Working student spends $200+ on groceries and rides on entitled coworker who repeatedly asks for favors without offering to pay them back: ‘I'm literally losing health insurance tending to him’

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Apr 29, 2025 5:00 PM EDT

Coworkers are not friends, no matter how are we want them to be. At the end of the day, making friends in the workplace seems great in theory, but you'll soon realize that "friendship" looks like carpooling, and you're the only one actually paying for gas. Or, asking to switch shifts once or twice at first, then every week, then nearly every day. Not everyone is that entitled, sure, but it's better to be safe and set a boundary than be sorry you didn't tell them "No" the first time they asked to borrow 50 bucks from you.

The employee who posted this next story is struggling to learn how to say "No" to their entitled coworker who has clearly realized they can take advantage of them one ride home at a time. Being kind and good is nice and all, but not when it starts to affect your life's quality. The employee is now at risk of losing their health insurance because of lateness they cannot avoid if they help their coworker out, but they don't want to be a bad person. PSA: Looking out for yourself is not you being a bad person, it's you putting yourself first. If you can't help yourself, how will you help anyone else? Scroll below to read the entire story.

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  • Giving someone rides home once in a while makes sense. You're saving the earth a little fumes, saving money (if the price of gas is split), and you have company for the commute. This can get very old, in addition to shelling out money for your coworker to borrow, in addition to groceries you've been purchasing for them…

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    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • "Coworker keeps asking me for groceries, favors and driving him home?"

    Hey guys, I work retail, and am just a college student working part time at grocery store. I have anxiety and struggle with boundaries / saying no.
    via lonepotato746
  • I have a coworker who's always asking for money / buying him food, and driving him home. He'll always ask if he can borrow money (I don't carry cash, and he knows I don't use CashApp /
    via lonepotato746
  • Zelle / Venmo) in the 8-10 times he's asked me this year. He'll also ask me to drive him to places to eat for lunch. This has resulted in me losing hours for my health insurance at work, due to taking
    via lonepotato746
  • longer lunch breaks at the expense of driving him around. Worst of all, after 30-40 minutes of driving in my 1 hour lunch, I BARELY have time to eat my own lunch while he's already chowing down on food on the way back to work. I can't eat because I'm driving.
    via lonepotato746
  • Cheezburger Image 10499443712
    via Andrej Lišakov For Unsplash+
  • I've spent like $200 on groceries / food for him already in the past year. Driving him home puts. mileage on my car. I don't like to always "expect" money back if people genuinely need help, but he's never offered to pay me
    via lonepotato746
  • back once. Every night after work, I have to drop him off at home because he doesn't have a car he lives like 7 minutes away - from work. Before I do, he'll ask me to take him to a gas station
    via lonepotato746
  • for him to buy loads of protein bars. He spends like $20 a day (one way trips) from his apartment to work (5 times a week). He spends like $15-$20 a day on lunch, at work (if I don't drive him somewhere to eat).
    via lonepotato746
  • I have coworkers who live on their own in $2k apartments monthly, and a coworker who requests her own Ubers home 3-4x a week. Both of these coworkers have never asked me for money.
    via lonepotato746
  • He's confused me as a "friend" but I don't really consider him one? If it was a "friend" that'd be different, but he's just a coworker who keeps crossing the line and it's getting annoying, but I don't know how to say "no".
    via lonepotato746
  • Any advice? I'm just a college student, I don't make enough as is. I'm 23, he's 30. I also depend on this job for health insurance. I want to change my availability so I can work less with him, but his
    via lonepotato746
  • cousin recently passed away. I feel if I can't drive him home, it'll add more stress to him and I'd feel like an a hle. I'm literally losing health insurance tending to him. I have "school" as a job itself, then my JOB, then having to drive him home + be his chauffeur.
    via lonepotato746
  • This has been going for months, I'm sure he's confident in knowing I won't say "no". Immediately starting to say "no" | feel would come as hurtful: /
    via lonepotato746
  • Note: I feel bad saying "no" because he keeps telling me how broke he is (e.g his rent is too much, he doesn't have a car, etc.). Whether it's true or not, it's hard for me to say "no" because I know what it's like to be struggling. My family raised me to help others, so it just feels "weird" to say no.
    via lonepotato746
  • ComprehendReading Cut them off. You're a mark and they have you pegged as a S ker. Start saying no immediately and give no reason.
    via ComprehendReading
  • Kind-Jackfruit-6315 No, I am short this month. No, I am short short this month. Yes, again. No, I am again short this month. Can you lend me a little cash to tide me over? No, I am not only short this month, but I believe you owe me too. How about some cash?
    via Kind-Jackfruit-6315
  • CollegeConsistent941 No. Can even say Sorry, no. Practice it out loud..no no no. Get a backbone, just say no. He is a co worker and he is using you. He is NOT your responsibility.
    via CollegeConsistent941
  • FlounderFun4008 Turn it around on him so he has to answer to you and he will leave you alone. Start asking him for money. Tell him you are broke and he still owes you the money you lent him.
    via FlounderFun4008
  • Ride-you don't have gas money. Any rides home are $10 one way paid upfront. Lunch-you aren't leaving for lunch. He has made you late so many times you are at risk of losing your health insurance.
    via FlounderFun4008
  • Food-he still owes you from all the other times he has borrowed money and you are broke. Once you start asking him back, he will avoid you because he owes you and he knows it.
    via FlounderFun4008
  • Ok_Zookeepergame2900 He doesn't think you are his friend. He thinks you are weak. I know what it is to be a people pleaser, BUT PLEASE realize this is a sh person who is knowingly taking advantage. If they live that close to work, they can walk. He can eat those protein bars for lunch. F this guy.
    via Ok_Zookeepergame2900

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terrible coworkers aita workplace-stories work stories Professional At Work work coworkers reddit story entitled people karma workplace entitled reddit thread Reddit coworker entitled people
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