Best way to deal with lunch thieves?

In My Humble Opinion
101

Since I have a driveway alarm already, I tried some tests in a zippered cooler. Minor movements around the fridge didn’t set it off. If I turned it upside down or shook it then it went off. So it would seem that incidental movements wouldn’t set it off.

There are also window and toolbox alarms which consist of two parts which need to be in close proximity. If the parts are separated, then the alarm goes off. You could rig something up which could work that way.

When I was trying my zippered cooler I also noticed I could put a small luggage lock on the zipper pulls to prevent them from being easily opened. The thief could still steal the whole cooler, but it may be enough to discourage the casual thief.

102

There is always something like this. Doesn’t stop the whole thing from being swiped, but keeps the insides inside.

103

The whole topic stills stuns me.

Do you not work with adults?

104

Me too, enipla. It’s never happened to me anywhere I’ve worked. It would be scandalous if it happened at my present work place. No one has ever had a lunch stolen here, as far as I know. I cannot imagine the circumstances that would compel me to steal one of my colleague’s lunches. It is just incredibly, despicably low.

105

I worked at an animal hospital for two years in the late 80s. There were 18 people on staff not including the six Veterinarians. We had a small staff lounge with a mini fridge where people kept their lunches. It took a while to figure out who it was, but one of my coworkers who had worked there for years (she was a Vet Tech) was eating out of our lunch containers by taking portions out. Also doing things like eating half of a sandwich, or taking someone’s banana. She was caught red handed one day dishing herself out some yogurt that wasn’t hers. She was fired that same week.

Honestly I think there was something wrong with her. It was a compulsion, I think, because she could afford her own lunches. She brought plenty to eat, or went out to the Chinese restaurant next door often.

When we discussed the lunch stealing at various staff meetings, she was right in there contributing to the conversation and expressing how bizarre and wrong it was.
I’ve never worked with anyone like her since.

106

A few stories from lunch thieves posting why they did it:

Lunch thieves of reddit, how do you justify stealing someone else’s food from the fridge at work?

107

I notice some people at work keep their wallets in (or on top of!) their desks when the leave for a while. Sometimes with money visible! I’ve never heard of a theft.

The biggest problem here is the one that plagues all company refrigerators - getting people to take their spoiled food and dump it.