There is a famous quote that says “No matter what a situation or circumstance looks like; know that nothing is ever what it seems.” That goes for both things that look extremely good and for things that look terrible. And unfortunately, this goes for every business field that we all get to experience at least once in our lifetime. That’s why we thought it would be useful to let you know about certain stuff that comes in handy.
- Freelance technical writer: Many companies actually pay people to post on social media and review sites and write positive fake feedback. So, when you’re on amazon and find someone writing a review about a skillet for example and they say “This is a great product, I really enjoyed it and the instructions were clear”, you know it’s a real person profile but with fake review. hasslemind / Reddit
- Foodservice worker. “What’s your favorite thing on the menu?” In response to questions like this, we are obligated to offer something that is either about to expire or something that costs more. So here is a piece of advice: If you are not sure about what to choose, ask the staff to help you and opt for the opposite thing. ExFanta / Pikabu
- Worker in the meat department of a supermarket. Hopefully, things have changed, but our manager was insistent on using past due meat to make burgers, sausages, etc. I once got in trouble because I threw out the ammonia scented chicken tenderloins that had expired 2 weeks prior, rather than grind them up for chicken patties. sorrythankyouno / Reddit
- Pilot: The whole “turn off the cell phone” thing doesn’t matter 99.99% of the time. HOWEVER, it’s that .01% of the time that we worry about. Most cell phones nowadays, like iphones and androids, don’t operate on the same frequency as the equipment we are worried about, but it’s that one guy with the cell phone made in 1996 that’s going to ruin it for everyone. Could we spend more time going through everyone’s electronics and saying “You can use this, this, this, and this but not that unless we are over 14,500 feet?” We could but, A) it would take forever and B) You wouldn’t remember it or get it right. So please, turn that thing off when we’re landing the plane. CaptValentine / Reddit
- Restaurant worker. Don’t go to a restaurant within 30 min or so of its closing time. The cooks have already cleaned in an attempt to go home — at best you’re getting the scraps left on the counter, at worst, well you’ve pissed off the cooks. Tkpf18 / Reddit
- Bartender in a pub. Everything comes in frozen to pubs: soups, curry, cakes, bread, Sunday dinners, meat, fish, chicken. So that really nice meal you got where the chicken had the nice char-grill marks on it and everything was so juicy... I microwaved everything and shot the chicken on the grill for an 30 extra seconds. I laugh when people say, “Oh, so you’re a chef?” Haha. No, I’m a microwave technician! Dannyboi93 / Reddit
- Radio worker. Nearly every caller you hear on a top 40 radio station is either an intern or someone else close to the studio, everything is fake. Puff_puff_*** / Reddit
- Construction worker: If your windows or sliding doors are tough to open and close. 9 times out of 10, we put your own dish soap on tracks and the thing works perfectly. It take 5 minutes and we charge 150. lyckadese / Reddit
- Musician. I attended a songwriting workshop at Berklee School of Music, and Anna Wise (Grammy-winning songwriter, Kendrick Lamar collaborator) told the audience during a presentation that whenever someone “magically” blows up on SoundCloud or YouTube, that it’s not authentic. A label will sign the artist in secret, and then suddenly boost their viewership tremendously to make it look like the independent artist did it on their own. ben_levy2 / Reddit
- Restaurant worker: The larger the menu at a restaurant the greater the chance your food was frozen and just reheated. MathewMurdock / Reddit
- Hotel employee. In some hotels, the housekeepers do something called “popping the sheets.” They wipe off crumbs and straighten the sheets out to make it look like they made it with fresh linen. The thing is, it just depends on the housekeeper. boogiemange / Reddit
- Nursing home worker: the amount of black mold in nursing homes is outrageous. If you’re considering putting an elderly family member in one, glance inside the a.c. unit or look at an air vent, you can see it too. 4quil0n / Reddit
- Kindergarten teacher. Your child might take their first step or say their first real word while at daycare. But we aren’t going to tell you that. OutsideBones86 / Reddit
- Skincare industry worker. None of the products cost more than $2 to manufacture, but they retail anywhere from $20 to $150 per product. It has always amazed me how much people would shell out for creams containing volcanic clay or snake venom. DWeb338 / Reddit
- Coffee seller: The lighter the roast of coffee, the more caffeine it has. So often I’ll hear people say, “I’ll take a light roast, I don’t want to be up all night after all, haha.” Remember — the caffeine is in the bean at the start, the more you roast it, the more caffeine burns off since it’s in the natural oils of the bean. djpiraterobot / Reddit
- Doctor. If you find yourself waiting forever to be seen in the ER, that’s probably a very good thing. We get to the serious stuff back there pretty dang quick. For clarity’s sake, a whole lot of pain doesn’t automatically make something serious. A broken arm is something that hurts a lot, but we’re going to take the guy who’s sweating and says his chest feels a little tight, before we take you. Because he might be dying and you definitely aren’t. pause_and_consider / Reddit
- Preschool teacher. Your children tell us nearly everything about what goes on in your home. gingerjedi3 / Reddit
- Flight attendant. Flight attendants and pilots don’t get paid during boarding, deplaning, and delays. So when you’re delayed and angry, so are we. We’re not making money and still have to be there. boozeandarrows / Reddit
- Bus driver. If you’re the only one standing at a stop served by multiple routes and I’m a bus that you don’t want, signal to me that you don’t want my bus, so I don’t have to waste my time stopping for you. Shake your head, turn away from us, step away from the stop, or something. susitucker / Reddit
- Flight attendant. I ALWAYS recommend that you never, ever, ever, EVER use or put anything in the seat pocket. They are cleared of the rubbish, but are never “cleaned.” I have pulled out and seen all sorts of things from there. Dirty tissues, sick bags, underwear, socks, people’s feet, gum, half sucked sweets, apple cores... and then on the next flight, you go and put your phone/laptop/iPad in there. HausOfDarling / Reddit
- Bank worker. If you are wondering what’s taking me so long to process your loan application, it’s probably because I forgot about it. Honest_Banker / Reddit
- Food seller: “Organic” foods aren’t necessarily grown without chemicals. There are a ton of organic label pesticides out there, many of which are just as toxic as their synthetic counterparts. When I say “grown without chemicals,” I refer to man-made products like fertilizers and insecticides/herbicides. swannygirl94 / Reddit
- Cheese shor worker: Most Swiss cheeses (Gruyère, Emmentaler, Appenzeller) are lactose-free, as well as any cheese that’s been aged at least 2 years, like Parmigiano Reggiano or an aged Gouda. I work at a cheese shop, and clients are usually surprised when I share that information with them. NatchoFriend / Reddit
- Dentist: Here’s the lowdown on toothpaste. As long as it has fluoride they are all basically the same. The only difference is the packaging. So whether it says whitening, or gum protection, or whatever else it is all exactly the same. The exception is sensitivity toothpaste typically does have an extra active ingredient. KNO3, which helps with sensitivity. therock21 / Reddit
What are any possible secrets in your field of work that many people would be surprised to find out?