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At almost any job, one quickly learns that the public perception of an industry or profession is generally flawed in some way. As with most things in life, it can be pretty useful to know exactly how things work behind the scenes sometimes.
So we’ve gathered interesting and illuminating posts from folks who spilled industry secrets online and compiled them here. So get comfortable as you scroll through, take notes on whatever might be useful, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your own experiences and examples, if you have them, in the comments section below.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
When I worked at Ross 15 years ago they would only schedule each staff member for ~12 hours per week so that they could call people in for one unscheduled shift/week (and they did, every single week) without anyone passing the 20 hour threshold where they'd be entitled to benefits. So instead of having full time employees at a store that was open 9 a.m. - 11 p.m. 7 days a week they just had like 80 part time employees who each had to work second jobs (also no benefits) to get by, all so that Ross didn't have to give anyone sick leave.
They made me watch an anti-union video and sign a no-union pledge when I was hired, and they had anti-union posters up in the breakroom. I quit as soon as I found another job, ghosted them on my last shift, and have never stepped foot in that store again.
Unionize your workplace. Avoid patronizing anti-union businesses whenever possible.
Tabitha 1 week ago (edited)
Forced—-coerced, really, on threat of job loss—-anti-union pledges are illegal and wouldn’t hold up in court. They’re banking on low education employees not knowing that and thinking the pledges are legally binding. Just like they banked on them not knowing they legally—-by FEDERAL law—-CAN discuss salary with each other, regardless of what the company says. Know—-learn—-your rights, folks!
Peter Bear 1 week ago
This. So much this. And yes, that means stop buying things on Amazon. They're the largest union-buster in the US. That c**p doesn't fly in Europe, though; European Amazon workers are unionized.
Ange Marsden 1 week ago
Sharing anti-union info with your staff is illegal in NZ and I'm sure in other cou tries too.
StrangeOne 1 week ago
Tim Hortons is like this. Some other companies do this during December, but not to this degree.
K Barnes 1 week ago
Also Chapters/Indigo. There was a max of 4 full time employees per location when I worked for them, all others were part time with hours limited to avoid paying any benefits. Many wanted to be full time but weren't allowed. Also our Christmas bonus one year was a 5$ Chapters gift card, still not over that cheapness.
Load More Replies... JkNuss 1 week ago
I used to work for them in the cash cage/office & when doing the register drawers & bank deposit I would regularly come across anomalies! From notes/bills/money/gift cards clearly fake to $50-100 missing from balances - they wouldn’t do anything about it said it was cost of doing business. Cashiers were not fired or written up or counseled. I had a cashiers that took gift cards for other stores! When I asked one cashier how this happened she said what do you mean? I asked her where do you work she said Ross ok then why did you take a card for Target? I said I know it didn’t process on the register. So how do you know it covers the balance of what the customer owed and how did you finish the transaction? She said she ran a void when the card wouldn’t go thru and trusted what the customer said about the balance on the card, she even gave the customer cash back on the balance of card based on the customer telling her the card was worth $120 and her “purchase” was $70. I quit after a week.
david kichi 1 week ago
Sounds like the bay area grocery co-op I worked at prior to the pandemic. Don't ever work for one, they are the worst bullies in a faux democratic setting.
RELATED:
#2
Most rules are flexible if you are polite. Staff usually want to help. Rudeness is what shuts doors fast.
LtKernelPanic 1 week ago
Yep. As someone who works retail I've given many discounts for someone being understanding when something happens especially f it's our fault. Of course we'll make t right but that 10% discount you were supposed to receive will likely be 15-20%. Treat me like c**p and you don't get a cent more. I won't do less than my job requires but I sure as heck won't do more for rude jerks.
BrownEyedGrrl 1 week ago
I think EVERYONE should be required to work in retail at some point.
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Kathrin Pukowsky 1 week ago
I was raised to be polite, but what really hammered this lesson home for me was an episode of a TV show, of all things. There is an episode of Stargate Atlantis where one of the good guys is snatched by strangers with unclear motives. The leader of those strangers proceeds to try and intimidate the good guy and has him beaten by her lackies, then things happen, and the leader and good guy have to take the ship back from the evil aliens, but oh no, they don't trust each other! Eventually they get control of the ship back, and it turns out that what the strangers want is something the good guys are MORE THAN WILLING TO GIVE in exchange for having a new ally. I honestly think the writers ignored this blatant error in logic to make the leader look like a badáss and have some (séxual) tension between her and the good guy, but it ended up making her look like a dumbáss instead. Forging this alliance could've been a 5-minute conversation.
Hobby Hopper 1 week ago
When I worked in food service, I was not flexible with the rules, because the product wasn't mine to be generous with. If the owners had given me specific guidelines for that kind of thing, I would have been more than happy to help the customer out from time to time.
ROSESARERED 1 week ago
Can confirm that with a huge yes after working in retail for 36 years...and we remember the rude ones and will go out of our way to ignore and avoid them...nor worth our time.
#3
Every employee at any Marriott branch has the power to comp up to a certain amount per guest without manager permission. When I was working at the St Regis a decade ago, I could comp $500 per guest per day without approval. I comped things all the time for nice people: free champagne, free spa services, free anniversary dinners. I also claimed I didn’t have that power for jerks who demanded free stuff.
Michael Largey 1 week ago
Well, the OP has just ruined things for Marriott employees who are faced with jerks who have read this.
Peter Bear 1 week ago
"I'm sorry, sir, but I have to follow the rules I'm given, not nonsense that you read on an internet comment site."
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caraestrella 1 week ago
They kept getting me in trouble at the hotel I worked at although when I started management said we could comp like $100 no questions.
#4
A TON of fitness professionals are not healthy at all. EDs, steroids, injuries, plastic surgery, and cluster B personality traits are everywhere. Being fit-looking has very little actual bearing on inner health. .
JB 1 week ago (edited)
People obsessed about their image and how they look while working in an industry based on fear which only succeeds when others fail - they aren't mentally healthy?
Amanda Reinstatler 22 hours ago
Nowadays, EVERYTHING is based in fear. Thats how cowards manipulate when theyre really f*****g stupid and have no other way to make people comply. Thanks TRUMP!!!! Eat s**t and die, thanks.
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Tha Monkey 1 week ago
I think they meant eating disorder, not erectile dysfunction.
Load More Replies... #5
That buying "off brand" items is alot cheaper and a majority of the time the off brand items are often made with the same ingredients and sometimes even in the same factory as the name brand.
Michael Largey 1 week ago
Sometimes yes and sometimes no. House brands are often made to a "price point", which says "We'll pay you x amount per item. Make the product as close to the real thing as your profit margin allows."
Rick Murray 1 week ago
Often, the cheap brand product is made with cheaper substitute ingredients.
