this post was submitted on 02 Aug 2024
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In maybe third grade I brought my collection of x-men trading cards as part of a sort of show and tell activity. It was in a sizable three-ring binder with those 3x3 slot cars sheets. I had a number of highly valued "foil/hologram" cards. The binder was gone when I got back from lunch. I was devastated and learned to never leave anything of value not locked up if I'm not watching it.
At work we have a kitchen/break room. I've had shit stolen from there a lot. Utensils, cups, bowls. Wash it after lunch, put it in the drying rack, come back in an hour to get it and it's gone. Once my department had a leftover pizza from an event donated to us. I brought in a baking sheet to reheat it in the oven for a lunch morale boost for the team because we had to work that weekend. The sheet, left in a drawer and not visible to any casual observers, was gone by Monday. That was actually the first item I'd had stolen there but I thought I was just s fluke.
I've literally bought upgrades and utensil sets for the kitchen (maybe people "stealing" my utensils just forgot to bring a fork, borrowed mine, and brought it home by accident?). Stuff like drying towels, soap dispensers + large refill bottles, a microwave food cover... all stolen. I'd keep getting frustrated with, for example, people leaving the sponge wet in the sink. I'd think "its been a year since I last donated something, maybe it'll be different this time..." and I'd buy an OXO sponge holder or something and within a week it would be gone. Everyone in my office, including secretaries and cleaning staff, gets paid at least a living wage with great health benefits. Some make well over 100k. I just imagine someone making twice my salary seeing a nice soap dispenser and taking it home... lost a good bit of faith in humanity and affected me way more than it should have.
I found a solution though. Whoever was stealing this shit couldn't deal with the shame of being reminded that they stole it. I started labeling the donated items using my organization's acronym with a permanent marker in big visible letters. None of that's been stolen. I was going to engrave my utensils/dishes but decided instead to look like an asshole and bring my own towel when washing my dishes, drying them immediately, and taking them back to my desk immediately.
Do they still do Show and Tells? Cause I def remember this happening to me too. I think if I were a school, I'd nip it in the bud. I am not sure if it's to practice speech giving in a inoffensive way. But things that promote theft among students isn't great. Especially where there are open spaces (like backpacks just hanging out). But I wouldn't know, I haven't been in a setting like that in a long time.
This second bit hurts, because I know it can be like the Wild West in scenarios like this. I think it's because people are disgruntle but have to act is if they have one setting - "Plesant." And it probably increases if there are corporate culture rituals tucked into the workday. I think doing little things like stealing the nice stuff from the office probably is a way to act-up without getting in trouble. But also some people are probably terribly ADHD (and undiagnosed/untreated) and will walk off with things like forks and stuff because they were being total space cadets.
I think you're on the money with the last bit. People would be glueing goofy stuff to things they like all over the place when stuff started going up I think around the 10s (Maybe a little bit earlier bc of 08) so that stuff couldn't be taken without a) being easily recognized and b) being difficult to take in the first place.
Also with the "joy" of toxic-masculinity men wouldn't even dare take something so "fruity" and I know that unfortunately the sentiment is still shared with certain kinds even to this day. You seem to have found the easiest solution, which is dorm-rules =_o!