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“It’s A Moral Dilemma I Struggle With Daily”: 50 Secrets That Companies Keep From Their Customers
What if we told you that steakhouses and sushi restaurants are 62 times more bacteria-filled than your preferred fast food joint? You will likely rethink your dining choices and stick to burgers and fries over high-end otoro tuna.
This is just one of the many industry secrets that certain professions would rather the public not be aware of. Today, we’re revealing more of these hidden pieces of information through responses in a recent Reddit thread.
You’re about to read anecdotes from different professionals working in hospitals, software companies, crime labs, and casinos, and their stories are compelling, to say the least. Enjoy reading through!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Abortion pills are available by mail in all fifty states of the US, regardless of state laws. There are doctors and legitimate websites that will send pills out and there are many numbers to call for guidance. Plancpills.org is the best website to find the pills, and abortionpillinfo.org is the best place to learn how to use them.
RELATED:
#2
Yes, some of the workers are undocumented. Yes, they do a lot of the work others will not or can not do. We also do a lot of the work they will not or can not do. In our season they show up at 6am and leave at 7pm every day of the week. Twice a month they also cook huge meals for everyone, out of their own pocket. Some of us have to hide money in their bags and things to get them to take it. Ive watched them make and serve their own food to people in MAGA hats, with a smile. I love them. Every single one of them.
#3
Every day the postal service moves over 20 million parcels around the country with a staff of about 500,00, only 200k of those being actual letter carriers. That’s not including every little postcard or advo the thickness of a hair that touches 25 sets of hands and numerous vehicles before it gets to your house without somehow getting lost under a seat cushion along the way. We have a 99.2% success rate on parcel delivery. Nobody thinks about all the hundreds of packages they’ve received, only that one that got lost that one time. USPS is exceedingly good at what they do, and we do it using only proceeds from stamp sales. We do not receive federal dollars in any capacity so that we can remain stable during political upheavals or budget crisis.
200,000 people hand deliver 24,000,000 packages. Double that during peak season. Every. Single. Day. I just think that’s cool as s**t lol.
Johnnynatfan 4 months ago
USPS is by far the most popular government agency. They do an incredible job and the only time ive heard people really complain was in 2020 when fat loser Trump lost and he lied about mail in ballots.
#4
A*****e parents are way more common than you think. Way, way more common. *Soul-crushingly common.*
polly6119:
As a teacher for 23 years I absolutely agree. People give CPS a hard time. But they don't realize how horrible a lot of parents are. CPS is trying to just get the physical abuse stopped. They're overwhelmed with physical abuse problems. But there is widespread and evil emotional and psychological abuse that is almost impossible catch because it doesn't leave visual scars.
There are parents who will starve their children just enough to torture them but not enough to get caught, there parents will put tons of salt in their child's dinner just so they suffer through the night and won't let them have anything to drink, their parents who will make children do exercises like wall squats and arm lifts for so long that it's literal torture and if the child doesn't agree or stops doing the exercise then they don't get to eat the next day, there are parents who keep a child up all night "cleaning" the house. I could go on there's so much and so many. Not to mention the horrible degrading things they say to their child.
And you know what's really insidious is that a lot of these people are your nicest neighbors, the parent who volunteers, the parent, who comes to school and laughs with the teacher so that the child sees that they have nobody that they can talk to.
Sorry, I've just seen a lot. I don't get to talk about it much because, well it's depressing. It's not really a good conversation starter or party banter.
#5
Prescription d***s (in America) do not need to cost anywhere near what they do. Pharmaceutical companies waste money like nobody else. In most cases, the company is just charging the absolute maximum amount the market will bear. It's a moral dilemma I struggle with daily.
#6
It's not the strangers/drag queens/LGBTQ people that you, or especially kids, need to worry about. It's the men in the family. After working 11 years at a crime lab doing DNA, I don't know if I've come across a kid r**e kit with a trans person as the suspect. But there are thousands of them from the dad/stepdad/moms bf/step brother/grandpa/etc. If you want to protect kids, start there.
So, bathroom bills aren't really protecting kids, just diverting attention from actually threats.
Edit: woah! Really glad this sparked some discussion.