Aileen Grist 1 week ago
I used to work in a cake factory that made cakes for the best supermarkets, the cheapest, their own range and markets. They were all the same. One supermarket wouldn't have anything that the icing sugar or nutmeg or whatever wasn't perfectly centered or even. It just went out in our own name. It was amazing how many people wouldn't buy our own name because it was 'inferior'
Forrest Hobbs 1 week ago
Aileen Grist: I've worked in a factory that made foodstuffs for supermarket brands and proper named brands. When the production lines were making name-branded stuff, the "name brand" quality control staff attended, the ingredients were subjected to tighter quality control, and the recipes were "in house" to the brands in question. Then again, other production in other factories works differently.
Load More Replies... Patricia Steward 1 week ago
One word: ALDI. Their off brand is sometimes even better than the name brand.
GenuineJen 1 week ago
This accidentally came out where I live when there was a recall for OJ. The recall was for one brand of orange juice because the label on the back had an ALDI manufacturing label, but it wasn't IN an ALDI, it was in a different grocery store. Whoopsie!
Cuppa tea? 1 week ago
I know of company in Ireland - one of the household name for teas and coffee. They had decent price range, but not always full range in every store. Then suddenly all their names dropped from shelves, for weeks I couldn't find it anywhere. At the time I worked for company that delivered some finger food for this coffee company. I could tell they were roasting coffee from miles away as it was in the air. Anyway, once I asked lady at reception: how comes I cannot find any of your products any more in Tesco, SuperValu, Dunnes? She said. Few months ago they were bought by some other company, who's major supplier to Aldi. So they now only produce under Aldi's own brand, but same stuff. I said it's sad that the name has gone. She said that was the same feeling at first, but now they are actually more busy that ever as they have to produce in larger quantities.
#6
All our “freshly made bread” comes from a frozen box or dry bag. I’ve had regulars comment about the quality of the bread, claiming they know which employee made it that day. lol, you absolutely do not.
Littlemiss 1 week ago
Yep like fresh baked biscuits, cookies, muffins etc. All baked, frozen, sold and thawed by businesses as if it was baked on the premises. I worked at a place that did it.
Jeolas1 1 week ago
As far as I know, most ovens in grocery stores just re-heat pre-baked and then frozen bread. I don't think this does necessarily mean bad quality though. If the frozen bread was good quality, I don't see what's wrong with it. I myself bake my own bread from scratch and then freeze parts of it.
Load More Replies... #7
I don’t think it’s a secret really, but IKEA has some interesting psychology and is set up specifically to keep you facing products with every turn.
The one way design through the storeroom floor does have exits, but forces you to think you could be missing out. You can’t see around corners, so there’s a sense of mystery and you want to see what’s next. At every turn of the path, you’re facing yet another display.
There’s also “there IKEA effect” where the act of assembling the item causes the shopper to feel a sense of ownership and a higher perceived value of the item.
(I worked at IKEA when I was younger and learned some of this.).
StrangeOne 1 week ago (edited)
I just want to hear from those with ADHD and the like; Does this actually work on you? Or do you find Ikea, and other stores like this, makes you feel dizzy, spaced out and leaving empty-handed, or with one, small-ish thing you think is the most useful but unsure if it was worth it for going to Ikea?
Kathrin Pukowsky 1 week ago
I have ADHD and if I want a specific item from IKEA, I order it online and get it shipped home. When I go to an IKEA store, it's usually as a tag-along with friends, and I see it more as a visit to an amusement park. I still get dizzy but see it as part of the experience, and when I start to space out I focus on my friend/s as an anchor. It's overall enjoyable for me.
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Herringbone 1 week ago
I visit branches of IKEA (Bristol, Reading) in the UK regularly - they have clear signposts of the shortcuts.
Sally Moen 1 week ago
There are clear exit signs up to a point. I just get mixed up because they direct to exits via word directions and not pictures or lighted arrows. I was wondering if anyone would develop an app specifically for IKEA shoppers who get lost in their stores. Kind of a Find My Exit. Btw there's a really good horror book about an IKEA-type store, part of it does include shoppers who get lost. Horrorstor is the book
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Gabby Ghoul 1 week ago
Grocery stores also play the psychological game with regard to shelf assignments and endcap products.
Sally Moen 1 week ago
I cried the last two times I went to their showrooms (2nd floor) because I got lost trying to find the exit. Its too bad that their great cafe is on the second floor. I know people love to browse for hours but if I just want a few things I now know to stay on the first floor and use their kiosks setup to help you find specific things in the warehouse-looking area. Also the clearance section way in the corner on the first floor is terrific.
Kim Karlotta 1 week ago
IKEA allows people to buy decent furniture fitting their homes without going over budget. I get preferring more individual furniture, but it's not that popular because people have no imagination, it's because you can purchase a whole living room for some hundred Dollars / Euros. Especially important for families with children who might need new furniture sets every few years as they are growing up.
Load More Replies... #8
The ice cream machine isn't broken, it's down for cleaning because it is a stupid design that has to be supervised at all steps of the process, and takes a long time, instead of being able to simply be started cleaning by the night shift and finished by the morning shift.
Kira Okah 1 week ago
We cleaned them at night, 24h McDonalds, and it could be left to run so long as someone was available, they didn't have to stand around doing nothing else. It takes a long time but not a full 8h shift to clean. Then again ours was actually as clean as it could be, we did clean it properly and regularly, so it didn't get all built up and looked nothing like this picture.
Asri 1 week ago (edited)
That makes no sense at all. Waaay back I managed a frozen yogurt shop. I could clean all 4 double machines in 3 hours and have them back up and running by opening. (And yes, entitled sorority girls will see you elbow deep in a machine and be knocking on the door and get mad you won't open up at 6am for them.
Sue User 1 week ago
Summer of 1984. Worked a soft-serve ice cream stand in an amusement park. I could empty, clean, and reassemble a Talor soft-serve machine in 30 minutes.
Load More Replies... Kira Okah 1 week ago
That was the manufacturer's repair scam, that lawsuit.
Load More Replies... megabeth 1 week ago
Seeing what my "milk shake" looked like after it melted did it for me. Nope.
Load More Replies... #9
I work front desk at a large hotel chain.
A lot of the time (at least at our chain) the room rates we offer to a walk-in guest is completely up to us, more so if we have a ton of rooms open. If the computer gives us a rate of, let’s say, $170 - I could just take $50 off and make it $120, if the person is being nice to me. In my managers eyes I guess, it’s better than the room not being sold at all.
Also with room upgrades, I literally will give them out for free to many people. (As long as we have them available). If I notice a nice couple come in who are polite and make conversation (you’d be surprised at how many people come in, barely say a word, and are rude), I will upgrade them to the best room we have.
Politeness (and a small tip sometimes..) can go such a long way.
Hobby Hopper 1 week ago
Is it rude to not make conversation? Is it customary to tip hotel receptionists?
Tony Zecco 1 week ago
My boss and I called it the Idiot tax. The more of an idiot or an a*s you were being, the higher your rate. The highest I got was some guy paid 310 for a night when the standard rack rate was 85.
#10
Im not sure if they still do this, but when I worked for Geek Squad they would remotely connect an IT worker from India to fix software issues on computers.
You are playing hundreds of dollars for somone making a pittance. Worse, I doubt they have the same privacy laws you would expect from your home country.
Data1001 1 week ago
I would guess it's even worse now. I personally know of several major companies who have increased the amount of outsourcing they do, just to save a few bucks, by hiring people from India or the Philippines to work for a fraction of what workers in the West would make..
StrangeOne 1 week ago
I never trust IT from India. Too many gray and black hatters. They always want remote access and tell you there's dozens of viruses on your computer.
Robert T 1 week ago (edited)
Considering that the development of much of the software you use has been outsourced to India, and that India has a thriving IT sector, which pays comparatively decent wages, you'd be surprised what they earn, giving them a decent standard of living compared to other industries. As to privacy laws, the US has some of the worst!
UselessKnowledgeFont 1 week ago
Incredible downgrade when my employer switched from New Jersey based tech support to Southeast Asia. Couldn't get the the latter off of their script and they weren't even familiar with the products. The guys in NJ were great and truly helpful
#11
Daycare teacher-your kids can eat and do more than what you think.
#12
I'll stress long since ex-employee first.
At Home Depot (and I suspect any other similar stores), if the website says there are 2 or less of something in stock - there are exactly 0 in stock. It means someone miscounted inventory.
Also, if you are browsing in Home Depot, and more than one employee approaches and offers to help you find something - they think you are planning to shoplift.
Chich the witch 1 week ago
Then why when I actually want to buy something and need help it is as if there is not a single employee onsite?
Toothless Feline 1 week ago
Because you don’t act like a shoplifter, duh. 🙄
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2WheelTravlr 1 week ago
If more than one employee offers help in the same aisle in quick succession, then yep, trying to keep shoplifting down. If one employee greets me in lumber, then another in electrical and a third in plumbing, then no. They are actually there to help.
StrangeOne 1 week ago
That has never been my experience at Home Depot. Usually have to hunt someone down, and then try to find a few more people to be sure I'm getting proper help. I've gotten some really dumb, dangerous suggestions.
Load More Replies... Littlemiss 1 week ago
I always took it that you must look like an easy sell, or looked harmless and approachable.
StrangeOne 1 week ago
I suspect this is true in all stores, especially if the staff are hanging around you for seemingly no real good reason.
#13
Worked for the second largest big box fashion retail store.
Most items made 1000% profit. That's WHY you see things for sale for $5 that were $40. They're still making profit.
Don't pay retail. .
Robert T 1 week ago
What are you basing that on? The cost to make the item? Did you include the cost to get it to the store, the cost of having a store, the cost of heating and lighting the store, the cost of employees wages? Thought not. Yes, there is a big markup, but the profit is not as big as you are making out.
Gabby Ghoul 1 week ago
I once worked in a small dress shop handling inventory. Procedure was that I would take the price we paid and figure 120% of it, put that on the tag and promptly cross it out, then put a figure 100% of the price we paid on the tag. That way it looked like it was marked down even though it was never for sale at the higher price.
#14
Ultrasound tech. Every single fetus looks the same until later in the 3rd trimester. Once they get bigger and more fat they start to have more identifiable features like a chin dimple, lip shape or different nose shapes. Until then it's a dancing skeleton with some overlying soft tissue indistinguishable from the 4 others I saw that day.
StrangeOne 1 week ago
Never occurred to me. Who's demanding to know distinctive features in an ultrasound?
#15
Walmart has a board full of photos from all the shoplifters caught. It's like a wall of shame.
Michael Largey 1 week ago
Since when did the Walmart corporation have any idea of the meaning of "shame"?
#16
I work for a large consumer goods company. We must sell our products to all retailers at the same cost (by law), and it is up to them to decide what to sell it to customers for. For example, we sell the same product to Walmart and Loblaws for the same price, and Walmart sells it for $8 and Loblaws sells it for $11. It doesn’t matter what the volume is.
StrangeOne 1 week ago
I hate Walmart, but sometimes their prices are agreeable. That gives me conflicting feelings. I don't like it.
AlithenewMC 1 week ago
I also work cpg and have tried telling people how much the grocery inflation is due to the grocers themselves, rather than suppliers. Not to mention all the fees and fines they charge us which is more money in their pockets. Ex. It costs thousands and thousands of dollars in "listing fees" to get them to put a product on their shelves. Loblaws is the worst offender imo
Sue User 1 week ago (edited)
Same for beef. Ranchers are not making out, the slaughter houses are.
Load More Replies... #17
I used to work in the meat and seafood department of a Winn Dixie in Florida. Despite the massive coastline of our state not one single seafood item was from Florida. We were getting clams from Uganda.
UnclePanda 1 week ago
I had an exquisitely good shrimp burger in South Carolina. You could see the ocean, the shrimp boat, and the restaurant all at the same time.
Sally Moen 1 week ago
In Washington state, it's rare to find local shrimp at the supermarket. Same with berries. My area, north of Seattle, was well-known for having yummy and plentiful strawberries. Now most of our fruits, except apples, are all from either Central America or from California.
Forrest Hobbs 1 week ago
Hmm - Uganda does have plenty of shore-line, but it's all Lake Victoria, what with Uganda definitely being a long way from the sea. Freshwater clams exist, but you weren't getting seafood from Uganda, that much is certain.
#18
It's been a while since I was in this industry, but it still holds true:
No matter what your dad told you, going to the dealership and asking for the "cash price" on a car is the *worst* thing you can do. The dealership can make more money on financing a vehicle than on the sale itself. Telling them up front that they won't get that money on the back end incentivizes them to keep the price high. Let them think you're financing with them, negotiate the *actual price* of the car while ignoring the mathematical jiu-jitsu they try to pull on the monthly payment, come to an agreement, and THEN tell them you're paying cash.
Toothless Feline 1 week ago
Or just go somewhere like CarMax that uses set prices and doesn’t play these “negotiating” games.
Mike F 1 week ago
And hope that you receive your title before you have to pay a late fee because "they" are incompetent.
Load More Replies... Peter Bear 1 week ago
If you're going to buy a car, be prepared to walk out the door. First rule of sales is 'get the sale by any means necessary'. If you walk out, the salesperson gets no money because they made no sale, and a bunch of discounts will magically appear. Just make sure that if you do try this, you have to follow through.
Lady Eowyn 1 week ago
I bought my car at a dealership that posts prices and says in their ads, posted price is the price. Cash or financing. I've always paid cash for my cars.
BrownEyedGrrl 1 week ago
The last car I bought I paid by check. The sales person BEGGED me to finance it.
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Papa 1 week ago
Also, if you are going to finance your vehicle, you don't have to take the first offer they make on the financing. I bought a truck last year and financed part of it. Initially the guy just told me how much the payments would be. I asked him what the interest rate was. When he told me I said I could do better than that at my local bank and he came down 1%. He also lowered the price on the extended warranty when I told him I didn't want it but would think about adding it later.
Stephen Lyford 1 week ago
I went through this back in March 2025. I was ready to pay cash outright, and the sales person bent over backwards to get me to finance. The cash price was literally higher than if I would finance, I did the math, found out I could pay off the car after just 3 monthly payments with no penalty, and I'd be saving money (not much but some) over the cash price.
#19
Ex cruise ship worker here. We had our own bar where we paid basically nothing for alcohol. It was awesome. I was once the most hungover I’ve ever been when I got called for random testing and I was like “uh just to be up front if you guys test for alcohol I’m not going to pass” and the lady was like “we don’t, trust me no one else would either.”.
Ace 1 week ago
On ships (not cruise liners) I served on in the late 1970s, £1 per bottle of vodka, gin, whatever in the Officers' Saloon. Real duty-free, profit-free.
Load More Replies... #20
The markup on our seasonal items are huge. Thats why Christmas went 40% off just days after we first started putting it out months ago. Even now, at 60%, we make a profit. It's priced to go on sale right away.
#21
How much gets thrown away. I work at a charity shop where we sell donations to raise money for charity. People donate a lot of stuff that never gets sold, mostly because it’s not in great condition or was too cheap when it’s bought new.
StrangeOne 1 week ago
People will donate literal trash and biohazards. I wish people wouldn't just toss in a bag of old material with pins. Or their beddings with accidents. We toss it in the garbage. Might as well do the same.
Sue User 1 week ago
But they have to pay extra to haul away couch ( in USA ) but if they donate, they don't.
Load More Replies... Apatheist 1 week ago (edited)
I used to work in such a shop. We used to get loads of Mills & Boon books, more than we could sell, so I only put the best (ie most intact) ones out, the rest were chucked. It was quite heart-wrenching to see the people who clearly *had* to shop for things like clothes in such a place. This was in the 80s, before Primark came along.
Robert T 1 week ago
Items are sorted when they come in. Good stuff is kept and goes into the shop to be sold. Items that the shop cannot sell (electrical, furniture etc. if it is not that kind of shop) are collected up and passed onto other charities for sale in their shops. The rubbish is sent to be recycled. There are a lot of lazy people who think they are doing good by donating their rubbish instead of taking it to the tip. [Source my gf who worked in a charity shop]
#22
Work in tech. The current cycle is “invest in AI” > US layoffs > Expand in India. Running joke is AI means Actually Indian with how predictable it is.
Apatheist 1 week ago (edited)
This began in about 2005 when we started offshoring work in market research data processing. The company I joined in 2000 had about 20 people in DP; after merging with 3 other companies, all of whom were bigger, there were about 20 people left onshore to cover the work of all 4 companies when I was made redundant in 2024. Those in India were paid about a third of what we were getting in the UK.
Sam Day 1 week ago
that’s true but a dollar or a pound goes wayyyy further in india. india is cheap! if u got paid a US wage in india youd be a baller.
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Ye Olde Dirty Grumpy 1 week ago
Friends dont let friends vote Republican. But wait! GOP voters are retired with multiple income streams! Not their problem. And you want those walking corpses?
#23
If you overdraft your account, ask for a refund. The system checks prior overdraft fees {if any) and will usually refund if it's your first time, or has been a long time since your last overdraft.
StrangeOne 1 week ago
It really depends on the agent you get. If one agent doesn't seem to understand what you're talking about, refusing for the sake of refusing, or seems unclear about leniencies, just don't want to bother with you, call back. Sometimes, you may get someone who totally gets it and helps you out. Be polite and calm.
BrownEyedGrrl 1 week ago
Just tell your bank that you don't want overdraft protection. Oh. And don't buy stuff when you can't cover it. Works for me.
Sally Moen 1 week ago
I simply haven't had an overdraft for the many years after I got out of the big corporate bank that had merged with another big corporate bank, to using a credit union for my banking. The law changed in my US state that any person could apply for an account at any credit union, you previously needed to, say, belong to a teachers union to join the teachers union credit union. Etc Previously, I would pay $14 per overdraft, and it added up. Now some banks charge $34 or more for overdrafts
Rick Murray 1 week ago
It also helps if you have a good excuse. I was overdrawn here in France (which is kind of a big deal of your bank account doesn't have the ability to go negative for short periods) and it turns out that it was because a cheque for €85 that I sent for having something translated (officialdom...) was sat on for five and a half months and deposited right before pay day. I explained this to the person at the bank who told me she could transfer some money over from my savings account. As for all the nasty stuff in the letter I received, nah, forget about it, she made the whole thing go away. All I got was something like a €5 in overdraft interest fee, and not all the rest. Be nice, be helpful, and have a good excuse...
#24
The Jet-Puffed marshmallows and the cheaper store-brand marshmallows are made at the same factory on the same machine with the same ingredients. The only thing that is different is the printing on the bag and the price.
Rick Murray 1 week ago
Depends upon the store and the product. Sometimes it's a cheaper substitution - vegetable oil for butter, glucose syrup (from corn starch) instead of cane sugar, battery hen eggs instead of free-range, and so on. [I work in industrial food production]
MystyMoonShadow 3 days ago
Battery hence eggs, that's funny. Never heard of that🍳
Load More Replies... Pandaodboredem22 1 week ago
A former Co worker used to run a pharmaceutical plant that made private label (i.e. store brand) meds. When the big name brand guys had high demand, his plant would make meds for them. The only difference was changing the stamp on the pill.
Scarlett O'Hara's Ghost 1 week ago
That is per FDA regulations. FDA revisited d***s have to ask be formulated exactly the same
Load More Replies... #25
Check the dates on your groceries before you buy them.
In a perfect world, we were supposed to rotate groceries- pull the current ones out, put the new ones at the back, and put the old ones back on the shelf in the front. We also were meant to do inventory twice a year, where we would catch broken and expired items.
In reality, we had less than 60 seconds a box to haul the box onto the cart, open it, stock the items, flatten the cardboard and store the cardboard on the cart. Items almost never got rotated. And in the years I’d worked at the grocery store, we’d skipped inventory a few times- our store manager hated it because it made the shelves look empty. So it was never too surprising to see an item on the shelf, already expired.
Ellie 1 week ago
Where I live, it is illegal to sell groceries after their expiration date, if an inspector finds an expired item the store will receive a fine. That's why many stores, expecially big supermarket chains but also discounts, have a separate container for soon to be expired articles, or they are left on the shelves but they are clearly labeled and usually reduced up to 50%. It helps reducing food waste, and it is also good for the customers
Kathrin Pukowsky 1 week ago
Back when I had a part-time job stocking shelves every co-worker already there had preached to me during training to rotate the products and check for expired items. And whenever one of my co-workers was sick or had time off and I had to do their section on top of my own, I pulled cartfulls of long expired products from the shelves. By the third time this happened our boss knew exactly why I had come to his office and SIGHED when he saw me enter. Weird thing is, it didn't even take that much longer to do it properly; I was never the last to finish my section.
StrangeOne 1 week ago
Me and my daughter do this. Whenever she finds something that should be pulled off the shelf, like green meat, or an open package, she brings it to the staff. Although, it sometimes appears it was intentionally left on the shelf, and likely will be put back.
Robert T 1 week ago
What befuddles me is that some people DON'T actually do this. My MIL had a different carer do her shopping a few weeks back and they didn't check the dates - finished up with a bunch of stuff that couldn't be eaten as it all expired within a couple of days and it was supposed to last the whole week. Didn't even say anything about it, as some of it could have been frozen. Someone else then had to go and buy more food. Still haven't had a satisfactory response from the care company as they effectively wasted money on food that couldn't be eaten and then charged to go and get more!!!
My O My 1 week ago
Hold on a minute. Expired or not to be eaten? Expired joghurts are usually good to eat another 3 weeks. Dry stuff (cereal, baking ingredients ect) much longer. Of course you'll have to usw your senses to check if the stuff is still good to eat. I purposely buy the products close to the expirration date due to this to save money. That being said I completly understand that it could be hard for elderly people to tell the difference, and if I pay someone to do the shopping I expect this someone to do it properly
Load More Replies... Ace 1 week ago
The idea of _not_ checking the dates and rummaging to get the newer bottle of milk, loaf of sliced bread or carton of eggs has never occurred to me.
Rick Murray 1 week ago
While there is some leeway depending on product (because over here there is a "best before" (can be used after) and a "use by" (cannot be used after), it is encouraged to report shops with out of date produce on the shelves to trading standards. If they get too many reports for a single shop (because mistakes happen), they'll do a secret audit and, if necessary, drop a tonne of bricks on the place. That being said, there are now pretty strict laws about food waste and expired products, and a lot of places pride themselves on things like "we take our refrigerated products out of sale two days before their expiry date", so often this sort of thing only really turns up in those little local shops that mark up the prices nearly 100% "because convenience".
Rick Murray 1 week ago
What worries me more is what you find, say, a pack of chicken breasts abandoned next to pasta sauces. Will it be thrown or will a clueless employee put it back in the fridge? How long has it been there?
Load More Replies... BrownEyedGrrl 1 week ago
And sometimes even expiration dates are wrong. I've bought 2 different types of cheese in the last month of the same brand that got moldy way before the expiration date. Neither one had been opened. I contacted the company & was told that sometimes products get small holes in the packaging during transport. I call BS.
Sue User 1 week ago
I don't even bother to complain. Used to be they would give you a coupon or something but I guess people took advantage so now it just excuses.
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#26
Middle school teacher. An email from a parent that assumes positive intent gets answered significantly more quickly than one that does not.
Joseph Miller 1 week ago
If it's a negative intent e-mail, it takes longer to calm down to rationally discuss that issue in an e-mail.
JB 1 week ago
Also. If you're angry, could you please sit on your draft email until the next day before you send it? It's wild when someone goes ballistic and sends a dissertation at 11:39 PM putting me on blast in response to something trivial, like their kid failing a quiz (that they didn't study for) or missing out on some play time (because they shoved someone else but that little detail got left out of the retelling).
T'Mar of Vulcan 1 week ago
Also parents thinking teachers have power over how the marks are calculated. One parent called the way the mark was calculated "irregular and unacceptable". Lady, I'm not in charge of the freaking education department. Also, your child is lazy.
Roxy222uk 1 week ago
I just don’t get people in general. If you have any kind of negative comment or complaint and you actually want to achieve something, then starting with “I’m sure you didn’t realise/I know it’s not your doing/etc” is the way to go. I genuinely don’t understand why people go steaming in abusing the person they want to help them. Even if it was done knowingly and on purpose, you’ve told them they’re caught out and given them a way to climb down without losing face.
#27
"Low on colours" are basically a way to make you spend money on new cartridge. Cartridges have an "expiry" date, no matter how much ink it still has, it will still prompt to replace when the time is up.
Midwest Mike 1 week ago
Just don't get an inkjet printer. The ink cost more than blood (please look it up its crazy). And if you do. Remember its usually cheaper to get a new Ink Jet Printer than new ink and YES its so very wasteful. So get a Color or B/W Laser Printer if your going to do a lot of printing. Toner doesn't go bad. JUST DON'T UPDATE THE FIRMWARE. Or else you can't use generic toner cartridges for cheaper. Heck look for old/used Color or B/W Laser Printers locally. Often they still work great. BUT DON'T UPDATE THE FIRMWARE. Yes, they take up more space. But cheaper per page.
Ace 1 week ago
A new printer will come with the smallest capacity cartridge, and will usually cost at least two or three times more than a non-branded XL cartridge for the same printer.
Load More Replies... Ye Olde Dirty Grumpy 1 week ago
Just pay the local library thr 10 cents and dont even buy a printer
Sue User 1 week ago
Until my library closed for months and I couldn't print stuff.
Load More Replies... Gabby Ghoul 1 week ago
This depends on the printer. I have a large format printer that uses 300ml cartridges and when the printer says they are empty, they really are.
Robert Trebor 1 week ago
I have a tank inkjet. Very easy, relatively low cost ink replacement.
Rick Murray 1 week ago
I subscribed to Instant Ink. Yes, selling my soul to the devil (it's HP after all) but on the other hand it's about €6/month for fifty pages (with up to 150 rolled over if not used). While it s***s that any page ejected from the printer counts as a page, even if it's a blank failed print, it also means that there's no difference between the print that I just did of the QR code for my parcel delivery, and a full page photo. I can print what I want when I want and don't have to worry about if I have enough ink, or how much a replacement cartridge will cost. I also have a cheap mono laser (that I bought 'broken' for €10 and repaired (paper wrapped around the heat roller)) that I use when I need to print datasheets and such.
T'Mar of Vulcan 1 week ago
Meh, just ignore the prompts until the printer is printing blank pages.
#28
I work in big branded select service hotels. The comforters don’t get clean after every stay. It’s logistics. The hotels don’t have enough blankets or washers. That’s why they use those top sheets or duvet covers. Usually only cleaned if there is an obvious stain.
UnclePanda 1 week ago
Just reading the words 'duvet cover' caused one of my socks to shoot off and become interminably knotted, while the sock on my other foot clamped down and refuse to release.
Littlemiss 1 week ago
Love it! You will hear it in your sleep, the scratchy uttering of a kiwi accent with bed hair and overnight breathe. Duvet cover oooh duvet covers
Load More Replies... Rali Meyer 1 week ago
And I don't get why you see so often in (US American) movies people keeping shoes on when they lie on the bed! (lay on the bed?)
JenC 1 week ago
To save time. Same reason they never rinse their mouth after brushing teeth, hang up anphone without saying goodbye, and sample food with the stirring spoon.
Load More Replies... Sally Moen 1 week ago
Lots of hotels do not use a duvet cover. It would make sense as it's easier to clean, but it's not the standard practice. Whatever hotel I stay at, I throw the comforter or quilt on a chair and sleep without it. Usually hotel rooms are over warm anyway
#29
I work in car manufacturing. The amount of defects in a car we allow through has really made me think twice about any vehicle I plan to buy. But working where I work I know what and where to look for it.
Edit: now mind you these defects aren’t related to safety. But most are electrical, and cosmetic. For instance when installing seats we had run out of bolts to secure them to the body, so instead of stopping production we just finished building them. It’s funny to see the operators try to drive one of them off the line to the lot to be transported offsite until it can be repaired. But some things make it all the way to a customer such as an entire 150 vehicles made it to dealerships without rear windshield wipers.
Pandaodboredem22 1 week ago
Unless this was years ago I have a hard time believing this is happening so often when they have logistics systems that literally automatically order supplies when stocks get low
Mario Clouâtre 1 week ago
Yeah... The "Just In Time" work fine on the 2nd floor. Another story on the production floor.
Load More Replies... #30
That the shelves and the food item placement in a grocery store is meticulously designed to make you stay there as long as possible and buy things as much as possible.
StrangeOne 1 week ago
I'm immune to this trick. I can only buy a much as my meager budget allows.
Rali Meyer 1 week ago
logged in to upvote you. Don't know why you got downvoted. My own comments are typically much more salty even. Close to getting banned...
Load More Replies... Littlemiss 1 week ago
Look at the top and bottom of shelves for cheaper items. The stuff directly at your line of sight and in prime shelf space are usually dearer and the items that gain the supermarket the most money.
Sue User 1 week ago
Which s***s if you are using one of those ride on carts. I can walk but after a few stores I am done, so using cart is must. Have to stand up to get most items I buy.
Load More Replies... Did I say that out loud? 1 week ago
It's also why the supermarkets regularly move the stock around to different aisles. While you're wandering around looking for what you actually want to buy,they know some people will buy other items they didn't intend to.
Rick Murray 1 week ago
Doesn't work. I can only go so far before sensory overload kicks in and then I just want to grab what I went for and then get the hell out.
ROSESARERED 1 week ago
I do 95 percent of my grocery shopping as click and collect online. I can buy what i need, and know the total before i pay. Being slightly disabled this is a great help to me. I only go into the store to buy salad and fruit... happily this trick doesn't catch me.
Sally Moen 1 week ago
Supermarkets typically have too many choices. That drives desire to try new things, which costs you money.
#31
Great Value Milk is the same as the name brand delivered to the store. There are only so many dairies in each region and milk can only travel so far. The only difference is the sticker. Each container of milk has a dairy code on it that you can search online to confirm this.
Rick Murray 1 week ago
Heh, it's like all the cheddar in my local supermarket... Seriously, Président, store brand, and budget store brand...the dairy tracing labels all have the same code - GB WD 028 - which is Lactalis Mclelland in Stranraer.
Sally Moen 1 week ago
I need to look on YouTube for a tutorial video on finding which dairy makes the milk product. When I worked at a cardboard box company, they showed me that cartons of food have a printed code that shows where the food was packaged into the boxes we made. It's on the end flap of printed packages, a series of numbers, next to a set of color blocks that show what colors were used in the printing (it's to keep the color corrected for the food item, so you don't get a grey colored mashed potato food package).
StrangeOne 1 week ago
Milk is milk. It all comes from cows. No brand is more special than the next one.
My O My 1 week ago
That's not quite right as different dairies do have different standards the farmers must adhere to
Load More Replies... #32
Did you ever wonder what happened to the unsold hamburgers at Wendy's?
There's always a few patties on the grill ready to be sold the moment a customer walks in.
What happens when they get "done" and nobody comes in to buy them?
They go right into a refrigerator, and they become tomorrow's chili!
JL 1 week ago
This is no industry secret, this was shown in the History Channel's "The Food That Built America" episode about the creation of Wendy's. Dave Thomas also wanted to push his double burger but people wouldn't buy it because they felt it was too big, so he put a triple burger on the menu and people started ordering the double because this 'medium' burger was now more reasonable.
#33
I work for a popular theme park that provides transportation. Our vehicles are 24/7 ready to start. Keys in the ignition. If anyone wanted to walk onto one of our vehicles and steal it and drive away they could. And it would take a few minutes before anyone would even realize it.
Chich the witch 1 week ago
Considering there are those who have stolen tanks, there is a part of the population who would not be deterred by this. They may even be emboldened.
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#34
We leave notes in our system under your name so other stores will know about your bad behavior. If there’s a pause and it looks like someone is reading something when you give your name, that would be your clue.
Duh 1 week ago
Or not pushed far enough. Just start belting out "What I Did For Love"
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Mario Clouâtre 1 week ago
Not as much now but it was popular in the 90's. Could be name, phone number, e-mail. In theory to make personalized invoice. In reality to build a database. The additional note was jjust a perk.
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#35
Former clothing retail here
Customers' returns can be sold to employees at heavy markdowns. Even if the customer never worn them. We find small imperfections and use that judgment. You can get a return item for 80-95% off. I own several expensive shoes that cost $30 each.
In the sale section, we usually get a generous discount. Around 50% off the marked price. But there are times when we get a special discount of 75% off. This is where all my Christmas gifts would come from.
#36
Former dominos manager, cinnamon twists, parm bites, garlic twists and pan pizzas all use the same dough.
Also, the tracker is just a bunch of lights on a timer. This timer starts when the people at prep stations check off the first item on your order, all of the other steps on the tracker are arbitrarily timed except for the driver is on their way one.
And when it says "Mark is working on your order", the truth is, any employee capable of making a pizza is working on it. The system has no way of knowing who's handling your food until it gets to the delivery phase.
Finally, for the most part drivers don't care about a tip based on the price of the order. Like a few dollars to cover gas is fine. They care more when your order is a pain in the neck (super big orders or delivering to places that are hard to navigate to, or at the edge of the delivery area, or if instructions are weird). Basically if they have to drive more than 5 minutes or deliver more than like 3 pizzas (with sides and stuff), that's when they'd expect a bigger tip.
Cosmos in your eyes 1 week ago
We ordered pizza for my son's birthday party about a month ago. The driver handed them to me and thanked us for the super generous tip. I asked my husband what he tipped him. He said 20% of the entire order. I was like dang. No wonder he was happy! Glad we could make his day.
#37
Wearing gloves in the kitchen means less handwashing. Bare hands touching food means more handwashing.
The reasoning here is that you don't feel the stuff on your hands, and most people think that the gloves mean their hands never got dirty. Bare hands feel everything and we can't stand it, so we wash way more often.
Stephanie Did It 1 week ago
I would prefer employees to wash their hands more often. Why? I often see gloved workers handle food, money, and equipment with the same gloves on. Their hands may stay cleaner, but they are spreading filth everywhere they touch including my food.
Rick Murray 1 week ago
I noticed this in a local chocolate shop. Dinky black gloves to pick the chocolates, then handle money, then taken off and reused when needed, multiple times. It's theatre, not hygiene.
JenC 1 week ago
Eeew no. I'll even wash my hands with my gloves on. Of course, I change gloves after preparing things like meat.
Duh 1 week ago
I'll wash my gloves, too, as in I don't want to keep changing gloves so I wash my hands with them on. Except for working with meat or taking garbage out, I change them after that. My work is at a soup kitchen so there is no money to worry about.
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Another Panda 1 week ago
Gloves are counterproductive to cleanliness, unless the person using them removes them every time after touching or handling anything. Each and every single thing.
Mario Clouâtre 1 week ago
This ^ Gloves are a major cross contamination factor in addition of giving a false sense of safety. They require a strict protocol to be effectively used as a contamination protection. Nothings is better than washing hands.
Load More Replies... Rali Meyer 1 week ago
I don't buy where people prep food with (black) gloves. Nor at Starbucks (okay, I got carried away. Forget the last comment)
Tim Douglass 1 week ago
Handle raw chicken with gloves on, you feel fine, so you toss the salad wearing those same gloves. Handle raw chicken with your bare hands it's "oh ick!" so you go wash before tossing the salad.
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#38
As an IT consultant, we charge "shop rates" for projects much like auto mechanics do. If the average tech takes 6 hours to do the job then that's what we charge. If super tech gets the project and finishes in 2 hours then it still costs 6 hours of labor. Of course if dingus tech gets the project and takes 10 hours then we eat the difference.
Rali Meyer 1 week ago
in automotive it's called labour times. On pre-production cars we clock the time required to change, say, your alternator. And that is what the dealer charges. That's also how a damage assessor after an accident can spend 4 hours in his office, use "our" software and can name the cost for the damage to the penny.
Philly Bob 1 week ago
They name the damage to the penny... but then they pay you like $2K less. :(
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#39
Not necessarily a secret, but hotel clerks are usually empowered to offer reduced room rates if the room would otherwise sit empty. If it's the offseason, they'll probably give you a room for like 25% off. It's worth asking.
As a bonus I'll also dispel a rumor of a secret which is not actually real: There is no Starbucks secret menu in the sense of there being beverages that aren't listed anywhere by Starbucks. There's no logical point in having one to begin with. There are recipe cards in every store for every single menu item, and none for anything that is not on the menu. If you know the ingredients and quantities, they will make anything you want, and if you want to call it a Twix Frappuccino or whatever, you can. But they won't know how to make it without you telling them. The company kind of embraced the idea of a secret menu, but it's not a secret, because it's on their website lol.
The only exception is the Undertow. That's not on the menu, but good baristas know how to make it. I am not absolutely sure why it's not on the menu, but I've heard it's because it doesn't have a consistent temperature throughout. It's 2 pumps of vanilla, a splash of cream, and then two shots on top, pulled over a spoon so they don't mix with the cream. You drink it quickly like a shot, and it's cool on the bottom and hot on top. It's really, really good. I used to start every shift with one.
Data1001 1 week ago
Undertow must be new. I never heard of that when I worked at Starbucks many years ago.
Skogsrået 1 week ago
It's a word-of-mouth item, not on the standard menu so not all baristas know how to make it but it's been around for years.
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#40
Paint is marked up by a lot.
Contractors pay lower depending on how much they buy. They could be getting $20 a gallon. Regular joe pays $80. .
#41
We can't do anything if you're stealing. We can't even accuse you. We can only call the police and most workers won't go court for the soulless corporate lizards who run our store. Besides by the time the cops would arrive you'd be home in bed for the night.
StrangeOne 1 week ago (edited)
I scope them out and report them to the manager. All I've seen security do is take photos of the suspect and call police. But some security have no chill and will physically try to stop suspected shoplifters.
Rick Murray 1 week ago
Back around 2001(ish) I saw some security personnel that I didn't even know existed appear out of thin air between parked cars in an M&S car park, to tackle down a guy. Punches were thrown, but the security bloke was a Chuck Norris clone and absolutely no-selled the punch to the point where the shoplifter decided that just lying down with his arms behind his back was a better move. 😂
Mike Goslin 1 week ago
Assuming we are talking about shoplifting in the United States, there are lots of things an employee can do to catch and convict a shoplifter. Because of what you can and can't do, the catch rate is low, but the conviction rate is very, very high.
Bee 1 week ago
In the US it isn’t worth it since so many people have guns. For minimum wage I wouldn’t ask employees to put themselves in harms way. Businesses close in Seattle from shoplifting all of the time.
Load More Replies... Littlemiss 1 week ago
In NZ its not worth it to try to stop them. Videos get posted of shop lifters getting beaten up by multiple offenders. They steal in large numbers so they have more chances to get away. The company rights it off and puts consumer prices to cover profits.
Billo66 1 week ago
I just saw a guy getting cuffed up outside walmart yesterday. I wanted to ask what he tried to take.
Bee 1 week ago
Probably food sadly or hygiene products. I read about a young lady arrested for stealing tampons. This is America.
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#42
The code for the paper coupons you get in the mail for fast food places can be used many times if you just use the code on the app to order. If you go to a certain place often you can take a pic of the paper to help remember it.
The surveys on fast food receipts just give you a code with a certain code to it. For example, Carl's Jr. has codes that are CJXXXXX, where the X's are random numbers. Once you figure out the code for that restaurant you can just not do the survey and write down random numbers after the CJ on your receipts. Nobody ever checks and they don't even type it into the computer. Free burgers.
Rick Murray 1 week ago
McDonald's used to require you hand over the coupon, but now that it has gone to touchscreen ordering, it's extremely variable as to whether or not anybody will ask. Some jobsworths do, but most don't bother, it's not their problem...
#43
At Walmart, If frozen food items or dairy products don’t get refrigerated right, they still stock and sell them.
#44
Cat and Jack Brand items are returnable to Target within a year of purchase price in any condition.
Mahiera Etsuhae 1 week ago
Why would it be just one brand? Wouldn't the store return policy apply to all brands?
#45
I was a store mgr for a large home improvement store for 12 years, I knew in the first 15 seconds how much if any help you gonna get. If you were a jerk then very little or none, if you’re reasonable and nice I’d bend over backwards for you…I remember my first boss telling me: you’ll never remember 98% of your customers but you’ll remember the other two..
#46
One thing most customers don’t realize is that big chains often pretend to run out of certain items just to push alternatives with higher profit margins. For example, if a popular budget option is ‘sold out,’ it’s not always because demand was too high-it’s sometimes because management wants you to buy the pricier version sitting right next to it. Employees usually know the cheaper stock is in the back, but we’re told not to restock until the ‘premium’ stuff moves. It’s not malicious, just business strategy-but from the customer side, it feels like artificial scarcity.
Midwest Mike 1 week ago
That is a lot of words for "Capitalism"....wink. Sadly only worse under the Angry Cheeto.
Load More Replies... Dave Platt 1 week ago
That sounds like a case of "bait and switch". If the item in question is one which has been advertised, this practice is illegal in many jurisdictions (good luck persuading your local government to prosecute, of course).
Manos 1 week ago
A local gas station used to "Run Out " of regular gas when the other stations closed for the night. Premium only on the night shift.
