Coworker Labels Lunch With ‘Passive-Aggressive’ Note Every Single Day—Reddit Divided Over Confrontation

A user on Reddit revealed that a coworker labels her lunch with a passive-aggressive note every single day. This is in addition to writing her name; the woman would apparently add numbers on her lunch box, confusing both the OP and fellow users on Reddit. 

The user shared their story on the popular Reddit forum called ‘Mildly Infuriating.’ The individual claimed that their workspace shares a fridge where 15 people store their lunch. In the course of working at that place, there’s never been a case of food theft. 

Meaning, nobody’s lunch has ever been stolen at work. However, this particular coworker, whom the user called ‘Sarah,’ would go to certain measures to ensure her box wasn’t snatched up. For instance, every morning, the woman would heat her lunch in a glass container. 

She would also attach a label to the box with masking tape, which is rather normal. However, the Redditor mentioned finding things bizarre when there was an “extra line” below the name. She began leaving small sentences that began with ‘Sarah’s. Please don’t touch.’

Well, the user got alarmed when other passive-aggressive notes, such as: “Sarah’s and I know what mine looks like.” Then, “Sarah’s lunch. Thank you for respecting that.” However, the newest note was “It was Sarah’s, and if this is gone, we are having a conversation.” 

At the time, the Redditor claimed to have been in the break room, playing on their phone while their coworker was heating her food. Upon reflection of recent incidents, the user said, “Nobody has touched her lunch. I have never touched her lunch.” 

The user also explained that the fridge is empty on most days and expressed confusion over the notes. One day, the user asked another coworker if they were aware of the alleged weirdness with the notes. That particular coworker mentioned that Sarah had been “weird” since the offsite. 

In response, the Redditor said, “I’m starting to suspect I did something at an offsite I didn’t attend, and now I’m being psychologically warned via tupperware label every morning.” At this point, the user turned to fellow Redditors about whether or not to confront their coworker. 

Redditors Split Over Confrontation After Coworker Labels Lunch With ‘Passive-Aggressive’ Notes

The Reddit story has amassed 3K upvotes and over 700 comments from users on the platform reacting to the story. Many were split over whether or not the OP should confront their coworker about the notes or let it be. They each also attempted to provide a reason for her behavior. 

A user pondered, “I feel you may have eaten her lunch at offsite…” Similarly, another thought, “I think her notes are humorous and certainly benign. Probably an inside joke with someone that isn’t you.”

One more wondered, “Maybe she makes her lunch at night and has to label it this way because someone at home is taking or eating her lunch.” The next one added, “Sounds like somebody ate her lunch and she is cross about it.”

A final one sternly stated, “Since you were never off-site, her notes are probably directed at someone else.” The same user alleged, “You seem to be taking her notes personally, when they’re not for you.”