An office worker bought a used espresso machine and brought it in so everyone could skip the terrible break room coffee. A few months later, a coworker put a QR code next to it and started charging $1.50 a drink, and the machine ended up going home with its owner.
The coworker says the money was only to cover supplies. Now some people in the office think the owner overreacted, while the owner feels the whole thing was decided behind their back.
💸 Take Back Control of Your Finances in 2025 💸
Get Instant Access to our free mini course
5 DAYS TO A BETTER BUDGET
Bad Office Coffee
The office is small, and the coffee available there has always been pretty bad. Most people either put up with it or grabbed something on the way in.
The employee decided to fix that. It seemed like a simple way to make the workday a little better for everyone.
A Used Espresso Machine
A few months ago, they bought a used espresso machine at a good price and set it up in the office. They didn’t mind other people using it, and their only real rule was that nobody should break it.
It was meant as a shared perk. There was no plan to make money from it, just a nicer way for the team to get their morning coffee.
Nicer Beans and Oat Milk
One coworker got especially into the machine. He started making drinks for other people and began buying better coffee beans, oat milk, and flavored syrups.
At first, that felt generous. He was spending his own money to make the setup better, and people in the office clearly enjoyed having him make their coffee.
A QR Code by the Machine
Then one morning, the employee walked in and saw a QR code sitting next to the machine. A sign said drinks were now $1.50 each.
At first, they assumed it was a joke. It wasn’t, and the coworker had set up a payment page and was tracking who was getting coffee.
$70 Already Collected
By the time the employee found out, the coworker had already collected around $70. That money had come from coworkers using a machine the employee had bought and brought in for free.
At $1.50 a drink, a regular coffee drinker could easily spend $7 or more a week. Over a month, that adds up to around $30 per person, which is a lot to pay for office coffee made on a machine nobody was charging for before.
The employee told the coworker they weren’t comfortable with him charging people to use something they’d brought in for everyone. He said the payments were only to cover what he’d been spending on beans, milk, and syrups.
A Monthly Split Instead
The employee suggested another approach. They asked how much the supplies actually cost each month, figuring everyone who used the machine could chip in a few dollars together.
That kind of split could have covered the coworker’s costs without turning every coffee into a transaction. The employee was even willing to contribute to it themselves.
The coworker didn’t like that idea. He argued that some people drink much more coffee than others, so charging by the drink was the fairest way to make sure he didn’t lose money.
Unplugged and Taken Home
The employee said they could still work something out, but the coworker was set on keeping the QR code. The conversation didn’t go anywhere.
Eventually, the employee unplugged the machine and took it home. If the setup was going to turn into a paid coffee service, they didn’t want their own equipment at the center of it.
Petty or Protective
Now a few coworkers think the employee was being petty. They point out that the coworker was buying supplies and that people liked having him make their drinks.
The coworker also says the move made it look like he was trying to profit off someone else’s machine. The employee maintains they would’ve gladly helped pay for supplies, they just didn’t want someone else deciding to charge for something that wasn’t his, and now they’re left wondering if taking the machine home cost them some goodwill in a very small office.
Featured on Cents + Purpose: