39-year-old administrative assistant refuses to cover lunch for entitled coworker, confronts her in the office: '[Theresa,] I'm not your bank and I’m not responsible for feeding you'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Oct 2, 2025 2:00 PM EDT

Theresa sounds like a problem and a half!

This so-called "professional" had the audacity to demand that her coworker pay for her lunch over and over again. Now, the other employee, a 39-year-old administrative assistant, admitted that her work was more clerical and less labor-intensive. That being said, she knows that she and Theresa make the same amount of money, as it's part of her job to manage that information for the Human Resources department. Still, for whatever reason, Theresa assumed otherwise. Folks, you know what happens when you assume…

Let this story serve as a potent reminder to mind your own business at work, especially when it comes to someone's financial situation. If you don't know for sure what someone is making, it's best not to make any judgments. Even if Theresa did know that the author was making more (which she wasn't), why should the author pay for her lunch? Is Theresa not an adult who can make herself a cheap sandwich to bring to work? 

There is a strange sense of entitlement that people like Theresa develop that needs to be addressed. Of course, we all have sympathy for the fact that different jobs can be exhausting in different ways. Theresa's job sounds much more exhausting in a physical sense, but the author's work seems far more mentally exhausting. On top of that, no one knows how time-consuming and difficult both of these women's lives are outside of work, which could contribute to their need for a well-deserved break. 

At the end of the day, Theresa's choice to take out her frustrations regarding her situation on the author is a total waste of valuable energy. If anyone should cover her lunch, it should be the company! In fact, the company should cover both of their meals. Keep scrolling below for the author's full account of her tense exchange with Theresa.

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  • 01

    "My coworker thinks my paycheck should cover her lunch"

    A professional woman with red hair speaks on the phone while writing down information behind a desk.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    I'm 39F and I work as clerical staff. I handle a lot of the paperwork, scheduling, and keeping things in order so other departments don't fall apart and I take pride in it.
    via QuirkyPeeps
  • 03
    One of my coworkers Theresa has decided that since I just sit at a desk all day, I apparently make more money than her and should be able to spare lunch money. We have the same job title and are paid the same salary band. I know this because I process some of the HR documents - it's my job to keep track of that stuff.
    via QuirkyPeeps
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    It started very unnoticeable a week ago she forgot her wallet and asked if I could cover her sandwich which I did. But then it started happening often same week. Suddenly she forgot her wallet on Wednesday, and didn't have change on Thursday. Yesterday she
    via QuirkyPeeps
  • 05
    said she has to save for gas, I told her nicely that I couldn't keep covering her, because I also budget tightly, I've got bills, kids' school fees, and I honestly don't even eat out that often myself.
    via QuirkyPeeps
  • 06
    Right there in the break room in front of two other coworkers. She said, You just push paper all day, it's not like you're breaking your back. The least. you could do is buy lunch for people who actually work, if she was joking with that... I couldn't tell
    via QuirkyPeeps
  • 07
    That hit me harder than I expected. I know clerical work isn't physically exhausting like construction, but it's still work. The phone calls, deadlines, dealing with people who dump their mess on me to just file it - it's
    via QuirkyPeeps
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    draining. For her to act like my paycheck is community property because she thinks my job is easy was just insulting.
    via QuirkyPeeps
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    A professional woman with red hair reviews documents with an open laptop behind a desk.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 10
    Reluctantly, I told her i'm not your bank, and I'm not responsible for feeding you. If she can't afford lunch, she should pack something from home like I do most days. She got angered by that, and left in fury. Today she hasn't spoken to me, but I've caught her telling others that I'm stingy and selfish.
    via QuirkyPeeps
  • 11
    Now there's this weird tension in the office. Some coworkers quietly told me I did the right thing, but a couple others hinted I could've just helped her out since it's only food. The thing is,
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    it's never only food with entitled people. It becomes a habit, and suddenly you're expected to fund their life because you once said yes.
    via QuirkyPeeps
  • 13
    I've been stewing on it all day, honestly. I work hard and I stick to my budget, and I don't deserve to be guilt- tripped for not subsidizing a grown adult's lunches.
    via QuirkyPeeps

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terrible coworkers employee work stories toxic-workplace job work coworkers karen coworker overworked-employees funny work stories toxic-work-environment
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