Unless you work a job, you never really know what it’s like until you’re thrown head-first into the deep end.
And that’s also how you learn about the secrets and hidden things of any industry.
It doesn’t matter if it’s retail, food service, or rocket science: there are always secrets that outsiders don’t know about.
Here’s what folks on AskReddit had to say about this.
1. Clean it up.
“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.”
2. Interesting.
“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. Buy some merch!
“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.”
4. Doing great work.
“Firefighters are trained on several areas and can specialize deeper into certain disciplines.
Most of the emergencies we get called to are situations we have never been trained on, but with 4 of us on a firetruck we can normally figure out a solution.”
5. Makes sense.
“A huge portion of online reviews, ratings, social media presence, etc that you see for any given company are fake, paid for, or done by multiple accounts controlled by us.
This includes a company’s Glassdoor page (fake reviews about how great it is to work there so that the million negative reviews don’t crush their page).
I’m not saying it’s every company out there, but it’s been a lot of the ones I’ve worked for.
Source: am copywriter. What are ethics? I surely don’t know anymore.”
6. Let’s talk about your mouth.
“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.”
7. The library world.
“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.”
8. Let them do their thing.
“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 sh*t costs extra.
Being nice to him can save you a lot of money.”
9. Oh, no!
“Former industry: commercial radio
It’s never caller 5.
It’s the caller who sounds best on air.”
10. That’s kind of scary.
“Structural engineer here. Everything has a chance of failure.
It’s too expensive to build everything to be 100% safe.”
11. Kirkland.
“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.”
12. I didn’t know that!
“The lighter the roast of coffee, the more caffeine it has, not the other way around.
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.”
13. Probably not a good idea.
“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.”
14. Just keep it simple.
“Auto insurance agent.
Please, for the love of god, don’t tell auto insurance agents more than you have to. They ask you a question, just say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and answer the question as straight as you can. If you go on and on about your life story, you will probably end up saying something you don’t have to and making your rate higher, or getting yourself declined.
We WANT to get you that policy as cheap as possible, only tell us what we need to know and don’t say anything else.”
15. It’s not okay.
“I’m a server.
No matter how much we insist it’s “okay” that you are keeping the entire restaurant open after we’ve closed, please know we are 100% lying. We will get fired if we deviate from anything other than pure delight that you are keeping us from going home.
We dread it. Please don’t believe us.”
Now it’s your turn!
What are some secrets of the industry you work in?
Talk to us in the comments!