Rali Meyer 1 week ago
Yeah, baby, 100 RON for the night racers with big turbos or 12:1 compression ratio!
Load More Replies... DrBronxx 1 week ago
I assume, like most if not all of these, that this refers to US stores. I'm adding this (admittedly far down) to the list of why I think the US is f****d up. When I worked in retail in my country, when we said we didn't have something in stock, it was because WE DIDN'T HAVE IT IN STOCK.
#47
A lot of the time, prices can be haggled in my company. If there is any cosmetic or structural damage to an item, any cashier can reduce the price and its often negotiable if they're feeling nice.
UnclePanda 1 week ago
Freshly returmed from a country where you haggled for *everything*, I tried it at Walmart. It didn't work.
Mario Clouâtre 1 week ago
Not in most places. Please stop harassing the poor cashier. They have absolutely no control over prices or store politics.
Sally Moen 1 week ago (edited)
You would need to go to customer service for the proper person to handle a discount. Lots of cashiers are unable to process a discount they initiate.
#48
If you’re drinking the fountain soda you’re drinking mold and mildew. Sometimes black mold.
Mike Goslin 1 week ago
Often true, but not usually true. It is possible to maintain a clean soda machine. Some places do, some do not. It is pretty easy to tell the difference.
StrangeOne 1 week ago
I can usually sniff it out. What's really gross is when there's gnats flying out from the ice dispenser.
#49
Dont workout at commercial gyms if you can afford not to and if you have to, wash your hands and shower.
Apocalyptic Excavator 1 week ago
Not working out is 100% free so how come there are people who can't afford it?
#50
**Hotels:** Be nice. Seriously, be kind and the person behind the desk will bend over backwards for you! Also: unethical Protip, but if you’re going to be one or two nights in a city and want to save, CALL BEFOREHAND, and tell them you’re in town for a funeral. Bereavement rates are anywhere from 30-50% off.
**Bed Bath Beyond & Nordstroms:** They will literally take back anything that looks like they sold it before. Now, you can’t return a Hamilton Beach blender or Wrangler jeans, but if you have a luxury/expensive brand item? You can return it for store credit.
#51
Let us say your facility has 99 cameras and are paying a dude to watch them. The screen shows 9 cameras each about the size of a postcard for ten seconds before flipping to the next set of 9. Do you really think that someone can identify a crime in progress? It mostly just looks like people walking down a hall, criminal or not, you can’t tell. Cameras in real time are only useful to investigate an active alarm or incident. Cameras are most useful for post incident investigations.
Michael Largey 1 week ago
Long ago I worked for a security company where my job was to listen in to live microphones in businesses at night. I had a whole switchboard where I'd plug in my headphones to a jack for each client. I never heard a crime going on. Possibly because there never was one.
#52
Many large chains that deal directly with the public have a manual (or section thereof) given to managers that outlines the policies of how customers are treated or upsold.
The latter can be particularly disturbing to read because a lot of dishonesty is behind it.
#53
Your new car is not carefully assembled. Quantity over quality.
#55
Work at a big discount retailer, the clearance aisles are always *like that* because they want you to spend more time browsing.
#56
Where I work all the curbside pickup orders are handled by Instacart. If you buy normal groceries though the app the items are all stored in a staging area with shelves for dry goods, a refrigerator and a freezer. If a customer buys any deli items like sandwiches or rotisserie chicken, the Instacart shopper doesn't stage it, we grab it from the deli, scan it with a provided phone and pay for it with a company card when the customer signals in the app they're ready for pickup. We have people who have just used the Instacart app to buy their lunch instead of the regular store app. If they'd used the latter they could have paid the store directly, grabbed their items themselves and left.
Spittnimage 1 week ago
I read not too long ago Instacart employees at a big name grocery store, starts with Kro, were adding stuff to customers' carts for themselves and, of course, the customer paid for it.
#57
You get a higher quality of healthcare on business days during business hours.
David Paterson 1 week ago
In my city, medical receptionists in some places deliberately book as many people out of business hours as possible in order to charge more.
Did I say that out loud? 1 week ago
*confused British universal health care noises*
Load More Replies... #58
Not so much customers but general members of the public I guess.
About 10-20% of all lifts (elevators) in the UK are operating illegally.
#59
‘Fresh’ meat is usually a big yikes. Unless your store has a processing plant in the backroom, that food has been frozen, defrosted, refrozen, defrosted and then usually you go home and refreeze it. Frozen meat is usually more ideal; while the temps aren’t always consistent, it’s dealt with the defrosting less.
Also the seasoned meat at the butcher counter? It’s as close to expirations as possible. They season it to hide the discoloration.
Gaius214 1 week ago
This is completely false. The freshness & quality of all product is closely tracked. Any product even remotely "off" is pulled. Almost any grocery store meat department is cleaner & more sanitary than our own homr kitchens.
Spittnimage 1 week ago
Thank you for that info. Although I've never bought seasoned meat I've looked at it and thought about it. l'lI just bypass it now.
Gerry Higgins 1 week ago
This is why you should always cook meat thoroughly... not rare and even medium rare is still raw in the middle.
#60
If you place an order for pickup, it’s batched with other orders for when we pick it. We don’t necessarily get it right away and we can’t see which batch your order is in. Also, depending on the contents of your order, it’s spread across three or four different types of batch. There’s no way for us to expedite it or pick the batch(es) your order is in; when we pick, it automatically assigns you the next one based on time. You can cancel it on your end if you need it sooner or it’s running late, but there’s nothing we can do until your order is picked and stowed, and there’s still little we can do until it’s picked up.
Stephanie Did It 1 week ago
It would help a lot if OP had given a clue as to what industry or items they're babbling about.
#61
I worked for a long time in printing. Just because an instruction sheet or other paperwork for a product days it's printed on recycled materials, it may not be.
Rali Meyer 1 week ago
If you work in printing, you can print anything on everything you like... i.e. "recycled"
#62
Costco does not treat their employees as well as they present. They always talk about the great pay rates, but the rate of pay means nothing when you can't get the hours as most of the front end is part time.
#63
Just say that the markdown or digital coupon didn’t work and ask the cashier nicely to fix it, then make up a price cheaper than what it really was. Make it believable (not too low) and the cashier will gladly change the price to whatever you say. I just want you to pay and leave.
Spittnimage 1 week ago
Every time a price has been questioned (in my experience) the cashier always sent the bagger back to bring another package with the price on it.
What do you think ?
Ye Olde Dirty Grumpy 1 week ago
For the WalkingDead, like me, yes.reddit is full of little baby angels who dont know this.
Load More Replies... StrangeOne 1 week ago
These weren't really secrets. More like telling us what we already know but giving employees a platform to vent.
Ye Olde Dirty Grumpy 1 week ago
For the WalkingDead, like me, yes.reddit is full of little baby angels who dont know this.
Load More Replies... StrangeOne 1 week ago
These weren't really secrets. More like telling us what we already know but giving employees a platform to vent.
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