AITA for taking home Christmas cookies that were delivered to my office as a thank you.

One person from Reddit shares a story about taking home a tin of Christmas cookies that was delivered to their office as a thank you gift from a specialist. Despite there being plenty of other treats available,

their assistant texts them accusing them of “stealing” the best cookies before she had a chance to try them. Was it wrong for the user to take them home, or was their assistant overreacting? Read the full story below…

‘ AITA for taking home Christmas cookies that were delivered to my office as a thank you.’

I am a general dentist, I own my own practice, and as such I refer to a lot of specialists in my area. During the holidays, we are inundated with thank you gifts ranging from fruit arrangements, toffee, cakes, breads, pastries, candied apples, cookies, and more.

As soon as we receive the gifts, they go on our back staff table, and anyone is free to take what they want. I rarely partake in any of the offerings as I feel it’s nice for the staff to have stuff to munch on throughout the day.

On Monday, I go into the office and see that one of the specialists sent a tin of cookies that was unopened and untouched by the staff. At the end of the day, I decide to take it home with plans to bring it to a friend’s Xmas gathering the next day.

Shortly after I leave my office, my assistant texts me and asks me if I stole the delicious cookies off the table before she was able to enjoy them. I told her that I did, but that there were plenty of other things to munch on. She responds by saying “but you took the best ones!”.

I replied saying that I was sorry, but they were unopened and had been there all day and just figured no one wanted them so I took them home. She then proceeds to ask me to bring back the peanut butter ones tomorrow. I did not respond.

The following day, I assumed it was done and over when she realized I was not going to bring them back. At the end of the day she insults me for taking the cookies before she even had a chance to try them, and said there were plenty of other things I could have taken.

Some context, the specialists are sending ME the thank you, as I am the one who is sending the patients to them. The gifts however, are always delivered to the office. So AITA?!

Here’s how people reacted to the post:

Subspaceisgoodspace −  NTA. Perhaps explain that the gifts are for you and on the whole you pass them on to your staff to show appreciation but occasionally you will actually keep something

Becalmandkind −  Yeah, that text from your assistant is out of line and I wouldn’t have answered it. If she brought it up the next day, I would have said, “yes, I took some cookies that were sent to me as a thank you for my referrals.

I usually leave all of them here for the staff, but I reserve the right to occasionally take some home.” And I would not replace the peanut butter ones for her. That’s ridiculous.

arachnobravia −  NTA but you might want to pull the “boss” card. Her response reeks of entitlement and disrespect purely for the fact that you’re the one who studied for 4-8 years and own the joint. You’re not raiding the fridge and stealing their lunches, you’re taking something that sat out for the day and wasn’t touched.

deathtoallants −  NTA. Yeah, dentists/physician clinics experience a slew of gift giving around Christmas/New Years often. What I’ve never experienced is having a staff member treat me like yours did. Wtf, man? I’d pull her aside and have a private talk with her about her behavior if I were you.

Jaded_Lion1241 −  as a dental assistant you are nta. i can’t begin to imagine asking my boss to bring back cookies that were brought for him. you are the reason your assistant has a job. those are your damn cookies!

YouSayWotNow −  Wow, your assistant is pretty damn brazen. You are kind to share most of the gifts sent in, especially those which are likely to be a thank you to the entire practice staff.

But you are absolutely entitled to take home any items you like, especially those that are clearly a thank you to YOU for referring patients to the specialists who sent that particular gift.

I think you need to have a word with your assistant about her level of entitlement, and that you choose to share most of the gifts sent in with all of the staff but that you will absolutely not be lambasted by her for taking one such gift home with you. The disrespect she is showing is pretty shocking to be honest.. NTA

thelurkerx −  Sounds like you need a new assistant.

blueyejan −  What is with the entitlement? I’d never consider telling my boss they were wrong to take something that was sent to them!

rstwt −  WTF, is this a fake,post? You’re the owner, the boss, the big kaduna. Put this assistant in her place. Tell her the cookies are sent to you and if you don’t care to share them then that’s your decision. Can’t believe this is real but if you let these people walk all over you then it could be real.

nextCosmicBuffoon −  If it’s brought up again, with a smile to keep it light — “Oh, did I misread the name on the tin of cookies from colleague \[NAME\]? Maybe I should get my vision checked.”… then pick up a few other cards, feigning trouble reading the addressee and say… “I’m happy to share though”.

Do you think the user’s decision to take the cookies was justified, considering they were unopened and left untouched? Or do you agree with the assistant that they should have waited their turn? How would you handle a situation like this at work? Share your thoughts below!