People Are Confessing The Dirty Little Secrets Of Their Work Industries
Behind every job and within every workplace, there are secrets that the general public probably isn't aware of. Whether it's the intricacies of the ice cream machine at McDonald's or whatever's going on when you try to check in with an airline, each workplace has its secrets.
You're probably aware of at least a few of these from the various jobs you've worked. Maybe you've heard stories from friends, too. But thanks to Reddit, we have a vast resource of the dirty little secrets from various industries.
"Bed bugs happen more often than you would think."
A commenter who worked at a Marriott hotel confirms that yes, bed bugs are unfortunately a frequent occurrence, and also that there's really nothing that can be done about the scourge - largely because there's no way to quarantine each and every guest.
"All we can do is clean the room when the problem is discovered. Those sheets are probably not as clean as you think." The commenter also says it's always a good idea to bolt-lock your door, because keycard mistakes can and will happen.
"There are TONS of buildings out there that don't meet code."
This is a tad alarming, but it makes sense: lots of old buildings were built before modern safety regulations, so they just need a little architectural TLC, right? Surely newer buildings are more safe.
Wrong. "Even new construction [doesn't meet code]," OP writes. "Inspectors either don't care, don't know the code, or don't even bother to inspect in the first place." They do point out that building codes are so stringent, though, that most buildings are probably safe, even if they don't pass the code.
"Always wash your new clothing before you wear it."
There's no better feeling than wearing new clothes, right? They've got those crisp folds and store-fresh scent, so why even throw them in the washing machine before wearing, right? Well, this comment might give you pause.
"Even if it looks fresh and new, it's been thrown on the floor, moved around a dusty warehouse, tried on by a sweaty post-gym person, and probably sat in a stinky, humid shipping container for 2 months," they wrote. "Plus, you want to wash off all the starching and finishing products."
Here's why those car parts don't work.
Have you ever picked up something basic to fix your car and found that it's defective right out of the package? Here's a possible reason from somebody in the know: car part manufacturers basically do it on purpose as a way to get rid of some of their more shoddy products.
"[Manufacturers] know that aftermarket sellers like local repair shops and Autozone don't have the testing capabilities of manufacturers, so will sometimes ship them questionable and/or outright defective parts," they write.
Radio stations aren't counting.
Have you ever called in to a radio show, hoping to be caller number X? You strategize and try to time things perfectly to maximize your chances, then you lose anyway. As it turns out, the whole thing is a sham.
"We totally don't take caller 10," one commenter admits. "We maybe counted 1 to 6 and then sorted through the callers until we found an excited sounding voice that fit the target demographic." There's a lesson here: sound excited.
Big Printer got us again.
Modern printers are full of software that seems intended to stop you from using the printer and its ink, and get you buying unnecessary refills of ink. If that sounds like unfair treatment of consumers, that's because it is.
"Printers aren't smart enough to know the amount of ink/toner is left in the cartridge," wrote someone in the know. "They guess based on usage percentages and only know when they are empty. 'Low toner' doesn't mean replacement, it means have one on hand."
Waiting tables can get hectic.
I haven't run across this one, but it's a helpful glimpse behind the scenes at a busy restaurant. A former waiter says that, when you're kept waiting without service and a waiter eventually comes up and apologizes, it's a sign that they're frazzled.
"Saying, 'I'll take care of you even though this isn't my section,' means, 'I completely forgot which tables are in my section and was just made aware that this is one of them,'" they wrote.
Sounds like a racket.
Enterprise Rent-a-Car is consistently ranked as one of the best big companies to work for. So what dirty secrets is Enterprise keeping from us? From the employee side, not much. But from the moneymaking side of things, it's pretty interesting.
One Redditor notes that Enterprise buys cars in bulk straight from the manufacturer from a discount. They use them as rentals for a year, and then sell them used - for a higher price than they paid for them brand new!
"Don't ever call insurance for an estimate."
An insurance worker says that if you call your insurance company to get an estimate for a claim, they'll generally determine the damage is not enough to repair, making it a zero dollar claim.
"That means when another company pulls your information, it will not only impact your future rates, but might make you ineligible for future policies," they advise. "Don't ever call insurance for an estimate first, get a third party inspector to tell you whether you should file with insurance."
"They like to say they do the best for animals."
We all know that animal test subjects - often mice - are used to try out various products. One commenter says that they worked for a facility that tested on rats, mice and dogs - a facility that claimed they treated these animals well.
"The place is abysmal," they wrote. "[They're] not firing people who straight up kick the animals because they are leads. There are people who genuinely want to do good by the animals ... but corporate greed combined with burnout makes for a bad time."
"You are about to lose a bunch of money."
Another commenter chimed in with a fundamental truth of small business - one that the statistics support, but also something that small business owners don't want to hear: in short, it's brutal being a small business owner.
"I own a sign shop, and I can tell you with 100 percent certainty that almost all businesses fail within the first year," they conclude. "If you think you are going to open [a small business], you are about to lose a bunch of money."
Tell me about call volumes.
We've all found ourselves in a situation where we're trying to get some help on the phone, but are kept on hold forever due to that vague culprit of a "larger that normal call volume." Frustrating, right?
One commenter blows the lid off the whole thing: "There isn't a 'larger than normal call volume.' We just don't have enough staff. Also, your call is not important to us. We actually want you to go away." If you hadn't already given up on big corporations, this is your sign.
What you've always suspected is true.
You've probably heard someone, at some point, tell you that the cheaper store brand is just as good as the name brand - or even the literal exact same product, just with different packaging.
"I'm just confirming the truth as someone that used to work in a factory," wrote one commenter. "The brand you buy doesn't always matter. Sometimes it's all the same stuff that comes out of the same vats, but just labelled differently and sold at different price ranges."
"Please be nice to us."
Here's one you probably heard from a prof at some point, but maybe you glossed it over or weren't paying attention: if you're an undergrad (well, if you're in academia period, but especially if you're an undergrad), treat grad students with decency.
"The grad students teaching your classes sometimes have more direct power over your grade than your professor," they wrote. "Please be nice to us. Not even to get a good grade, just please be nice to us because we're stressed and tired."
"The larger the developer, the slower the process."
A Redditor who works in large scale construction points out that big developers basically borrow on the credit of smaller subcontractors, writing, "You have billion dollar companies asking smaller companies to pay for them with a promise to pay later."
"The larger the developer, the slower the process is to get paid. If a project goes bust, it's these small guys that get hit because all of the developers have limited liability companies that are project-specific, no assets to speak of."
"You need a bog standard will."
A will writer in the United Kingdom says that, in the U.K. at least, if you have under £325,000 in assets (roughly $412,000 USD) and don't need to exclude anyone from your will, then you can just go with a default "bog standard" will template.
"You don't need a solicitor to write it, and if it costs more than £150 + VAT, then it's a ripoff," they wrote. "It takes me about an hour's worth of work to gather information and write that will."
Some more hotel hints.
One commenter was full of wisdom for hotel stays - some helpful, some gross. Let's start with the gross part: apparently lots of people use those electric kettles not for tea, but for washing underwear...so maybe don't ever touch one of those kettles ever again.
On the helpful side, try using the "Dr." or "Prof." prefix when booking. It isn't like the hotel will ask for proof of your doctorate, and this is apparently likely to get you preferential treatment during your stay.
If you have expired meds, read this.
Nobody wants to get sick from expired food, so it stands to reason that we tend to throw out medications once they expire, too. But meds aren't the same as perishable foods, and in general, can be used for years after expiry.
"[Medications] don't turn into poison the second they expire - most medications are going to be effective for YEARS after they expire," wrote OP. "As long as it isn't an antiviral or antibiotic, you can probably use it after it expires with no issues."
Here's why your claim was denied.
A commenter who works in the medical field says that when it comes to health insurance, the insurance rep is reviewing medical notes and looking for reasons to deny a given claim. For this reason, the commenter tries to omit certain words that might trigger a denial.
"The guy reviewing generally has no clinical knowledge whatsoever, but they are looking for certain keywords so they can stamp the denial on the claim," they wrote.
Enjoyers of fountain soda, look away.
You probably already know this if you've worked in a bar or anywhere with a soda fountain - but the lines that feed the nozzle are often disgusting, and you should maybe avoid these beverages at all costs.
"I'm an inspector, went to a gas station fountain drink a couple of weeks ago when I unscrewed the nozzle," wrote one horrified commenter. "A string of mold fell on my arm and it was the length from the palm of my hand down almost to my elbow."
Should you listen to your trainer?
The idea of getting a trainer to aid in your workouts makes perfect sense: they're the expert, and they can tailor specific workouts to you, empowering you to start working on your goals without getting bogged down in the planning.
That said, a commenter with a Masters in Exercise Science says: "90 percent of what trainers say and do is fluff, and just used to keep you interested and make it sound like they are worth their price."
"Most residential HVAC contractors have absolutely no idea what they are doing."
Thinking of getting your ducts cleaned, or trying a new A/C or heating system? Maybe get a few opinions before pulling the trigger on something costly. One commenter says that HVAC contractors often recommend unnecessary fixes.
"I do a lot of residential mechanical design, and on just about every project I'm forced to defend my drawings because the contracter has ideas on how to make it 'better,'" they wrote. "Most of the time, they are just trying to make it cheaper. Often, they. just don't understand how things work."
"Your data will go places you don't want it to go."
In the digital age, we're all used to signing terms of use that are dozens of pages long - documents we never read, don't understand, and never think about again. Some of these documents even give a false sense of security.
"You might sign some paper about data security and how we handle data, but believe me, your data will go places you don't want it to go," wrote a commenter who handles user data at a club with 2,000 members.
Cybersecur-what now?
"Cybersecurity" is a big, serious word, and it's reasonable to assume that cybersecurity experts know exactly what they're doing. But, as it turns out, this isn't necessarily the case. One cybersecurity consultant says that when it comes to big companies getting hacked, it's a matter of "when," not "if."
"Some organizations have people in charge of cybersecurity that barely know how basic protocols and technologies work," they write. It sounds like hackers are always going to be a few steps ahead of corporations.
Parents of new drivers, take note.
It's all well and good to go above and beyond when it comes to insurance - but sometimes this isn't necessary. An insurance agent notes that you don't always need to put a new driver on a policy.
"Just because your kid just got his license doesn't mean you need to tell your insurance agent," they wrote. "Once you do, we have to put them on the policy. If you hadn't called, they'd have just been covered as they live with you, and the policy follows the vehicle."