Is It Wrong to Avoid a Suspected Food Thief at Work?
AITA for avoiding a coworker suspected of food theft at work, choosing to gather evidence before confronting them directly?
It started as a small office annoyance, the kind you shrug off while you’re half-awake at your desk. Then OP noticed it happening again and again, lunches vanishing from the shared fridge like they were getting teleported.
Here’s what makes it messy: a new colleague, Alex (30NB), is weirdly friendly, and their lunch seems to show up right after OP’s disappears. OP even marked their food with initials and a specific sign, just to see if it was real. Sure enough, the next stolen lunch had a suspiciously similar look, but nobody else has caught the culprit.
Now OP is stuck in a moral fog, wondering if avoiding Alex is the smart move or just making things worse.
Original Post
So I'm (27M), and I work in a small office with a shared kitchen space. Lately, I've noticed my lunch disappearing from the fridge more often than usual.
At first, I brushed it off, thinking I might have forgotten it. But then, it started happening consistently.
For background, we have a new colleague, let's call them Alex (30NB), who has been overly friendly with everyone, which makes me a bit suspicious. Recently, I decided to test my theory by labeling my lunch with my initials and a specific mark.
Lo and behold, it went missing again, and Alex had a similar-looking lunch that appeared out of nowhere. I didn't want to immediately confront them without concrete proof, so I've been avoiding interactions and eating out instead.
Some important info: I'm not the only one experiencing food theft, but no one else has caught the culprit yet. Plus, I don't want to cause unnecessary drama in the office.
So AITA for distancing myself from Alex and not addressing the food theft issue directly with them? I honestly don't know if I'm wrong here.
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OP doesn’t want office drama, so instead of confronting Alex (30NB), he quietly starts steering clear and eats out more often.
It also echoes the AITA conflict about giving a cat human food against vets advice, while the partner seethes.
That’s when the “test lunch” idea kicks in, with OP labeling their food using initials and a distinct mark to see if Alex’s timing matches the thefts.
After OP spots a similar-looking lunch appearing out of nowhere, the suspicion hardens, but the proof still feels shaky enough to keep OP from calling Alex out directly.
And since multiple people have had food taken, but no one has caught the thief, OP is left questioning whether distancing themselves is actually unfair to Alex.
We'd love to hear your take on this situation. Share your thoughts below.
OP might be avoiding the wrong person, but the fridge mystery is still eating away at their peace.
Still dealing with an ultimatum, check out the friend who refused declawing after her husband demanded it over cat allergy.
