Cleaning out the office fridge aka 'you tossed out my food!'

[sarahj21]

Tossing everything more than 3 days old wouldn't work with me. Many employees keep a tub of butter in our fridge for their toast/sandwiches. Once our mean office manager tossed a drink of mine from the communal fridge. I wrote my name in pen on it but it didn't have a sticker, just the writing on the container, so she said it didn't count. I put it in there at lunch and came back two hours later and it was gone. Now I always finish my juice with my lunch, and for that and other reasons, I pretend she doesn't exist.

I think the employee with the cookie dough was unlucky. A co-worker would have known it was a new container, clean, fresh-looking, etc. and not tossed it. A contracted cleaning company employee directed to empty the fridge is just doing their job.

[Bees]

I work in a small office where I can do this. When I want to be sure I don't forget to take something home, I put my keys in the fridge on top of the item. I understand that not everybody can do that, but it's a great tip I learned from a newspaper column.

I do the same thing!

As long as you ALWays have your keys out before you leave the building. I got locked out once, had car problem, went back in to office to call for rescue, left keys out . Fortunately someone else came back to open door for me. I could easily have been locked out for the night.

Always put  a date on your food, helps you remember when not to eat leftovers.

[charlatan]

Tossing everything more than 3 days old wouldn't work with me. Many employees keep a tub of butter in our fridge for their toast/sandwiches.

In those cases, people can place a new sticker with that day's date on their tub and their stuff will be safe.

I just took over cleaning out one of the fridges and found a (thankfully unopened) glass jar of fruit cocktail with an expiration date of 2005.

[staceym]

WOW OP  I would have been angry too - a note put up after normal lunch hours and only given a 3 hour leeway is not good.  Is there a reason why there wasn't an email sent around? 

I am usally the one who cleans out our office frig; and if I was doing a total cleaning I send out an email telling everyone when and what time; and the day of I will send a reminder.

If I doing a quick clean (because the frig is too full or something smells) - if I see lunches in there that look fresh/new, I will get tape and put a date on it and put it back in the frig.  After the next day or two, if it is still there then it gets tossed.

[LadyClaire]

One day at work, the custodian decided to clean out the fridge. At 11:00 A.M., in the middle of the week, with absolutely no warning to anyone. She then denied having thrown away anyone's lunch, claiming she just "wiped down the fridge" and that "someone else must have thrown away the lunches", despite the fact that I walked into the break room as she was tossing things into the trash.

I was furious because she'd thrown away my lunch and money was tight that week so I couldn't really go out and buy something. Luckily a co-worker took pity on me and treated me to lunch that day, otherwise I would have gone hungry.

[EmmaJ.]

Jeni, any response to your note yet?

[jeni]

Hi everyone,

LadyClaire, that's terrible, and for her to lie about it knowing someone saw her, the mind boggles!

From the responses I think all of us here on this thread could give a few lessons on how to manage the communal fridge.

Well for my situation, I ended up deciding to remove my note.  I had to go back in on the weekend so I re-read it and while it wasn't terrible or anything I just decided to take it down.  One of the reasons was because that was my last week in that area so I wouldn't be there to do anything much to try to prevent it happening again.  I did email one of the bosses to let her know what happened and I made a couple of suggestions, like the email notification for example.  She replied in acknowledgement but was non committal so I don't know if anything will happen, though I'm sure if others complain they will make some changes.

Another reason I decided to let it go and put it out of my mind was because I didn't want a negative experience to cloud what otherwise was a good experience working in that area.  If that makes any sense.

For those interested in what my scribbles on the notice said it was "No notice!!!" and "You threw away my lunch from TODAY", and under the deadline time I wrote  "how were we supposed to know, no warning" .  Nothing too terrible about that, but admittedly a little tantrum-like    and definitely not polite!

[Gyburc]

I don't think what you wrote was really too bad, just a bit... terse. 

I hope they do institute a change, because I agree with the PPs, clearing out the fridge with only 3 hours' notice and not putting up a note until after most people would see it was pretty bad form.

[kckgirl]

For those interested in what my scribbles on the notice said it was "No notice!!!" and "You threw away my lunch from TODAY", and under the deadline time I wrote  "how were we supposed to know, no warning" .  Nothing too terrible about that, but admittedly a little tantrum-like    and definitely not polite!

I think your note was neither tantrum like nor impolite.

[bopper]

I would take down any notes and talk to whoever is in charge of the fridge. "I think fridge clean out days are a good idea, but may I propose a slightly different procedure?  Put a notice on Monday that the fridge will be cleaned out on Friday. That way we won't have cases like what happened to me where I put my leftovers in the fridge last night only to find them gone when I went to lunch.  Oops! But I appreciate all your efforts and the break room is very pleasant to spend time in."

[dirtyweasel]

Personally I would have left the note for the person who cleaned the fridge to see.  How else can you prevent this from happening again.  Leaving a note lets them see that they handled the situation poorly and (hopefully) prevents them from making the same mistake next time they decide to clean out the refrigerator without giving any notice.

[oceanus]

OP - I think your note was okay.
But a talk with whoever tossed your food would be better, as another member suggested.

[guihong]

For things like the butter that someone uses each lunch, what about borrowing a tip from Ehell and sticking a label (with masking tape) onto the edge of the shelf?  Something like "Do not toss anything in this space"? 

I think an email and notice in the break room that the fridge will be cleaned out on Friday afternoons at 4:00 (or whatever schedule) is sufficient, as long as it goes out by Tuesday at the latest.

If the whole thing has to be unplugged or defrosted, then further mention butters, jams, things like that so that people can get them.

[VorFemme]

For things like the butter that someone uses each lunch, what about borrowing a tip from Ehell and sticking a label (with masking tape) onto the edge of the shelf?  Something like "Do not toss anything in this space"? 

I think an email and notice in the break room that the fridge will be cleaned out on Friday afternoons at 4:00 (or whatever schedule) is sufficient, as long as it goes out by Tuesday at the latest.

If the whole thing has to be unplugged or defrosted, then further mention butters, jams, things like that so that people can get them.

Or "Office Supplies - opened xx/xx/xx - good for [time period]", perhaps - creamer, sugar, butter/margarine, and the like might be supplied in some offices.  In others - "Jane's Creamer - good until xx/xx/xx" might work.