She ate her manager's lunch because it was 'unattended,' then drank a sales rep's 6-pack thinking it was 'free.' It backfired completely

Sharing lunches at the workplace is a common norm. It ensures warmth and connectedness within the work family. But one employee outright stole her manager’s lunch, not just lunch but also a 6-pack of beer that was gifted to them by a sales representative. Infuriated, the manager (u/RubyRadagon) confronted her and warned her that taking coworkers’ or company items without permission could lead to disciplinary action. Her defensive excuses only lopsided the matter against her. In a September 16, 2026, Reddit post, the manager ranted about their thoughts on the theft. Their post has since tallied 2,200 upvotes.

Recurring lunch thefts

The manager had prepared a lunch of tenders and some salad wraps. Given their position, their routine was packed with tasks and phone calls, which disrupted the timing of their lunch. It had been 8 hours since they had been working and had only had a muesli bar till then. In the meantime, an unsuspecting employee crawled towards their lunch, gobbled up 2 wraps, and chowed down her own lunch in addition. When the manager found out, they were incensed. They were even more frustrated when they later discovered the six-pack was missing. 

Snake in the grass

When the manager confronted the employee, she said she assumed the unattended food was available to anyone and thought the beer was free because it came from a sales rep. She said the lunch was “unattended” and the beers were “free,” so she took the liberty to consume them. Fuming, the manager complained to the owner. After the manager formally wrote her up, the owner also spoke to her and agreed that any further theft would result in termination.

From sodas to pizzas 

Lunch thievery seems to be common in workplaces. A Zippia survey of 1,322 U.S. workers found that 33% admitted to taking food from their coworkers while nearly half (47%) have had their food stolen. Moreover, drinks were among the most commonly taken items, including sodas, specialty coffees, energy drinks, and juices, while 6% even admitted to taking food directly from a coworker’s lunchbox. In this case, the employee’s explanation that the food was “unattended” and the beer was “free” because it came from a sales representative did little to reassure her manager.

Once a thief, always a thief

Reddit readers emphasized that the employee should be fired, or else she’ll keep on doing it again and again. The manager replied that unless the owner agreed, he couldn’t fire the employee by himself. u/Killberrymunch commented, “Since the drinks were from a rep to try in hopes of you ordering, that qualifies as company product that she took. Hope you got them back or she just screwed 2 companies.” u/Smoke__Frog reflected, “You didn’t fire a thief. You just said please don’t be a thief again, lol.” 

More on Scoop Upworthy

Employee couldn't prove who his lunch thief was—until his special chili recipe loudly exposed the culprit to the whole office

The office lunch thief didn’t realize the new guy made hot sauce for a living—until one stolen meal backfired spectacularly

Tired of stolen lunches, the employee booby-trapped his food with one ingredient his coworker couldn't eat. The result was glorious