Okay, so lately, there’s been a lot of free stuff showing up at my office, and I’m curious:
At what point does it become taking advantage of the office’s “kindness”?
For example, we had a big company picnick this past Thursday. On Friday, there were two HUGE cakes in the waiting room (and by huge I mean four foot by three foot). There’s still two thirds of a cake left. Now, everyone’s pretty much been nibbling on it here and there, but would it be alright if someone were to just take a huge chunk home with them?
And we get movie passes every now and again. Sometimes it’s just one posted up on the wall and it’s first come, first serve, but other times, there’s a stack of them…how many free passes is exceptable to take? Last night, I snagged several free passes to an event after they’d sat out for hours and no one took any.
So, when your work starts to give out free stuff, do you hold off to “be fair,” or do you line your pockets with that wondeful free goodness? And how much is too much?
I usually hold off to be fair. The free stuff at the university bookstore where I work tends to be food, such as lunch provided to workers during the textbook rush and free sodas all the time. I would hate to be known as the person who was forever grabbing the last donut, taking too many slices of pizza, etc.
So far, the only thing I snagged right off the bat was a pass to a preview of The Ring, and all of those weren’t taken right away. A free pass didn’t motivate me to see The Tuxedo, and the general employee consensus on the Tuck Everlasting passes was “They’d have to pay me to see it.”
It’s hard to say what counts as too much, because free stuff varies in its desirability, as demonstrated. I’ve never seen the point in taking something just because it’s free. If I don’t really need a clock/T-shirt/poster/keychain, it’s just going to end up as useless clutter.
There was one time that I thought about it–4th of July, and work had a full picnic prepared for employees who came in to work that day. I was thinking about grabbing some food–they had really fresh watermelon and grapes. I stopped in the restroom to wash my hands, and as I was washing, a lady ran into the restroom. She threw open a stall door, fell to her knees, and just started vomiting. Forceful and projectile, splashed out of the toilet and onto the floor (and started going everywhere). I lost my appetite, which was probably a good thing (I think there was something bad at the picnic).
In the beginning of a “free stuff” event, I take no more than my fair share. If there’s tons still left near the end, I have no qualms about taking some of it home. Why waste it?
I’ll take only as much as I need/intend to use/eat. I won’t take extra just because it’s free, and I never take anything before being invited to have some.
