Forums >Off the Beaten Path>Is it stealing?
sugnim
There is a bottle of mustard in the break room refrigerator at work. I don't know who it belongs to. It is mostly full. I used some of it on a sandwich today without saying anything. Is that theft? Is that the same as taking someone's lunch from the fridge? Should I leave a note on the mustard bottle? Thoughts?
was it Poupon or French's?
Life Goals:
#1: Do what I can do
#2: Enjoy life
No name on the bottle in a community fridge? not stealing.
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The Plan '15 → /// "Run Hard, Live Easy." ∞
not bad for mile 25
No one can own mustard. Mustard has one purpose in life, to flavor a sandwich.
it's no different than banditting a race. Just don't bandit a race carrying a bottle of mustard. People will think you're strange.
yes
Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard.
Good Bad & The Monkey
That was you?
Perhaps I should not have used a mustard bottle to store my human biology experiment. Sorry, my bad.
I hope you are okay.
I'm running somewhere tomorrow. It's going to be beautiful. I can't wait.
Poor baby
#artbydmcbride
...uh...oh....
Runners run
uʍop ǝpᴉsdn sǝʇᴉɹʍ ʇI
The word "stealing" is a bit harsh in this case, but it was not yours. I have done that as well, so I'm not saying it is ok. Stealing? Probably not. Rude and somewhat disrespectful? Maybe...
A Saucy Wench
This is really more a question of cultural norms in your particular tribe. I've worked in offices where condiments were common property. I've also worked in offices where nobody was allowed to leave anything in the fridge more than a day, so if it had been there the day before, it was illegal mustard.
I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets
"When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7
Prince of Fatness
No one here will be able to clear your conscience for you. You must do it yourself.
That said it was a dab of effing mustard. Relax. Unless you drowned your sammich in it.
Not at it at all.
Imminent Catastrophe
In a more blatant case, here's my tale of woe:
I stayed at a B&B before the Salmon Marathon. Put my Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso cans, my pre-race staple, in the community fridge. Race morning I got up and guess what, some asshat had stolen it. Obviously this is not replaceable on race morning. They also took our neighbor's lemonade.
At least they left the shower beer and kombucha.
"Able to function despite imminent catastrophe"
"To obtain the air that angels breathe you must come to Tahoe"--Mark Twain
"The most common question from potential entrants is 'I do not know if I can do this' to which I usually answer, 'that's the whole point'.--Paul Charteris, Tarawera Ultramarathon RD.
√ Javelina Jundred Jalloween 2015
Cruel Jewel 50 mile May 2016
Western States 100 June 2016
What kind of a lazy bastard leaves mustard in the break room kitchen? If you can't take it home, it is community property!
2018 Goals
Figure out the achilles thing...... and THEN try to get running regularly again.
No racing goals
Well, in English law (and I suppose its somewhat similar in the US) this would probably be theft subject to a couple of things.
Honest belief that the owner would consent in the circumstances is a defence.
In any case dishonesty is a key ingredient which is ultimately a jury question - in the UK the jury are directed roughly as follows: Was what the defendant did, by the ordinary standards of reasonable and honest people dishonest and, if so, did he realise that by those standards what he did was dishonest?