collections of Happy Meals toys and bobbleheads and sci Fi posters and stuff. Matt has control issues.
    via teresajs
  • 18
    SparrowLikeBird NTA "sorry you can't afford a pokemon lunchbox bro, have you tried working 12 minutes of OT?"
    via SparrowLikeBird
  • 19
    eeyorethechaotic NTA mines monsters Inc. In my 40s. Tell him to grow up and stop being so judgemental.
    via eeyorethechaotic
  • 20
    Full-Suggestion-1320 It's unprofessional to buy a collegue for having a fun lunch box or any other item they may own. NTA and escalate to HR because Matt is a problem person
    via Full-Suggestion-1320
  • 21
    Automatic-Quit1426 It's weird that your coworkers are telling YOU you were too harsh. Matt does need to mind his own business and he's been berating you repeatedly for something that has nothing to do with him and brings you some semblance of joy. Where I work, he'd be the one in the social hot seat for being a j NTA, by the way. You could have been harsher and still not been TA.
    via Automatic-Quit1426
  • 22
    InnerSight3 I feel like you should get a Pokemon juice bottle, knife and fork set, and cup. In fact, get a a doubke set so you can give it to Matt (drop the M, swop the TTs for SSS) to enjoy too. It must be jealousy if he cannot get over a colleague using a pokemon lunchbox.
    via InnerSight3

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aita work coworkers lunchbox lunch argument reddit thread Reddit coworker
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