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World-renowned tech companies like Amazon, Google, and Tesla have managed to keep huge secrets from the public eye, whether they're about products, partnerships, or upcoming projects.

But there are businesses in other sectors that also keep their lips tightly sealed when it comes to their inner workings.

To find out more about the practices that take place behind closed doors, one Redditor asked other platform users: "What dirty little secret does your profession hide that the consumer should know?" And the answers came pouring in.

As of this publication, the post has 11.5K upvotes and 9.2K comments, many of which reveal what we common folks aren't supposed to know.

#1

30 People Reveal "Dirty Little Secrets" About The Industries They Work In That Companies Try To Hide From Customers Pilot here

The whole "turn off the cell phone" thing doesn't matter 99.99% of the time. HOWEVER, it's that .01% of the time that we worry about. Most cell phones nowadays, like iphones and androids, dont operate on the same frequency as the equipment we are worried about, but its that one guy with the cell phone made in mongolia in 1996 thats going to ruin it for everyone. Could we spend more time going through everyone's electronics and saying "You can use this, this, this, and this but not that unless we are over 14,500 feet." We could , but A.) it would take forever and B.) You wouldn't remember it or get it right. So please, turn the damn thing off when we're landing the plane.

CaptValentine , Jjborcean Report

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Vector
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There's always gonna be that one guy with a phone made in Mongolia 1996 🙄

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#2

30 People Reveal "Dirty Little Secrets" About The Industries They Work In That Companies Try To Hide From Customers The larger the menu at a restaurant the greater the chance your food was frozen and just reheated.

MathewMurdock , tripadvisor Report

#3

I.T. When we can't figure out why the servers crashed, we just turn them off and on again.

anon Report

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Šimon Špaček
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Reboot usually takes ten minutes, while proper troubleshooting and checking logs may take hours and still bring no results (because there is so much data that you will miss the one important line).

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#4

Sign Language Interpreting. A huge amount of them are underskilled and uncertified. When they don't understand a Deaf person, they will simply make up a translation and the deaf person never hears it.

It leads to a lot of hearing people thinking a lot of Deaf people are morons, and a lot of Deaf people distrusting and being frustrated by hearing people patronizing them.

driftingdrifter Report

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#5

30 People Reveal "Dirty Little Secrets" About The Industries They Work In That Companies Try To Hide From Customers Plumber here. There are so many things all of you are capable of doing/fixing around the home. I can't tell you how many toilets ive fixed, shower drains unclogged, leaks stopped etc. that took no tools/ or a simple tool, in literally 2 mins. A 15 minutes educational video on how most of the plumbing in your house works would lose me maybe even a few thousand a month.

Liteheaded24x7 , rick Report

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Chich
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just had a plumber in for a day fixing "handyman specials". Do not over-estimate your skill level.

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#6

I'm a freelance copy-editor/proofreader.

A large portion of the books in my portfolio were previously published and "edited". Meaning, the author paid someone to edit it already.

Why then, did they still want/need to hire me? Because they were still absolutely filled with errors, to the point where reviewers would comment on the poor editing.

In the freelance editing world, there seems to be no shortage of people who will take authors' money but not do a good job. Typically these are random people on Fiverr and similar sites.

To avoid this, you should hire editors that come recommended by people you trust.

If that is not practical, then you should at least get an editor to do a sample edit (of 1000-2000 words). Perhaps throw in some errors on purpose.

If they catch those errors, or even errors you didn't put in deliberately, then they're good.

Celda Report

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Wang Zhuang
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Copy-editor here. I agree with this post. Everyone who writes material for publication needs a copy-editor. Everyone.

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#7

30 People Reveal "Dirty Little Secrets" About The Industries They Work In That Companies Try To Hide From Customers The tops of your beer cans are gross. You should always wipe a beer can clean before drinking out of it, and preferably just poor it in a glass. They get s**t all over them during storage/transportation. They get walked on if someone needs to climb over the pallet they are loaded on. And don’t get me started on some of the s**t I’ve seen inside beer coolers. Disgusting.
Cans also don’t transport well on pallets. Cans pop/puncture and then that beer attracts flies which in turn create maggots.

-former beer delivery guy

anon , Mariano Avagnina Report

#8

30 People Reveal "Dirty Little Secrets" About The Industries They Work In That Companies Try To Hide From Customers High school teacher here: after a month of summer, I've already forgotten 90% of students' names.

anon , U.S. Government Report

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Daffodil
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Student here- after 1 month of summer I've forgotten 100% of the stuff I learned that year

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#9

30 People Reveal "Dirty Little Secrets" About The Industries They Work In That Companies Try To Hide From Customers When you ask for your drink 'strong' at the bar but refuse to pay for a double, we will just reverse the order of how we make your drink. Mix will go in first then liquor last. You think you are being slick by not having to pay for a double shot and you think we are a great bartender.
Moral of the story: don't try to be slick with people who make your food or drinks.

