A man has sparked a furious online debate after he shared a photo of a sealed four-pint bottle of milk in his work fridge.
While some offices may be blessed with getting a fresh delivery of milk every morning, it seems that’s not the case.
That’s why one person took extreme measures by not only buying their own milk, but locking it up with a specially designed device.
The image, posted on Reddit by @Vented55, has gone viral.
And social media users can’t seem to figure out whether this move is petty or justified, with some saying they “totally agree” while others have labeled the method of protecting the bottle as “strange.”
Small scale or justified – what do you think?
In the photo, captioned “Peak pettiness or justifiable safety in the office kitchen?”, there’s a blue milk bottle and two green caps in the fridge.
In the middle, it looks like a worker bought a specially modified lock that is placed on the neck and lid of the bottle.
To secure it, there is a U-shaped bar between and under the handle of the milk bottle.
The image has garnered more than 8,000 votes and 1,300 comments — at the time of writing — as social media users on Reddit can’t figure out what they think of the post.
There were plenty of people who said the move was “not trivial” as they found justifiable reasons behind the lock-up.
One person who agreed with the move wrote, “Justifiable, because some t**t forced a person to get petty.”
While another said, “It’s no more trivial than using a locker to store your stuff or lock your bike.” It’s not petty to prevent people from stealing your things.’
Another person explained that they agree with the move due to personal experience.
Users on Reddit were left divided by the viral image. Some said they agreed with the move, while others labeled the method of protecting the bottle “strange.”
They wrote, “I bought an Udderlok for my milk at work and it worked fine for a few weeks, but then I believe a thief took it as a challenge and pretty much tore the carton apart to steal the milk.”
And a fourth stated, “100% justifiable if some thief stole what they paid for.”
A fifth user also wrote: ‘Too bad it’s necessary. Stealing colleagues are not pleasant. But because it is necessary, absolutely the right thing to do.’
And another chimed in, “I had someone steal my food at work, I totally agree.”
Meanwhile, those who disagreed with the move wrote, “I find kitchen politics so strange. It’s so straight forward and there should be rules but we like to mock each other because we expect basic respect, imagine having to go to extremes?’
And another said, “It’s petty, but rightly so.”
A second Reddit user simply wrote, “Brilliant. Justified.’
While one user said they also agree with the system of locking up the milk, explained, “I have a budget for my food all week. I’m not in a dire situation, I just like to stick to a budget. If people take part of the food, it means I have to spend extra.’
Another person wrote, “It’s your food. Protect that shit from a*****s.’
A second said, “It’s only petty if you’re the one who keeps stealing it and now you can’t.”
Another person said jokingly, “It’s only petty if you’re the one who keeps stealing it and now you can’t.”
But others continued to sit on the fence, one of whom wrote, “It’s a bit of both at the same time.” If people did not take what is not theirs, there would be no need. I wouldn’t go that far with milk, but people were losing food the last place I was. A 12-hour shift without food is no joke.’
While another was shocked that something as simple as a pint of milk was not provided by their place of work, he wrote, “It always amazes me when I see people working for companies that don’t provide things like milk. ‘
And another Reddit user chimed in, “Offices should keep the fridge stocked with stuff like this for their employees.”