I’ve worked a number of different jobs in my life and one of the fun parts about that was learning the inside secrets and the tricks of the trade.
I’ve worked in restaurants, grocery stores, manufacturing plants, and I even did several years working on movies and TV shows.
And it’s all been very enlightening!
People took to AskReddit to share secrets about the industries they work in. Let’s see what they revealed.
1. Do it every day!
“I’m a teacher. If you as a parent will read with your child often and early, your child will thrive in school.
I’m talking daily books read together from newborn to about third grade. Every single day. No teacher can replace that.”
2. That’s not good.
“RV technician here.
They’re designed to start breaking after around 44 uses.
Most RV owners use their trailers on weekends. But not every weekend.
So that 44 uses on average stretches between two and three years.”
3. Be sure to wash it.
“At Goodwill, we don’t clean anything that we sell, and we get some really gross stuff that touches everything else.
So next time you buy something from Goodwill, wash it well”
4. Makes sense.
“The weight loss industry.
This might be obvious, but most of our business comes from return clients after they’ve gained their weight back (and then some).
To be clear, the plan isn’t rigged to make you gain it back, but the fact that it happens easily as a result of dieting keeps us in business.”
5. I believe it.
“As a former TSA worker airport security is a lot of theater. TSA is constantly failing plain clothes inspections.
I worked with a guy who got fired because someone showed him an ID with a picture of Mickey Mouse on it and he let the person through because he wasn’t paying attention.”
6. Boom!
“Federal HR here.
If you put the words from the vacancy announcement about what you need to qualify in your resume you’ll almost always be qualified.
We search for those words instead of reading an entire resume.”
7. Gotta sell those t-shirts.
“I’m a musician.
90% of of our revenue is from merch. Spotify plays, show guarantees, etc, everything is menial in comparison to shirt sales.
In fact, a big reason bands tour as often as possible is because we can sell more shirts when we’re in front of people.”
8. Did you know this?
“Plumber here.
Theirs no such thing as a flushable wipe. The package lies. You drains WILL clog, and fast; your landlord will charge you; it’s going to suck.
Throw wipes in the trash if you use them; toilets paper is the only acceptable wipe.”
9. Pretty much all the same.
“I’m a dentist. Here’s the lowdown on toothpaste.
As long as it has fluoride they are all basically the same.
When I was in dental school the Colgate lady came by and said that everything that says Colgate Total on it is all exactly 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.
Don’t ever feel obligated to buy the expensive toothpaste because you think it will be better for your teeth, just buy whatever you like best.”
10. About those fines…
“A lot of librarians will waive your fines if you have an excuse and you don’t ask too frequently, even large fines.
Also, librarians DON’T CARE about your fines and aren’t judging you. Please come back.
We personally have more fines than you. Librarians are ALWAYS overdue with their books.”
11. It pays to be nice.
“The guy who shows up at your house to make repairs is usually the guy who decides how much to charge you.
Standing behind him while he works cost extra. Treating him like s**t cost extra.
Being nice to him can save you a lot of money.”
12. Wow!
“Kirkland products, the white label brand from Costco, are independently tested to beat OR EXCEED the industry leading product in that category.
Razor blades. Cookies. Cheese. Laundry pods.
If it doesn’t beat the industry leader, they won’t put the Kirkland name on it.”
13. Straight to the source.
“Employment industry: if the email address of the hiring manager or recruiter is included in a job posting, send an email instead of or in addition to applying to the job through the portal.
So many resumes get filtered because of portal-based applicant tracking systems’ automated sorting methods, so if you have the right experience but are missing a keyword or two, many of which are dictated by folks from HR who have zero expertise in your field, your resume might not ever make it in front of a human.
Please just email me.”
Okay, now we want to hear from you.
In the comments, tell us about the secrets most people don’t know about your industry.
We look forward to it!