With most every r**e kit comes r**e kit notes (and police report) which tells you relevant info, such as suspect and relation to victim. Rare that it is an “unknown” stranger kid r**e. That’s how I know the relations between the suspect and victim. When we see kid cases, there usually is a listed suspect.
DNA is DNA. “Trans” DNA is not a thing. We can tell s*x by the DNA. So if that doesn’t match up with what’s in the submission info, we look into it. It has happened that we have had trans individuals who are listed as their preferred s*x, which is in contrast to their DNA. That’s something we’d like to know up front cause it matters….cause it’s DNA. Many times it is in the police report.
Mel in Georgia 4 months ago
Not all men is a given. But the whole trans people as a threat to kids/society is so overblown.
#7
Old people are just like you and me, they are witty, smart, wise, sexual, sarcastic, cynical, generous, considerate, patient, frustrated….all that and more, please treat them with the respect and love you would your best friend, not like a toddler. They may be a little bit deaf or slower to talk than you, but they are not stupid. Oh, and they have a name…it’s not dear, love or darling…use their name!
Michael Largey 4 months ago
When you look at us old people, you're looking at you - and sooner than you think.
#8
It is entirely possible that your veterinarian will kiss your kitten’s belly when you are looking.
#9
Human teeth are not white, they're yellow.
Stop bleaching your teeth.
Susie Elle 4 months ago (edited)
And they will yellow with age, kind of to the color of old paper, which is a very normal process. Porcelain white teeth are not natural.
#10
I work in materials testing for industries like automotive, aerospace, defense…
Our secret? We. Don’t. F**k. Around. Specs are holy writ and *will* be followed. We fire people for cutting corners on paperwork. I once got dragged into a conference room and chewed out for two hours not because I used equipment that was out of calibration, but because I was in the same room as someone who did. *That* person got suspended for a week without pay. We regularly get audited for compliance to standards and regs that are enforced internationally.
Why? Because when people in my field cut corners, people die. Horribly.
Edit: Almost forgot to add…falsifying documents in my line of work is actually a felony.
Mel in Georgia 4 months ago
This is what scares me about deregulation as a cost-cutting measure. Who is going to hold companies accountable? One MAGA guy said consumers will. Are you kidding me? What do we know about product safety?
#11
The number of completely incompetent employees working in health care settings is appalling.
mentalissuelol:
Seriously. I’ve met people who take care of patients and are concerningly dumb. I had a travel nurse yell at me for being concerned about a patient’s temperature because he didn’t “feel that cold”. He was hypothermic.
Zealousideal-Low455:
When I was working as a bedside nurse i was shocked and appalled at how many nurses would refuse to escalate a clearly deteriorating situation until it was life threatening. these people were teaching new nurses too.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 4 months ago
This is across the board for healthcare in the USA. We don't do anything here until it's time for urgent care or the actual ER because our healthcare is an absolute nightmare. This is women who are dying because they are experiencing a miscarriage and the doctors and nurses are afraid to abort the fetus until it actually dies. It's getting really bad here.
#12
Nobody at the vet is “in it for the money.” The veterinarian is likely the only person in the building making a livable wage. Be kind.
Mel in Georgia 4 months ago
And there is an incredibly high rate of su icide among veterinarians. It's not an easy job for many reasons. Yes, be kind.
#13
I work in prison and see a lot of people sentenced for causing a death or serious injury while driving drunk who otherwise don’t have a remarkable criminal background. You think of prison and you think d***s, violent crimes, etc. but this is one of those crimes that can take you from being an average Joe to a felon in an instant. So, not a secret but don’t drink and drive. Or text and drive!
Sarah 4 months ago
I watch Christina Randall on YouTube. She says exact same thing. Normal person like you or me.. one day we are distracted momentarily, nurse gives wrong injection/ someone else check a text whilst driving etc.. resulting in fatalities and the ‘normal person’ jailed for years and years. It can happen to any of us
#14
A little air bubble in your IV is completely harmless.
JulietAlfa:
My late hubby had cancer for three and a half years. I remember we’d watch a little air bubble go through the line and he would go “oh noooooo” and then pretend it killed him dramatically. He also once wore a dog cone on his neck to treatment. His nurses loved him. Many came to his memorial including the director of radiation oncology at Rush, they were pals.