EDIT: All of you who are stating that when you say 'strong' you want less mixer, are in the 1% of the entire population that expect 'less' mixer and the same amount of alcohol. The other 99% of people who use the term 'strong' want additional alcohol in the drink for free. That's a fact!

If you wish to order a drink with less mixer in it, order the drink 'short' and we will make it with the same amount of alcohol and will use less mixer than usual.

If you wish to order a drink with more mixer than normal, order the drink 'tall' and we will make it with the same amount of alcohol and will use more mixer than normal.

Analytica0 , Michal Lizuch Report

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Local foodie
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What does reversing the order do? I don’t completely understand this

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#10

30 People Reveal "Dirty Little Secrets" About The Industries They Work In That Companies Try To Hide From Customers You don't have to be an Orthodontist to do orthodontics, just a dentist. Don't subject your kids or yourself to braces/treatment unless the provider actually is certified in Orthodontics. It can make the difference between 7 years of treatment that reverses itself immediately and 11 months that lasts a lifetime.

qpgmr , Nenad Stojkovic Report

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Jiminy
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You have to be an orthodontist to do orthodontics in Germany. Dentist plus three years of full time education plus exam

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#11

30 People Reveal "Dirty Little Secrets" About The Industries They Work In That Companies Try To Hide From Customers Hotel manager. Most of the time the comforter is only changed when visibly dirty. Always take off the comforter and use the blanket in the closet, or ask them to bring you one.

ACOE_PWKE , Max Vakhtbovych Report

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Unknown
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just imagine what those people cheating on their spouses or what not are doing on that comforter, with no regard for the cleanliness of the room. Just there for a quick in and out, and whatever is left on the comforter stays 🤢🤮

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#12

I work in dry cleaning. One of the spotting agents we use is called digest, which is made of powdered cow stomach. The enzymes in the digest literally eat organic spots. It's extremely effective.

You can DIY digest by applying saliva to food spots. I've removed blackberry jam from white cotton by just repeatedly spitting on the spot and scraping it clean. Warning: It takes a whole lot of time and saliva, and the process is disgusting--but free!

freyalorelei Report

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chad johnson
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

your own saliva is one of the best ways to get your own blood out if its fresh as well.

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#13

Paralegal here. Was your attorney able to settle your car accident case for a decent sum of money from the other driver's liability policy? No they didn't. The f*****g paralegal did.

tinaburgerpants Report

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#14

30 People Reveal "Dirty Little Secrets" About The Industries They Work In That Companies Try To Hide From Customers I work at a living facility for special needs people. There's honestly a very slim chance that your family member would be abused by the staff. However, depending on where they are placed (based on a number of factors) it's highly likely they could be abused by their roommates and the facility won't do a damn thing about it unless forced.

PrettyBird2011 , Province of British Columbia Report

#15

30 People Reveal "Dirty Little Secrets" About The Industries They Work In That Companies Try To Hide From Customers Healthcare has become more oriented to customer service and satisfaction than patient care. Providers are at constant odds with administrators to balance profitable care with quality care which are polar opposites.

doctorhillbilly , Karolina Grabowska Report

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Chiara C
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Guys i can't wrap my head around the fact you must pay for health care 🥺

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#16

30 People Reveal "Dirty Little Secrets" About The Industries They Work In That Companies Try To Hide From Customers HVAC work, the amount of black mold in nursing homes is outrageous. If you're considering putting an elderly family member in one, glance inside the a.c. unit or look at an air vent, you can see it too.

4quil0n , SabbyOfSableWine Report

#17

30 People Reveal "Dirty Little Secrets" About The Industries They Work In That Companies Try To Hide From Customers Planetarium operator:

Nobody in the space sciences cares about constellations. They're used to help define the location of astronomical objects, but I bet most astronomers don't know the names of more than 5 or 6 constellations. I only talk about them because the general public finds them interesting for some reason - I would skip them if my boss would let me.

Deadmeat553 , Петербургский Планетарий Report

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Firstname Lastname
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Honestly constellations is a bad game of connect the dots for me. But bright shiny stuff in the sky? That's my jam.

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#18

30 People Reveal "Dirty Little Secrets" About The Industries They Work In That Companies Try To Hide From Customers Teacher - it's that time of year to make class placements for next year. Every year there are two or three teachers in the school (elementary) who are so awful, we cry over which students we have to 'sacrifice' to them and hope they are strong enough to survive a year with Mr. or Mrs. So-and-So.

PicklePucker , Max Fischer Report

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InvincibleRodent
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Then why, pray tell, are those people -who are clearly unsuited to be teaching children- still teaching children?

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#19

30 People Reveal "Dirty Little Secrets" About The Industries They Work In That Companies Try To Hide From Customers There is a reason why your bar has loud music on. If you can't keep a conversation going you are going to be drinking faster and more likely to order another round.

stop_being_ugly , Marcus Herzberg Report

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PickleRick
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Music is primarily used to set a pace. If there's a DJ worth anything at all, they're setting that pace. They'll build through a night. The last music you hear before close will have the highest BPM (beats per minute). Clubs and bars want you leaving while you feel the happiest and most energized.

