"They Never Asked And They Always Ate Everything": Woman Gets Revenge On Roommate

Living with a roommate is a rite of passage for many college students. But while some roommates become lifelong friends, others—well, let’s just say they test your patience.

One woman took to Reddit to share a story about how her roommate—and his friends—kept eating her food, despite her repeated pleas to stop. After one too many stolen meals, she reached her breaking point and decided to get even. Keep reading to find out what petty revenge she came up with.

Stealing, many would agree, is wrong and can be especially disheartening when you’re on the receiving end of it, like the Reddit user whose roommate and friends kept swiping her food.

Unfortunately, food theft among college students is not uncommon. According to one survey, 52 percent of college students admitted to taking items from their roommates. During my own college days, I saw countless complaints in the dorm group chat about stolen food—from entire pizzas to just a single egg. Some students even resorted to buying mini fridges for their rooms as a way to prevent theft.

It’s not just roommate theft that’s an issue; students also steal from campus dining facilities. One student at Vanderbilt University shared, “I’ve stolen an entire meal from Rand,” a campus dining center. “If they’re not going to feed me during finals week, honey, I’m going to take what I need.”

Another confessed to taking from Food For Thought, a lunchtime event, because they wanted to save some of their remaining cash after buying textbooks.

John Ashline, a supervisor at Sundowner dining hall at The State University of New York at Plattsburgh, thinks students might steal food “for the thrill” or because they “really want something” while low on dining dollars. However, what these stories often point to is that college students aren’t stealing out of excitement; they’re doing it because they can’t afford not to. Many are struggling with the high costs of textbooks, mandatory meal plans, and pricey housing.

Stealing is definitely not something to be condoned. But instead of just punishing or judging students, colleges might do better by understanding why they steal and offering support to help them through tough times.