Employee buys a new fridge for the office after unknown coworker keeps stealing her lunch: 'I put a little lock on it just for extra peace of mind.'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Mar 13, 2026 12:00 PM EDT

She took matters into her own hands!

There's something particularly egregious about stealing somebody's lunch out of the shared work fridge. They packed that lunch specifically for that day, and some genius took it, thinking they wouldn't miss it! IMHO, it's much worse than accidentally stealing something from your roommates' shared fridge. At least in that case, it makes sense that you might mistakenly think one of the three packages of provolone cheese is yours. If your roommate leaves a pizza box full of uneaten pizza from the night before on the countertop, you can probably assume they didn't care much about preserving it for the next day: otherwise, they would've wrapped it up and put it in the fridge. Obviously, with roommates, you can't just assume that the food they specifically prepared is up for grabs, unless you've already discussed it. But prepared food brought to an office fridge cannot be mixed up the way that food in a regular fridge is. I know I didn't pack a ham sandwich for lunch today, so if I just happen to come upon one, I know it must not be mine.

If you've worked in an office with ample snacks and beverages, you know that there's a big difference between snacks for everyone and a lunch that one specific person obviously packed. If you can't figure that out, you might not be the brightest crayon in the box. 

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  • A white refrigerator freezer sitting inside of a kitchen
    via Anastasija Puskas

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

  • The employee in this story is a victim of thieving coworkers, and she decided she wouldn't take it anymore. She bought her own mini fridge to safely store her lunch, even though she'll only be working in this office for 3 months. I hope the fridge costs less than eating out for lunch every day!

  • Am I the bad guy for getting a new fridge after someone kept stealing my lunch at the office?

    So, I'm on a 3- month work trip in Netherlands, work in a small office with about 8 people.
    via u/Suspicious-Site-4546
  • Small office interior
    via Curated Lifestyle (Unsplash+)

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

  • It's not just frustrating, it's my expensive and this messes up my day every time. I mentioned this couple of times during The conference meeting, that someone has been taking my lunch and everyone either ignored it, but no one took responsibility admitting it.
    via u/Suspicious-Site-4546
  • We share a communal fridge. Over the past month and during the first two months my lunch has been stolen a few times and it's not just random snacks but an entire meal i got from the restaurant because cooking our own meals was difficult so I eat out most of the times and it's always got stolen without a trace.
    via u/Suspicious-Site-4546
  • I really wanted this to stop so I bought a mini fridge and put it on a free desk close to Me nothing fancy, just enough to hold my meal and a drink.
    via u/Suspicious-Site-4546
  • Mini white refrigerator with drinks on top
    via Illia Horokhovsky

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

  • I also put a little lock on it just for extra peace of mind but now everyone thinks I'm overreacting and not been friendly with the team, but when I complaining nobody said anything, AITA?
    via u/Suspicious-Site-4546
  • RubyScarlett88 They're just mad they can't take your meal anymore. Don't worry about it. Keep your head down and finish the contract.
    via u/RubyScarlett88
  • Suspicious-Site-4546 Original Poster's Reply Thank you so much
    via u/Suspicious-Site-4546
  • C_Majuscula NTA. Do what you need to do to deter thieves. If they think being friendly means allowing people to steal your lunch, their opinions are worth nothing.
    via u/C_Majuscula
  • Suspicious-Site-4546 Original Poster's Reply Thank you, I needed this.
    via u/Suspicious-Site-4546
  • spagtscully NTA. You took the steps to stop theft from happening again. The people who are complaining are probably the same ones who were taking your food in the first place. Now they're upset they can no longer do it and have to buy their own food.
    via u/spagtscully
  • Suspicious-Site-4546 Original Poster's Reply Thank you
    via u/Suspicious-Site-4546
  • Knickknockers OP should ask those complaining why they are stealing their meals and perhaps this is a discussion to have with management.
    via u/KnickKnockers
  • flooperdooper4 Not being friendly??? Bro it's not friendly to steal someone's entire lunch. Whoever is the most bitter about it is the one who's been stealing from you the most (maybe it's even multiple people). They're lucky you didn't add laxatives or powerful spices to your food to spite them. NTA.
    via u/flooperdooper4
  • asuddenpie Imagine sitting in a conference meeting and hearing your poor coworker explain that her food is being stolen while knowing that you are the thief. And then watching her buy a refrigerator with a lock because you can't be trusted not to steal food from her. And then watching your coworkers complain about her and giving her a hard time all because you s k. People amaze me.
    via u/asuddenpie
  • dijon_snow The one thing I would add is that OP should clear the mini fridge with their boss. Just to avoid any bulls about electricity or if they plan to use that desk for someone else in the near future. If the boss gives any push back at your solution, say you're open to alternatives like a camera in the break room or something and put the onus on your employer to prevent future theft.
    via u/dijon_snow
  • HoldFast02 NTA. So the thief stealing your lunch is not the problem, but you are? Nope. You do what you need to keep your food safe.
    via u/HoldFast02
  • 18k_gold the only people that should be upset are the people that were stealing your food. anyone else wouldn't care.
    via u/18k_gold
  • Main_Cauliflower5479 NTA. So this doesn't happen only in the US? I must say, I'm a little bit surprised about that. They're being unfriendly by stealing your expensive takeout meals. They are wrong, and they know it.
    via u/Main_Cauliflower5479

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employee stealing lock coworkers lunch Office workplace work trip food fridge
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