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#20

30 People Reveal "Dirty Little Secrets" About The Industries They Work In That Companies Try To Hide From Customers Flight simulation engineer here: until Sully landed his Airbus in the Hudson, the average chances of surviving a commercial jet water "landing" were less than 5%. Highest recorded survival was the Ethiopian 767 with 29% survival. The seat back safety card and life vests were simply placebos for nervous passengers.
Follow-on: Sullenberger's technique is now part of pilot simulator training so chances have increased. However if it happens in the ocean you might survive the crash but will almost certainly die of hypothermia, drowning or exposure.

chrisell , Julia Volk Report

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Jrog
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not much of a "technique" thing, more of a technological improvement issue and some specific conditions. The Hudson's airplane was an Airbus A320, one of the first to feature a "ditching switch" that closes most of the possible water intakes in the bottom part of the plane, keeping it watertight and floating for longer time. The Hudson landing featured a lot of occurrences that *combined* led to a higher survivability: the above mentioned ditching mode, calm waters, rescue boats readily available, just enough inertia and height to barely make it to the river, and, ultimately, a skillful commander.

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#21

30 People Reveal "Dirty Little Secrets" About The Industries They Work In That Companies Try To Hide From Customers Your city doesn't spend nearly enough making sure the infrastructure is decent.

Richard-Hindquarters , Ken Lund Report

#22

I Google probably 30%of what I fix. The only reason you can't do it, is somehow the ability to Google well is difficult.

waldo06 Report

#23

30 People Reveal "Dirty Little Secrets" About The Industries They Work In That Companies Try To Hide From Customers Never. Ever. trust tripadvisor restaurants and their food safety just because they got high ratings.

failkitten , Vuong Tri Binh Report

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Timmy Pillinger
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In the UK councils issue food safety stickers to businesses... If they choose not to display the sticker...

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#24

There are some really bad dentists out there. And you probably don't even realize it.

Most people stick with a dentist based on their insurance, chair-side manner, and how painful the injection is. Otherwise, they have no idea the quality of work that they are getting. I have seen some absolutely abysmal work, and ethically/professionally, I can't tell the patient, "Hey, Dr. So-and-so did a real crappy filling and now you need a root canal because he screwed up." Instead I tell them that 'things happen' and I'm the bad guy because the filling only lasted 1 year.

If you're in a new town and looking for a new dentist, call a local endodontist and ask who he goes to. They see all the work from local general dentists and you can bet your a*s they're going to the best one.

Kliarin Report

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Aunt Riarch
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you find a really good dentist and they retire, ask them who their dentist is

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#25

30 People Reveal "Dirty Little Secrets" About The Industries They Work In That Companies Try To Hide From Customers Ramp agent here, I deal with airplanes from them coming to a stand, until they depart.

Your bags get manhandled. We can have 150 bags off then on in a 15 minute window, they have to get from the cargo door all the way to the middle. Bags with 4 wheels are the greatest thing since sliced bread since they just roll. Sports bags with no wheels are literally hurled down. (We mean no I'll intention but there is no choice when you fly with the budget airline that rhymes with "Dryin hair"

anon , 3askary Report

#26

Not my main profession, but did some technical writing as a freelancer. Many companies actually pay people to post on social media and review sites and write positive fake feedback. So, when you're on amazon and find someone writing a review about a skillet for example and they say "This is a great product, I really enjoyed it and the instructions were clear", you know it's a real person profile but with fake review.

hasslemind Report

#27

30 People Reveal "Dirty Little Secrets" About The Industries They Work In That Companies Try To Hide From Customers Your nurses and doctors talk about you in the break room.

anon , Vidal Balielo Jr. Report

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sturmwesen
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Isn't taling between employees about patients/clients part of every "company"?

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#28

30 People Reveal "Dirty Little Secrets" About The Industries They Work In That Companies Try To Hide From Customers The teacher's breakroom? That mysterious land of wonder that no student dare enter? Its a table and chairs with a counter with a sink and microwave. The teachers don't have fun in there. For their 15 minute lunch break, they just plan or grade.

anon , Michael Mayer Report

#29

30 People Reveal "Dirty Little Secrets" About The Industries They Work In That Companies Try To Hide From Customers Lots and lots and lots and LOTS of animals die in the process of making your medicines. Get used to the idea.

mt0622 , Dids Report

#30

30 People Reveal "Dirty Little Secrets" About The Industries They Work In That Companies Try To Hide From Customers Screen printing shops are dirty as f**k and you should ALWAYS wash new shirts before wearing them.

Cookforfun , Mark Fischer Report

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Kevin Garren
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

...who doesn't wash clothes before wearing them? I'm not that trusting, who knows who touched/tried it on before me. (I also don't try on clothes in store)

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