My husband works at a production plant and is continuously having his lunch stolen from his lunch bag. He cannot keep it in his locker as it is not allowed in a food plant. So it is kept in the break room. This isn't accidental. The bag has his name on it. The Supervisors won't do anything, he's made complaints. It is closed campus,meaning he cannot even go to the parking lot for break. He works 12 hour shifts so this leaves him without food for a long while. I don't want anything illegal (mostly) but, something that will definetly make them think twice o n doing it any more. I'd like to thank any devious minds ahead of time!
2007-05-10 06:17:49 · 22 answers · asked by frstlilspider 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
We've tried the locked lunchbox. Believe it or not they stole it. And of course no one saw a thing. It is a fairly big plant, and lunch is different for everyone in each department. Thanks though for some great ideas!
2007-05-10 06:49:56 · update #1
Rather than going out of the way in packing something disgusting or something that perhaps may make the culprit sick (which you shouldn't do, you may be held negligent under applicable laws)...u should perhaps invest in a hard lunch box and put a lock on it....and be sure the lunchbox is visible, bright in color.... so if the bastard, low life tries to walk out with it, someone will notice and through word of mouth, he would be easy to catch..... and i m sure the bastard has been taking your husband's lunch because it was readily accessible...i don't know how many lowlifes in the workforce is willing to steal a lunch box and carry it off and break the locks to get to the lunch....if someone does go that far, well....maybe u are doing a good thing....u are feeding "one needy, hungry, broke foo"....
2007-05-10 06:28:11 · answer #1 · answered by iky75 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Get a tin lunchbox - cut a small hole through it, and run a bicycle lock chain through it. He can then put the lunchbox in the fridge and run the chain around something fixed inside the fridge (like if it has grated shelving). Then the only way they can get the lunchbox out is to cut the chain.
In the meantime, have him bring two lunches (mark one clearly with his name and mark the other with a fake name). I have a feeling that someone is by now doing this to get his goat since he's complained about it. It is likely now an inside joke among a few people and they are targeting his lunch. The lunch marked with the fake name will probably go untouched and can be hidden among and under some other people's lunches.
Now - the one marked with his name should be made really disgusting. Put a piece of toilet paper in it with some peanut butter smudged on it.....and add a few habanero super-hot chilipeppers. If someone steals his lunch, they will get a surprise.
Alternatively, smear the inside of the bag and the underside of the sandwich with permanent ink, and then have him keep a look out for the culprit who will have the markings on him.
2007-05-10 07:41:17 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If I understand your husbands situation correctly. He does not know who is doing this? The person(s) stealing it does know his name.
In this situation I would strongly advise against doing anything to get back at someone you don't know but they know you. If you put something nasty like laxative or eye drops, how will they retaliate in turn? They might plant arsenic in your husbands lunch. So before you do anything find out who is doing this. Knowledge is power.
The bigger issue here is a hostile work environment. If you can not find a good attorney to make the company be more sensitive to your husbands basic needs (food is a basic need) Then your husband needs to devote some time to finding a more worker friendly (at least not hostile) company. I know changing jobs is not easy and may take a long period of time but if this company cares so little for his well being in this situation his future looks pretty bleak there.
2007-05-10 08:02:55 · answer #3 · answered by Pancho 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
This is easy.. As a matter of fact, I have seen this done in person for a very similar reason.
Make your husband's lunch, make sure he is informed of this, of course.. But make the most deliscious lunch you can imagine..
Buy some eye-drops, like Visine and squeeze them into whatever you make (tuna, ham salad?) something like that that can potentially absorb the eye drops.
Eye drops are odorless, colorless, and tasteless and when ingested can really mess up somebody stomach and digestive system.
Now, im not talking mess them up like: Doctor's visits, hospitals.. None of that.. But it will make the purpotrator nauseous and they will have really violent.. umm.. #2's for a day or so.. They'll be totally miserable. And well deserved from the way this sounds.
So - No permanent damage, a very sick jerk, and a solved problem. Not to mention, your husband will be able to identify the guy/gal stealing his lunch pretty easily.. All he'll have to do is keep an eye on the bathroom doors for about an hour after lunch time and watch for the person running to the bathroom with one hand over their mouth and the other over their butt.
Have fun!
2007-05-10 06:29:43 · answer #4 · answered by The Peav 4 · 3⤊ 1⤋
yeah you should make a really good lunch tho
as that laxative thing would do the trick
as you would want the person to eat the lunch
why not do that several days in a row to make sure
that the lunch remains untouched.
then he will know its safe
if not just repeat the pattern
let your hubby carry some small snacks with him
in his pockets like jerky or change so he can buy
items from the snack machine till the person
doing it is spotted or stops stealing the lunch
making nasty lunches won't end it
but making lunches that would have him/her sick
would I would go so far as to put sleeping pills into
the lunch
anyone caught napping after lunch could be the one
to be fired or the guilty party
2007-05-10 06:37:16 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Some form of a lockable lunch box is the best idea.
Spiking your husbands food with something is tempting but could lead to law suits against you. I personally would use syrup of Ipecac on one identifiable corner of your hubby's sandwich.
The other possible solution would be to cut the sandwich into 4 corners and in one corner add a LOT of food coloring. Then just look for the person with the blue tongue. This won't hurt but he might be able to tell who has been stealing food.
2007-05-10 06:36:30 · answer #6 · answered by John 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Get a lunch box with a handle (preferably plastic/metal in case the thief is extra crazy and would cut cloth!) and a combination lock. Have him lock the lunchbox to a shelf in the refrigerator. Good luck!
2007-05-10 20:00:13 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If supervisors cannot do anything, go higher up until something is done.
Let his supervisors know, if they don't do anything about his food, he will have to leave work and get food, and that would take a lot longer than having a lunch at work in the fridge waiting.
Talk to HR as well.
DO NOT USE VISINE!!!!!!
It won't cause diarrhea BUT it WILL cause many nasty effects that are harmful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/visine.asp
2007-05-11 03:39:23 · answer #8 · answered by Terri 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Put something in it that will give the person diarrhea (a couple squares of melted Ex-Lax or a ground up, dissolved Correctol/Senecot pill). Not too much--you don't want to kill them--only make them suffer. :D
If it's a sandwich or soup/stew, finely mince several habanero (or other extremely hot) peppers and stir into the food. One bit is all it will take.
Or, he could pee in it (for soups or casseroles only--probably wouldn't work too well with a sandwich, lol).
2007-05-10 06:32:29 · answer #9 · answered by brevejunkie 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Inject an orange with a harmless dye (maybe blue food coloring) that once they rip into it they will get the dye all over their hands. Then you'll know who the cheap thief is.
You can also inject food coloring into a juice box.
You will obviously need a syringe and a small needle. The trek to find this will be so worth it once the thief is stained!!
If that doesn't work make a sandwich with old, moldy meat and moldy cheese. Or make an egg sandwich with a rotten egg.
2007-05-10 06:27:45 · answer #10 · answered by ~~∞§arah T∞©~~ 6 · 4⤊ 1⤋