Source: news.com.au Kate de Brito
Date: November 15, 2009
comment: I thought it was only me that had this problem.
I have an irritating issue I’m not sure how to deal with. I work in a small office where there are four of us. We drink lots of tea & coffee & we have about 10 coffee cups that are just random promotional ones given to us by sales reps over the years. My problem is, I have my own, personal coffee cup that I purchased myself and have clearly labeled with my name (it’s on the side & the bottom of the cup). However, people are ALWAYS using my coffee cup!!!
They have 10 other cups to choose from that are not labeled with someones name and yet they use MY cup!! This isn’t the first time this has happened. I used to use a coffee cup that promoted a strong pain killer, it was a cup that no one ever used which is why I started using it. But then when everyone knew I used that particular cup.. they started using it too!!
One time, a co-worker was making a cup of tea & when they went to select a cup they picked mine, which was waaaaaay at the back of all the other coffee cups (& did I mention it’s labeled?). I was just so stunned that this person used a cup that was clearly labeled with someones name however, as we all work in a very small space I feel like I can’t exactly chuck a hissy fit (as I’m doing now) and tell everyone to stop using my cup (four women in a small space? no way am I making waves). I find this to be the absolute height of rudeness.
But honestly, what can I do to get people to stop using my coffee cup that is clearly labeled with my name? Should I start hiding it? Cuz that thought /did/ occur to me, but I’m worried it’ll look weird when I go into the water heater closet & take out my cup - it’ll seem so very obvious & then they’ll know where I put it. I don’t have a desk drawer I can hide it in, cuz all of my drawers are full of work stuff.
On the upside, I don’t wash my coffee cup - I just rinse it. So jokes on them really.. (’ha ha you’re drinking my germs!!’) but still it’s MY coffee cup!!!! I’m also worried that someone will chip or break it. It’s very dear to me as it’s a limited edition Simpson’s coffee cup (why would I keep something like that at work? to make the 12 - 13 hour shifts brighter). There’s no way to replace it. I trawled through eBay recently to see if I could stock up on some replacements in case anything happened but no one is selling them.
How can I get these moo-cows to respect my stuff? They ask if they can drink my coffee, which is clearly labeled with my name, they ask if they can use my stapler & sticky tape (which are not labeled with my name & owned by the company we work for), and yet, they just go ahead & use my labeled (unwashed) coffee cup. It’s rude dammit! I even labeled one of the cupboard shelves as ‘Personal Cups’ & put my cup there. But still!!!! they use it!!
Give me a solution please.. I’m at the point where I’m considering giving up coffee, which will be hard since I’m 98% coffee.
Angry Coffee Drinker
Bossy says: I reckon your workmates are having you on. When you’re not around they laugh about your mug “issues”.
It’s fair you don’t want to share your cup. But when people have a long list of reasons (excuses) why they can’t solve a problem it’s usually because on some level they don’t want to solve it. They may like having something to whinge about, or they refuse to be the one to change to get the result they want.
Try not taking the cup to work for a start. Yes, you love it, but insisting on using a rare cup in the office is tempting fate. Buy a cheap, cheery mug that won’t cause you heartache if it’s smashed.
Alternately wash the mug after use and put it on your desk. They probably won’t cross the office floor just to get your mug. If they do, put it in your drawer. I don’t buy the “too full of work stuff” excuse. Find room.
Finally, you could buy them all their own mugs for Christmas – with labels. Whenever they use your mug look hurt and say; “Don’t you like the mug I bought you?” Guilt works wonders. If none of these things help, you’re probably just not trying hard enough.
Date: November 15, 2009
comment: I thought it was only me that had this problem.
I have an irritating issue I’m not sure how to deal with. I work in a small office where there are four of us. We drink lots of tea & coffee & we have about 10 coffee cups that are just random promotional ones given to us by sales reps over the years. My problem is, I have my own, personal coffee cup that I purchased myself and have clearly labeled with my name (it’s on the side & the bottom of the cup). However, people are ALWAYS using my coffee cup!!!
They have 10 other cups to choose from that are not labeled with someones name and yet they use MY cup!! This isn’t the first time this has happened. I used to use a coffee cup that promoted a strong pain killer, it was a cup that no one ever used which is why I started using it. But then when everyone knew I used that particular cup.. they started using it too!!
One time, a co-worker was making a cup of tea & when they went to select a cup they picked mine, which was waaaaaay at the back of all the other coffee cups (& did I mention it’s labeled?). I was just so stunned that this person used a cup that was clearly labeled with someones name however, as we all work in a very small space I feel like I can’t exactly chuck a hissy fit (as I’m doing now) and tell everyone to stop using my cup (four women in a small space? no way am I making waves). I find this to be the absolute height of rudeness.
But honestly, what can I do to get people to stop using my coffee cup that is clearly labeled with my name? Should I start hiding it? Cuz that thought /did/ occur to me, but I’m worried it’ll look weird when I go into the water heater closet & take out my cup - it’ll seem so very obvious & then they’ll know where I put it. I don’t have a desk drawer I can hide it in, cuz all of my drawers are full of work stuff.
On the upside, I don’t wash my coffee cup - I just rinse it. So jokes on them really.. (’ha ha you’re drinking my germs!!’) but still it’s MY coffee cup!!!! I’m also worried that someone will chip or break it. It’s very dear to me as it’s a limited edition Simpson’s coffee cup (why would I keep something like that at work? to make the 12 - 13 hour shifts brighter). There’s no way to replace it. I trawled through eBay recently to see if I could stock up on some replacements in case anything happened but no one is selling them.
How can I get these moo-cows to respect my stuff? They ask if they can drink my coffee, which is clearly labeled with my name, they ask if they can use my stapler & sticky tape (which are not labeled with my name & owned by the company we work for), and yet, they just go ahead & use my labeled (unwashed) coffee cup. It’s rude dammit! I even labeled one of the cupboard shelves as ‘Personal Cups’ & put my cup there. But still!!!! they use it!!
Give me a solution please.. I’m at the point where I’m considering giving up coffee, which will be hard since I’m 98% coffee.
Angry Coffee Drinker
Bossy says: I reckon your workmates are having you on. When you’re not around they laugh about your mug “issues”.
It’s fair you don’t want to share your cup. But when people have a long list of reasons (excuses) why they can’t solve a problem it’s usually because on some level they don’t want to solve it. They may like having something to whinge about, or they refuse to be the one to change to get the result they want.
Try not taking the cup to work for a start. Yes, you love it, but insisting on using a rare cup in the office is tempting fate. Buy a cheap, cheery mug that won’t cause you heartache if it’s smashed.
Alternately wash the mug after use and put it on your desk. They probably won’t cross the office floor just to get your mug. If they do, put it in your drawer. I don’t buy the “too full of work stuff” excuse. Find room.
Finally, you could buy them all their own mugs for Christmas – with labels. Whenever they use your mug look hurt and say; “Don’t you like the mug I bought you?” Guilt works wonders. If none of these things help, you’re probably just not trying hard enough.
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