Here’s the thing about pranks: they’re only funny if everyone involved can laugh about them, and that’s very rarely the case.
So when people figure out a way to get back at the people having fun at their expense, they usually take it.
There was a jokester at OP’s work who liked to mess with his lunch chair.
For lunch a group of my coworkers, our foreman, and myself would sit and each lunch in the foreman’s little hut everyday.
My seat was an empty lidded 5 gallon bucket and everyday as I was getting ready to sit one coworker would kick it across the room before I had a chance to sit down.
It got annoying fast, so OP devised a payback.
Everyone found it hilarious. It was funny the first couple times but it got old.
So one day I thought it would be hilarious to cut the bottom of the bucket off and then fill it with nuts and bolts and put the lid back on.
Harmless but got the point across.
That day at lunch we go in he tries to kick the bucket, of course it goes nowhere and he angrily picks it up and tosses the bucket across the room.
And of course as he picks the bucket up all the nuts and bolts go spilling out of the bottom.
It was hilarious and everyone in the hut was laughing.
I had brought in a camping chair pulled it out and sat down and said, “Dang man looks like you have a mess clean up!”
The top comment says OP had a great idea.
The harmless part is important.
People should know jokes like this get old.
Seriously, OP should give lessons.
This comment is right on point.
This is about the best way to handle a person like this.
No harm, no foul. As long as they didn’t decide to escalate.
If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.