Got milk? I don’t, anymore (minor, perhaps, but still annoying)

The BBQ Pit
1

I am very, very grumpy today for a number of reasons, one of which is that I couldn’t get any damn sleep last night. I have a lot of work to do today, all of which requires significant powers of concentration, so coffee is a definite must right now.

So I go into the kitchen at work to pour a cup of coffee. Apparently, out of 50 people in this office, I am the only one capable of unloading the dishwasher when the person who normally does it is on vacation. I am also apparently the only one who is capable of putting on another pot of coffee, but I’ve ranted about that previously.

I unload the dishwasher, put on a pot of coffee, and while it’s brewing I start to assemble the necessary accoutrements to proper coffee enjoyment, namely milk and sugar.

Sugar packets in bin on countertop? Check.

Was there collective office milk in the fridge yesterday? Half-check: a little, but our office manager was out, and she’s the one who usually buys the milk, so Monday morning there wasn’t any…I can’t deal with milkless coffee, so Monday morning first thing I went out and bought a half-gallon, put my initials on it according to proper office etiquette, and went about my business. Our office manager then bought more milk, so I figured mine would last for a while.

This morning I opened the fridge to get my milk, and of the original half-gallon, which I have used for two cups of coffee, about 90% is gone. Now I like my coffee light, but almost a quart per 12-oz. mug of coffee is a tad light, even for me.

This means that in spite of the fact that this food item is clearly marked as mine, some of my colleagues were too damn lazy either to ask for petty cash to go buy milk for the office (easily accomplished with a 30-second elevator ride downstairs), so they decided to eat my food. I’m all for sharing, and if anyone had asked me if they could have a little milk, that would have been fine, but this sense of entitlement pisses me off. Is there some reason that I am supposed to supply milk for the office, because I’m the only one organized enough to purchase it? I’m not a goddamn cow!

2

I’m always amazed at how people will eat whatever they can get their hands on if it’s in an office refridgerator. I’ve been seriously considering buying a small fridge I can keep in my office.

3

You, my dear, most definately work with a bunch of cow-orkers.

4

If they orked cows, you’d think they’d have their own milk!

5

I bought milk the other day – and left it in the grocery cart. :smack:

6

Eva Luna,

Why unload the dishwasher?

Why make coffee?

The other fifty must think you’re the backup person, or their maid.

Personally, as a consultant whose always in one office or another, I think it’s best to divorce yourself of the office kitchen, and bring your coffee in from home in a thermos. As a bonus, you don’t get to worry about anyone taking slugs of milk out of the carton.

7

milk can kiss my arse, im allergic to it.
and tea and coffee. they can bite it.
and bananas

plus an entire shopping list of shit everybody else appears to enjoy and rely on.

gaaaa!

8

Every place I’ve ever worked at, it’s the same thing, where only one or two people ever do any cleaning up in the kitchen/break room. I guess a large majority of people simply never put any thought into HOW the place is getting cleaned up, they just assume there’s a pack of elves that come in and do it when nobody’s looking. Either that or the mess just doesn’t bother them.

And the milk thing, I’m sure every single person who took some thought, “Oh, I’ll just take a little tiny bit, it’s OK, she won’t even miss it.”

9

Bring your milk in, in a thermos. Tape the thermos shut.

10

If you buy one of those dorm fridges to put under your desk, you’ll be my hero. But get the model that locks.

11

Phenothalein.

12

Buy a carton of milk, leave it out on the counter over a night or two in the heat.

Then put it in the fridge at work, with your name on it.

:smiley:

13

Oh, this is so easy. All you need to do is put a sign on your next half gallon:

“The next time someone drinks the milk I bought and marked with my name I will buy three half gallons, pee a little in one, and label none of them. What’ll it be, punk?”

14

Eva, at first I thought this might have something to do with your own personal lactation.

I’m glad it didn’t. (Notice I opened the thread, regardless.)

Anyway, I’m very sorry that you have such a sucky bunch of cowokers. My office isn’t like that at all; we’re all pretty good about cleaning up after ourselves. What I’m saying is don’t give up hope. Someday you may get to work with grownups.

15

Sigh … I preview 19 times and it’s fine. The twentieth time, I don’t preview, and this happens. Consider yourself bolded, Eva.

16

Doh! Not again! And I just noticed that you have “cowokers.”

Okay, I’m just going to go to bed now.

17

Sounds like some people at my church, of all places. The etiquette there is that if you label things with your name (or the name of a Fellowship group), nobody else can take it from the fridge.

However, there are SOME people (according to my mom) who just take whatever they need from the fridge… without checking to see if there’s a name on it first. Or if they do, they obviously don’t care. Aiya!

F_X

18

Hehehe, this is funny, “…when the person who normally does it is on vacation”! Is that the other person’s job to unload the dishwasher? If not, I wonder what they think of the rest of you lazy-assed slackers? Hahaha!!!

But, wait! It gets better!

**

You couldn’t be bothered to take the same 30 seconds you criticize the other workers for to buy milk for the office, but you could take the time to buy if for yourself alone?! And people say your co-workers are the cow-workers?! Methinks the udder is on the wrong torso in this case.

(Just messing with you, Luna):wink:

19

Well,

a) Yes, our office manager is officially in charge of the dishwasher and the milk. We had a rotation system for a while, but so many people would “forget” that it became completely unworkable. It was the managing partner’s decision to do it that way, not mine.

And don’t start me on how 50 adults can’t manage to put their dirty coffee mugs in the dishwasher, and just leave them in the sink instead.

b) It’s only partially the time issue. I bought the milk with my own money. Yes, I can afford $1.50 or whatever, but it’s the prnciple, too. It’s not my responsibility to buy milk for 50 people, they are essentially stealing from me, and how is this really any different than if someone stole my lunch? I bought food with the expectation of havng it available when I wanted to consume it, and now it’s basically gone.

20

Just the other day my friend Marcy was ranting about something similar in her office and, mind you, she’s the boss. So, anyway, I am giving her ideas about how to deal with it until finally, irritated, she says to me: “What makes you think I’m looking for advice? When a man tells you a problem he may want advice but when a woman is telling you her problems she just wants you to listen while she rants. Don’t you know anything?”

When it comes to women I obviously don’t know anything so here’s some suggestions:

You can buy individual cream or milk packets which do not need refrigeration and you can keep them in your desk. You can get UHT milk (which does not need refrigeration until you open it) in 8 or 16 Fl. oz. cartons which is enough to use in one day without need to refrigerate. You can get powdered creamer and keep it in your desk.

You can also get a metal box with a lock, the type used for petty cash, and keep your food in there in the refrigerator. Or get some bottle you can put a small padlock on.

Even a taped box should do the trick. people will think nothing of taking a bit of milk from a visible bottle because they think they are the only one doing it and you won’t notice. But if they see a box taped closed with the notice “do not touch” they will generally leave it alone. they are not going to open a box when they do not even know if it has what they are looking for.