Rip off Britain .... or not

When I left BCWA Healthcare (now part of Simply Health) in 2002 and moved to Standard Life Healthcare (now part of PruHealth) I had in amongst the detritus one gathers when you work at home a box of Staples staples (see below)

Staples Staples circa 2002

Obviously I would never advocate 'stealing' office stationery but the box was almost full in 2002 and sat on my in tray and it never occurred to me to give it back to the employer I was leaving. So for the last 12 years I have been refilling my stapler from this supply of 5,000 or so staples.

So as you might gather I don't do a massive amount of stapling - on average around 1.14 stapling events per day.

Over the years I have become sentimentally attached to this red box - I've had it longer than my youngest child for example (sorry Ryan). Yesterday, terror of terrors I filled up my trusty stapler with the last of the red box supply and had to go out this morning and purchase a new box of staplers.

Two things about this process surprised me. Firstly 1,000 new staples only cost 25 pence (Morrisons value) - so now I do not feel as guilty about stealing from Simply Health - even allowing for inflation and interest I probably owe them less than £ 2. More importantly I cannot bring myself to bin the red box. So, sad but true the new Morrisons staples are sitting in the old red box on my in tray.