how can people be so greedy?

Question

At my work we always have potlucks. It's nice and all because we celebrate people's birthdays and other achievements. But there are some people that are just beyond greedy that hardly bring anything in or dont bring anything at all. When the do bring something it is enough for about maybe 2-3 people and there are 20 total in the potluck. Not only that, those are the first to serve themselves and they take a whole bunch hardly leaving any for the rest.

How can you say something without throwing it directly to those few that hardly bring anything? It's kind of bothersome because I go out of my way to make sure I know that I make enough for it to go around to everyone at least once.

Answer 1

Next time you're all talking about what you'll bring, make a point of saying....how much do you think I should make for 20 people? I wouldn't want to under do it and get other people to make comments like this too.

OR

Have a piece of what the meanies brought in and say....This is great...make more next time!

Those who bring nothing...ask them what they brought it 'cos you'd like to try it! Embarrass the hell out of them!

Answer 2

In the place where I work, before we were bought by another company and morale went to hell, we used to have potlucks fairly often, and I am very familiar with the phenomenon that you have observed.

An interesting observation I made: almost without exception, the moochers who never/rarely brought anything to the potluck were male, and were members of the so-called "professional" class: i.e., staff engineers and management wonks. Those of us who contributed to the potluck and did the organizing were female and what is usually designated "support staff"-- non-professional clerical and lab tech, people who worked in niches that weren't considered as high-grade as the degreed engineers.

The moochers, when asked about their failure to contribute, usually made the following excuses:

1. They didn't know how to cook and so didn't feel that they could bring anything. A real lame excuse-- "You know you can buy things at the supermarket?" I asked some of these moochers. They admitted to knowing that foods could be bought at the supermarket. But aside from an occasional wheel of brie or some rolls, they'd still not contribute anything.

2. They felt that they were doing us enough of a favor by gracing us with their presence at our lowly potluck. They wouldn't say this in so many words, but that's what it came down to, especially from the management wonks who would make an appearance. Gracious smiles and polite small-talk banter, sometimes a word of thanks to the potluck organizers, and they'd take their food and disappear.

3. They regarded the free food as a perk of their position. "I keep you people employed," one of the engineers bluntly told me. "It's because of us that you have jobs." They felt that that was all they needed to say to justify taking whatever they wanted at the potlucks.

4. And of course there were the mooches who felt that they were just taking a little bit of food and that because of that, there was no reason why they should have to contribute anything at all.

We tried a couple of ways to keep the mooches out. Holding the potluck in a location where we could keep the door closed and letting people know it was by invitation only helped, but when we did that we got complaints from the management wonks and others that we were leaving messes, which we never got when they were allowed to eat. And then we had the vulture phenomenon: the moochers would hang around near the location of the potluck, wait until we were cleaning up, and swoop in to claim "leftovers."

We never did figure out a solution. Then we got sold and morale went downhill, now we don't do potlucks anymore, we don't do anything that makes a workplace more homey. No moochers but very little warmth around the place either. I don't know which is worse.

Answer 3

Those people may not have all the time in the world to make something fancy for the potlucks. Or they have low esteem about there own cooking abulity so they think to bring something small is good enough. Or they think they've brought the right amount of food and don't want to bring too much food. Or they don't want to take home leftovers.
All in all I weren't really know I'm not in there heads.

Answer 4

I'll tell you what I did. When we were getting ready for another gathering, I mentioned to our "never brings" person that I noticed she didn't have time to bring anything last time. I offered to make two dishes if she wanted to contribute a little $$ to the cause. She took me up on it. She gave me $20 to make a cake. Ever since then we've handled it that way. I even had a couple more co-workers asking me to do the same thing. It wasn't that they didn't want to contribute. They just didn't have the time or sometimes plain forgot. Those events aren't as important to everyone.

Answer 5

I know what you mean. It is always those same people that pack up a to go box for themselves as well. I hate bringing someting nice and seeing others throw a box of wal-mart cookies on the table. I don't know that there is any way to say someting to them though. They have probably been greedy and spoiled their entire lives. No changing that in adulthood.

Answer 6

offer to coordinate the next one around a theme (st pattys day, etc) you can send out an email asking what people will be bringing so you dont have to much of one thing. specify in it that it should be enough to feed about 8 people. if everyone brings that much you will have more than enough.

Answer 7

hmph.. there are so greedy bcos of this: the more for me the better for me! Maybe uw anna say to em' : I dont mean anything offensive but it's just that it is sort of unfair how you dont bring anything and finish up everything. So maybe just think about those around.. (say it as politely as possible)

Answer 8

Make a sign up list under the pretense of not wanting to have too much of any one food. THEN: Anyone who does not bring anything, does not participate!

Answer 9

There nothing much you can do, things like that happens in party, that's why i dont organise party, by the way why are the like that you ask, probably you know why if you understyand the word 'Thief'

Answer 10

May be there not greedy may be they can't aford the cost of making enought for a large crowd.