'I want to press charges': Newly hired salesperson brings $1,800 personal chair to the office only to have another employee steal it, ends up getting him arrested after the boss threatens to fire the victim

Author image for Isabella Penn
Isabella Penn
Nov 25, 2025 10:00 AM EST

Most workplace disputes start small. Maybe an urgent email was sent too late in the evening, or a meeting was held that could have definitely been an email. This one started with a chair. An $1,800 Herman Miller Aeron, to be exact.

The new hire had barely made it through onboarding before realizing the office chairs felt like medieval torture devices. So on day three, he brought in his own. On day four, it vanished. Not misplaced, not accidentally swapped, but it had vanished straight into another salesperson's cubicle. When he asked for it back… let's just say it didn't go well.

Management didn't help either. The company's owner insisted that chairs, including one that an employee paid nearly two grand for, were first-come, first-served. If he wanted it, he needed to get to work earlier.

So things escalated. The next morning, when the same coworker was sitting comfortably in his Aeron again, he called the police. Receipt and serial number in hand, he proved ownership. The coworker begrudgingly admitted everything.

When officers asked if he wanted to press charges, his boss threatened to fire him if he said yes. He pressed them anyway. He was fired. The chair thief was arrested.

Now the coworker may lose his security license and his entire career. And the man who bought the chair? He walked out with it — finally sitting exactly where it belonged.

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  • Cheezburger Image 10579701504
    via Raj Rana For Unsplash+

  • "Someone at work stole my chair. So, I had them arrested."

    I got a new job in sales working for a company that sells access control systems, CCTV systems, etc.
    via LeffJeff
  • The chair in my cubicle was uncomfortable AF, so I day 3 I brought in my own Herman Miller Aeron chair.
    via LeffJeff
  • On day 4 it was missing. I looked around and another sales rep was sitting in it.
    via LeffJeff
  • I asked for it back but he basically told me to F off. I went and spoke to the owner of the company.
    via LeffJeff
  • He told me that the chairs aren't reserved. They are first come first serve. I explained that I OWN the chair and it cost me $1800.
    via LeffJeff
  • He told me that I need to come in earlier if I want that chair. The next day the same guy was sitting in it when I got to the office.
    via LeffJeff
  • I told him to give it back or I was going to call the cops. He refused.
    via LeffJeff
  • So I called the cops. It was quite the scene, but in the end he admitted that he took my EIGHTEEN HUNDRED DOLLAR chair.
    via LeffJeff
  • Cheezburger Image 10579701248
    via Ahmet Kurt For Unsplash+
  • I was prepared. I had the receipt which showed the serial number. (Yes, Aeron chairs have serial numbers.) They asked me if I wanted to press charges.
    via LeffJeff
  • My new boss said I would be terminated if I had him arrested, so I said "Absolutely!
    via LeffJeff
  • I want to press charges!" My new boss fired me on the spot, so I carried my chair out with me a l was leaving.
    via LeffJeff
  • And yes, the cops arrested the dude who took my chair (He admitted to it!). The dude who took my chair has been in the industry for about 15 years, but he's going to lose his security license, which means he won't be able to work in the industry.
    via LeffJeff
  • He's going to lose his job. I don't give a shit. He shouldn't have stolen my chair.
    via LeffJeff
  • Am I the asshole for making this dude lose his job?
    via LeffJeff
  • mercurygreen ...sometimes being an AH is the correct response. Also, your boss is now out TWO workers.
    via mercurygreen
  • ThrowingAbundance Due to lower back issues, I always provided my own desk chair, and made sure it was CLEARLY marked that it was my personal property. I also used a bicycle cable log to secure my chair to my desk at the end of the day. One co-worker had his office chair disappear, so he sent an email to the ENTIRE global company address book. It was hysterically funny to read the response emails.
    via ThrowingAbundance
  • NecessaryCelery6288 You Can Sue the Company for Retaliation Firing, Which is Illegal in the US.
    via NecessaryCelery6288
  • NTA bmyst70 The fact is the guy shouldn't have been effectively stealing your $1,800 chair. And as others said, sue your company for retaliatory firing. If he lost his ability to work in the industry, that's 100% because of his actions.
    via bmyst70
  • This-Surround8854 sue the company for firing you? i do kinda think this is a post for karma though
    via This-Surround8854

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office chair fired drama job work coworkers Horrible Bosses
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