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53 Ways Companies Trick And Rip Off The General Public, As Shared By Real Industry Insiders
No single person can know it all. No matter the paths we take or the choices we make, some things are kept secret from us. What we understand about the world around us is heavily shaped by what the world wants us to know.
Someone on Reddit asked, “What is an open secret in your industry that the general public would be absolutely horrified to know?” It sparked conversations on the justice system, government secrecy, for-profit healthcare systems, sensitive information, and other controversial topics. Feel curious about what’s being hidden from you day to day? See for yourself.
This post may include affiliate links.
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#3
Your call is not important to us.
People don't often categorize secrets in daily life. To the average person, a secret is just information you shouldn’t share. Such a description is practical. It helps people navigate keeping secrets. But it makes it tough to explain exactly why people sometimes share secrets anyway. Psychologists Michael Slepian and Alex Koch set out to answer that question. Through extensive research, they grouped secrets into common categories and later found that each secret can be described in three dimensions: immorality, connectedness, and insight.
Immorality describes how the secret holder views the ethics of the behavior contained within the secret. Examples of withheld information that are high on the immorality dimension include harming others, theft, or other acts the secret holder deems illegal or unethical. Keeping such secrets can often evoke negative emotions, like shame. These emotions are usually the main motivators for the secret holder to keep the secret.
#4
The gap between how things are supposed to be done and how things are actually done in the restaurant industry would stop many people from eating out ever again.
#5
Upwards of 20% of your monthly medical insurance premium just goes to commissions for an entire ecosystem of sales people and administrators.
#6
We are constantly preparing for a plane crash during every take-off and landing.
At my airline, we would have a mandatory period of silence during that time on the seat where we can't talk and would be seated in a way that minimize impact to us and to get out of our seats as quickly as possible.
During that time we would be re-enacting the evac procedures and door operations in our minds so when the crash actually happens, we would react automatically as a second nature.
Secrets on the connectedness dimension hold parts of a person’s most intimate relationships. Great examples include romantic desires and intimate, personal behaviors. Secret holders usually keep these secrets for privacy and respect for the other people involved, among other reasons.
The insight dimension includes secrets tied to professional circumstances. They are pieces of confidential information, like software source code, client lists, and company business strategies. The most common motivators for keeping these secrets are signed documents that require employees to keep insider information private, like NDAs. Keeping such secrets can also create positive associations, like feeling highly qualified.
#7
Privatization makes everything more expensive, not more 'competitive'. Oh wait, everyone knows that.
Then why TF do we keep selling off our public institutions (or letting them get sold off)? Are we all just simps for capital, PE and billionaires? Have we no fight left in us? Are we too as bad as all the products these days?
#8
When you called the IRS during the most important part of filing season to ask questions about your 1040 return and your refunds, the people answering the calls are mostly first year hires who just got out of 6 weeks of inadequate training and for the most part have little idea of what they are doing other than reading scripts.
#9
Bottled water. One brand is literally tap water from Rialto California. Rialto is nicknamed “rat hole” so that tells you plenty.
The three dimensions describe secrets in tandem. A secret doesn’t have to belong to just one of the three boxes. Infidelity, for example, would be high on both the immorality and connectedness dimensions. Such secrets overlap in motivations too, and the hardest to keep are those tied to the immorality dimension. The shame of withholding something immoral causes guilt and pushes people to spill the secret.
#10
The insane amount of plastic waste by outdoor companies that do a lot of yelling about conservation and how much they support conservation efforts. Every single item in every shipment comes encased in its own plastic bag that we have to rip open to put the item out for sale. And no, the bags are not compostable, recyclable, or reusable.
Daisydaisy 13 hours ago
Just another one of fossil fuels' gifts to the world ... Leave it in the ground!
#11
If my workplace is any indication, the agencies created to protect you from unsafe food and medicine, pollution, and unsafe working conditions have about a third of the staff they had ten years ago.
Geoffrey Scott 10 hours ago
Unsafe food- Once again a proposal to have food mfg's 'self certify' is being proposed. PLEASE contact your Rep or Sen to let them know it's NOT ok.
#12
I used to bartend and I can tell you for a fact that TONS of people drink and drive every day.
George Costanza 8 hours ago
Well....yeah. In most of the US bars are only accessible by car. So everyone at that bar having any alcoholic drink is automatically drinking then driving. We set the system up to fail.
Secrets that are high on the immorality and insight dimensions are problematic. Unethical or illegal practices an insider employee knows about can cause guilt, but signed documents might require them to keep the information confidential. It’s an internal fight between morality and professionalism. In such cases, people often look for ways to reduce the pressure. They might try to uncover the information anonymously or through formal insider-whistleblowing channels.
#13
There are multiple mistakes happening to every patient every single day in a hospital. Most are completely harmless but still get swept under the rugs.
DC 9 hours ago
They refused to give me the surgery report about my gallbladder removal. They pierced my liver and lost about one fourth of my blood by that method (HB readings down by 25 % after, compared to before, surgery), which explains why I was so incredibly thirsty upon waking up. At least, crying and complaining got me another shot of morphine, and another nice dream. But that's besides - they said that "This isn't meant for you, but for your Doctor..." - utter BS! I demanded being given the report, and they still refused, until I mentioned that I might be entitled to be given it by the law, and if I don't get to read it, I will without doubt make them give it to me. It's meant for the patient, and if the patient wants their GP to read it, we will give it to them.
#14
While horse riding and training isn’t inherently a*****e, most horses do undergo some degree of trauma during the training process. When you are going to one of those paid trail ride places, the horses are very frequently showing signs of discomfort that go ignored by staff because what are you going to do? Pull a replacement horse out of thin air? Those kinds of places are already running on a super tight margin. .
#15
I used to work as a pre-k teacher. The amount of hidden a***e by teachers is abhorrent. When you report it, unless there is video evidence (there almost never is), they don’t do anything about it. This especially applies to the teachers that have worked there a long time, who are considered “un-fireable.” My lead co-teacher was taking toddlers into the corner by the changing table (the only place where there aren’t cameras) and hitting them.
Editing to add: this happened the most in corporate daycares, the most common a***e was threatening the children (usually with violence). I live in Florida so there are gators here. There was one living in the retention pond behind the daycare. It hadn’t been removed/relocated yet. I heard a teacher threaten a 4 year old child that she was “going to take him out back and feed him to the gator.”
Edit 2: The a***e and neglect from both teachers and parents is the main reason that I left the industry. Participating as a witness in CPS cases was not what I signed up for. Neither was the blatant a***e that was being allowed within the school. It was a soul crushing job. I quit in 2019 and I was making $9.25 (to handle human waste every day) an hour, 40 hours a week. There are almost no real qualifications needed besides not being a recorded criminal.
I promise, last one, edit 3:
F**K LA PETITE.
Companies benefit more from internal rather than external whistleblowing. When employees use internal communication channels to report unethical or illegal issues at work, the company can address the problem before its reputation is harmed. If handled properly, it can also build trust and loyalty between employer and employee.
Dawid Mrowiec wrote a systematic review paper, studying what influences and promotes internal whistleblowing. Among the top influential values are the company’s displayed ethical values and leadership. Whistleblowers are more likely to use internal channels if they trust the values the company and its leaders display.
#16
There's complete, utter morons working in the government handling extremely important and sensitive data that affects EVERYONE. I know because I managed a team of them. for 10 g*****n years.
#17
I'm a recruiter and it's an open secret that companies will post jobs on their career sites but they are no jobs that they are actually hiring for. While the company that I work for doesn't engage in that practice , it's very well known that there are many recruiters who post jobs knowing that there really isn't a job out there. They'll go through all of the motions, from taking applications to completing interviews, and it's cruel because they know that they have no intention of hiring people.
Other factors that promote internal whistleblowing include policies, procedures, and safeguards that don’t discourage or penalize reporters. They help gauge risk and reduce stress. Reward systems may also encourage employees to report problems internally. Communication around such procedures is also important. Educational meetings and training encourage employees and help them feel more confident when making reports. Setting up official reporting channels also makes the procedure easier for employees, reducing reluctance.
#19
The number of times (and reasons) that people call 911.
Had someone call before they had an ingrown toe nail for the past month. Someone wanted a pregnancy test (we dont do that). A ride back (that they didnt want us to bill them for) to the hospital because they forgot their hat there. A bug bite on a toe. They heard the sirens down the street for a neighbor so they thought that they should call just in case they also needed medical care. A man called 911 to have us call his cell phone company and force them to reinstate his cell service in case he needed to call 911. MANY people will be at their Dr appt and be told to go to the ER; they will drive past the hospital to their house to call 911, to go to that hospital they had passed.
On a very regular basis, your city or country might have only 1 avaliable ambulance.
Goth Bear Cat 8 hours ago
In the U.S., cell phones that do not have service can still connect to emergency services/911 as long as they have battery power and are in range of a cell tower.
#20
There is no "back" when you say "just check in the back." We have no backstock; your item isn't miraculously "back there." The only things behind this counter are the employee bathroom, a s****y Mr. Coffee drip machine, and a microwave where, if I am lucky, I'll have five minutes to heat up a frozen breakfast burrito.
Coupon Holder 10 hours ago
Drove by a store this past weekend and their sign said "If it's in stock, we have it!"
#21
When retail stores ask you to donate to some cause or other, you aren't actually donating to that cause. The company has already donated that money as a tax write off and your donations are just paying them back.
George Costanza 8 hours ago
Yeah I don't donate through that garbage. If I donate it's on my terms and with a tax receipt from the charity. Not giving 65 cents to my grocery store because they proclaim it's for charity.
The organization’s size, structure, power relations, and perceived justice also affect whether employees choose internal reporting channels. If these factors are hard to control, an official audit committee could help build trust between employees and employers. A qualified audit increases the company’s professional identity and reduces the likelihood of external whistleblowing.
#22
Beauty brands send influencers hundreds of $’s worth of product every single day. Their marketing budgets are astronomical. They also ask influencers to lie when filming videos. Or gently bend the truth. Don’t believe everything you see when it comes to beauty & cosmetics.
#23
If you have medical insurance though your employer, they get to determine what is and isn't covered, if you do or don't need a pre-authorization, what your coinsurance or copay is and how much your plan costs you per paycheck. As long as the plan adheres to Federal and State laws, everything else is up to them.
#24
The amount of mold, rat feces, and bug larvae that come with items donated and sold at thrift stores. Nothing gets washed. Everyone knows this, but it’s another thing to be sorting donations in the back room and dealing with it every day. Makes you lose faith in humanity.
I recently had to quit because the work conditions were like a sweat shop, and my health took a sharp (and not so mysterious) down turn.
Laszlo Larthlanc 8 hours ago
My SO just washed 2 loads of laundry yesterday, and it was all stuff from her mother's place that she's giving to a local rescue organization. I know 2 other people who wash every item of clothing they donate to Goodwill and an outfit called SPAN that benefits animals. It's simply incorrect to say "Nothing gets washed".
When internal communication and whistleblowing channels don’t help secret holders fix the issues at hand, external channels should be considered. Anonymous submissions can ease the burden, but may reduce credibility.
Have you held troubling secrets in your professional life? What’s something worrying in your industry that the average person isn’t aware of? Share your stories with other commenters below.
#25
I’m an ER doctor. So many people are dying because of our for-profit health care system. Type 1 diabetic, no insurance, runs out of insulin because he can’t afford it. A few days later he is a diabetic ketoacidosis and is admitted to the ICU. Who pays for that stay? Not the guy who couldn’t afford his insulin, that’s for sure! Maybe next time he will d*e before he gets to the hospital.
StumblingThroughLife 10 hours ago
I feel for the Americans. Ripped off left right and centre. :-(
#26
Most of your favorite bands/musical artists think your fandom is annoying and stupid.
When you give that singer you like some handmade gift, 90% of the time it ends up in a trash can within 5 minutes. I've seen it so many times.
#27
Everyone knows insurance is a scam but usually the ire is more towards the claims departments. What I wish people knew more about is how much Underwriters influence markets and coverage. They remind me of serial k**lers who use numbers instead of weapons sometimes.
#28
Speaking for Australia but the WHO's figures are roughly equivalent. About 10% of hospital presentations are a result of medical including medication mismanagement, About 10% of inpatients will develop a hospital aquired infection. If you spend 5-7 days as an inpatient you will leave with mild to moderate malnutrition and moderate to severe sleep deprivation.
Ie Your doctor has a reasonable chance of making you sick, sends you to hospital where you now have a 1 in 10 chance of getting even sicker (hospital bugs are usually the nasty anti-biotic resistant ones) and you'll have a hard time recovering because you are starved and exhausted.
David Paterson 7 hours ago
My mother went into a hospital for a minor reason and left with three different antibiotic-resistant infections.
#29
Restaurant chains that come out of Utah really enjoy hiring teenagers. It’s why they have so many issues with child labor laws.
BarkingSquirell 6 hours ago
Considering what happens to teen-age girls in Utah, this isn't so shocking.
#30
Whistleblowing is not there to protect the employee, it’s there to protect the company from the regulator. Speak up at your peril. .
StumblingThroughLife 10 hours ago
I can't say it isn't true, as I'm reminded of a certain USA bloke who had to run away to another country/continent after whistleblowing.
#31
Nursing is being destroyed by giggification apps.
Your hourly wage is being depressed while you are being sent to facilities that haven't been properly vetted and often placed in situations that put your licencing at risk.
Your ability to work is decided increasingly by algorithms and ai.
Soon you'll be earning not much more than a fry cook in fast food.
Having worked customer service for one of these companies, I regularly had to tell people that they are locked out of picking up shifts for being late or not making the shift despite them providing strong evidence of issues outside their control, such as weather that put them at risk of wrecking their cars and possibly getting injured.
I'd report certain facilities for dirty, unhygienic or unsafe practices only to see no action bring taken.
They were more concerned with us ending calls within a very strict timeframe and just eating a***e whole providing "empathy" while having no agency or power to help the healthcare staff we were supposed to support.
I would never in a million years allow a family member to stay in any place that used these services. The "workers" are desperate and often working ridiculous hours to make a decent salary.
Any attempt I made to push to put in systems or solutions to fix this was met with blank stares by idiotic middle management.
I was eventually sabotaged and pushed out for rocking the boat.
#32
Retired fine dining chef here. Restaurant food tastes better because it's 50% butter and salt.
David Paterson 6 hours ago
If I remember correctly, the "bliss point" of a food is close to 50% carbohydrate and 50% fat. With a few minor components like salt. So that "50% butter" is probably startlingly accurate.
#34
Everyone I ever met working in professional politics f*****g hates yard signs. There is zero reason to suggest any yard sign ever has influenced a vote. But people get mad if you don't have them, so we waste money on them every year.
#35
Healthcare runs on exhausted staff covering gaps for free. Short-staffed shifts and unpaid overtime are normal, and the system only holds together because people keep going above and beyond.
#37
This is not an open secret but BPA coating on many receipts (thermal paper) can be absorbed through the skin.
Edit: also check expiration dates when you buy food, at least at Target. I’ve seen way too much expired food on the shelves working in the food area. Target corporate pressures us to put food on shelves but the policy for expiration dates seems to be “pull it when you see it”.
Daisydaisy 13 hours ago
"Hormone disrupters" costing half the stuff we touch. Not a good thing
#38
Big tech. Basically the entirety of managed services is now done by Indians, mostly in the US and India. Indians working almost exclusively with and hiring other Indians.
#39
Military grade isn’t a good standard, it’s the cheapest material to not break immediately, but still be way overpriced and have to be replaced very regularly. Since any contracts with the government automatically get a really high markup. So when a new product comes to the market claiming military grade, you can bet it’s overpriced and going to at least scratch easily if not break within a year or two!
#40
Employers firing when someone gets pregnant/is on maternity leave is more the norm than not.
Employers putting that they want bilingual applicants not because they need or value being bilingual, but because it attracts applicants who are easier to exploit.
Employees who are US citizens or have work authorization are at a disadvantage in the job market because employers are unwilling to pay legally “on the books” and follow employment laws.
Compensation being ~$100,000/year, but off the books so both the employer and employee aren’t paying taxes. Employees still claiming income based state benefits despite that income is not uncommon.
Industry - domestic service. Nannies, housekeepers, family assistants.
StumblingThroughLife 11 hours ago (edited)
They can't fire pregnant women in the UK. Not saying we don't have problems over here, but Employment laws are pretty strict, re: employees rights.
#41
That someone from buzzfeed posts this exact question every month to write a new article with.
#42
Veterans using VA benefits only qualify for [civilian] ambulance care to be covered under specific circumstances [Service connection rating, income level, etc]. It is a regular occurence for a Veteran with a 16k documented income to have their $120,000 life flight claim denied because they are "high income"
My congressman wasn't too horrified about it. He blamed "illegals".
#43
Commercial construction. People would be shocked to know what companies pay for things in their office that they might take for granted.
#44
Whenever someone complains about wasted money being spent in government I laugh in their face. In corporate America the s**t that is spent on that is completely and totally wasted is insane. And they'll say "but that's not my money"...oh yeah where do you think your spend for their product goes? When you're paying more for that d**g? Yeah that's because the CEO didn't know not to click on that email and they got blackmailed. Gtfoh.
#45
Almost every vehicle on the road is constructed from components made from all the same suppliers. The same company that makes the window switches for GM probably supply to the window switches to KIA, etc. never understood brand loyalty.
#46
That 18 year old service members are given responsibilities that could easily cause d***h or the destruction of millions of dollars in equipment in an instant.
#47
Your medical charts are being read by people in India and the Philippines.
#48
Probably how much of “professional communication” is just people trying to sound confident while quietly figuring things out as they go.
#50
The electronic health records that every medical person refers to when they see you are FULL of errors. Shockingly incorrect details. They are supposed to belong to us, but it's next to impossible to get your own and don't even think about changing anything. Impossible, even when objectively and consistently wrong.
I know because reading them in full for each "case" was part of my job.
#51
Not horrified, but a little annoyed. I run a massive two story printing press and I can tell you that if you are buying a magazine from the newsstand, the paper is WORLDS better than if you paid for a subscription.
This guy already paid. Send him s**t.
Jan Rosier 12 hours ago
I call bs on this one. Switching paperquality takes up too much time and effort, just not worth it.
#52
GPAs. Speaking from a college level. It’s mostly about turning stuff in. Grade inflation is real. Most grades are As. You see lower averages because people miss assignments and get a 0. So it’s really competency / completion based rather than talent or intellect.
#53
Food industry worker:
The cooks at the places you eat rarely wash their hands and cross contaminate regularly, but few people get sick. The amount of times I’ve seen a cook grab a handful of crumbled cheese with no glove on and top your burger then continue to go on cooking without washing terrifies me to eat out.
They also eat fries off your plate.
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Ace 13 hours ago (edited)
Seems to have been a mix-up here, headline and poll are about scandals, the posts are not. Just another round of rehashed "industry secrets", 90% of which are either not secret, bleeding obvious to anyone with half a brain or simply not true. Edit: fixed now, I see.
WindySwede 13 hours ago
And i still can't see any notifications? And forced to 2[dot]bp[dot]com?
Load More Replies...
StumblingThroughLife 10 hours ago
The majority of the posts are referring to the USA. It's often hard to relate to if you don't live there, tbh.
Ace 13 hours ago (edited)
Seems to have been a mix-up here, headline and poll are about scandals, the posts are not. Just another round of rehashed "industry secrets", 90% of which are either not secret, bleeding obvious to anyone with half a brain or simply not true. Edit: fixed now, I see.
WindySwede 13 hours ago
And i still can't see any notifications? And forced to 2[dot]bp[dot]com?
Load More Replies... StumblingThroughLife 10 hours ago
The majority of the posts are referring to the USA. It's often hard to relate to if you don't live there, tbh.
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