#15
A lot of us truckers suffer from soul crushing depression from loneliness and speaking as an owner of my own truck, a lot of us are always one break down from loosing everything 💔
PeepPeep the duck 4 months ago (edited)
Well now I don’t feel so weird about travelling and the amount of random truckies I’ve dined with cos they were alone 😂 honestly thought I was being a little too weird
#16
We all talk about what s****y parents you are (if you are) and how much your kids suck because you are raising them to be mirror image a******s.
Working-Tomato8395:
However much we hated the classroom brat, we hated the parents 10x more.
#17
S*x and relationship therapist here - The thing we cannot say, but want to with maybe 50% of couples, is JUST GO GET A DIVORCE ALREADY!
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 4 months ago
One of my old Anthropology professors said that "The USA practices serial polyamory" and it's stuck with me ever since. One partner at a time but many partners over a lifetime. Made sense to me and that's what I do. That's what most people do as far as I can tell.
#18
You need two coats of paint. The advertisements are lies.
platinumarks:
Or if you're a low-cost landlord, twenty coats.
Panda McPandaface 4 months ago (edited)
Even with decent paint, 3 coats is better. Also, what is the guy in the photo standing on?
#19
Healthcare worker in a hospital setting here (resident physician).
If you go to the emergency department or are hospitalized, call and ask for an itemized bill. It’ll make your actual cost lower since there are otherwise a lot of bs fees. You can also ask to speak to a financial advocate. Your can negotiate for a lower price or see what financial assistance programs or payment plans you can use. Many hospitals also have hardship waivers, waivers for a few days of short-term rehab, or supply for short-term medications. They also have charity care programs and can offer sliding scale discounts.
Regardless of if you have insurance, you can ask about these options. I always share these with patients since I hate the upcharge with a burning passion.
#20
Licensed Massage Therapist. We are genuinely not judging any person's body. After the first few massages in our career, we literally only see your body as groups of muscles. I hear so often about people not going for massage because of the way they feel about their body...I wish this massage "secret " would be shared far and wide.
North-Version4944:
And we don’t care if you didn’t shave lol I had so many women apologize for not shaving their legs.
elisun0:
This is so true! I've been a licensed massage therapist for a couple decades and I've worked on people who easily weigh 300+ pounds. In addition to that I can say that the same body I might think is the hottest person I've ever seen, in public, is really just another body once it's on the table.
Also, I don't care about shaved legs, gray roots, cellulite, or any other body part you think is too much or not enough. Ditto for that weird, hairy mole you try to keep out of sight.
I just want to know I'm doing the job you hired me for whether that's relaxing the world away or helping you with painful muscles. When you're on the table I couldn't care less what you look like.
Mel in Georgia 4 months ago
Same for any kind of health provider. They've seen it all and don't care!
#21
The amount of waste that is created in order to fill stores like Walmart and Target with stupid novelty products should make you second guess your buying habits.
AussieMazza:
A friend once said that when buying a product, you should think about its end of life first (e.g. will you donate it, sell it, dispose of it etc)
I now think this way about stuff I buy and try to only buy what I'll need or will definitely use (and also think about buying things that can be passed on to others when I'm done with them).
If more people thought this way and acted accordingly, the world would be a better place.
My wife and I will generally refer to those novelty or trinket stores as 'landfill shops'.
#22
Working in behavioral health taught me that if someone grabs and starts choking your neck all you have to do is grab their thumbs and twist them back. The person will release and you can basically control them just with the thumbs. If someone or something bites you then you "feed the bite". Push the limb they are biting farther into their mouth will hit the gag reflex and they will stop biting.
#23
Not from my current job, but when I was an economist working for the department of housing and having meetings with treasury etc.
It was an open secret that ending homelessness (or, at the very least, all but doing so) was cheaper than not. However, it was deemed political s*****e and not dealt with.
The 2 biggest reasons are, it would take a larger upfront investment (but not as much as you'd think, i'd be recouped rapidly) and governments are notoriously short term thinking as they care about the next election not down the road. So something which gets the biggest results in 4+ years is a no go.
Plus there is a not insignificant, but very influential number of voters who will instantly be turned off by it. Giving people something for free is often seen as a negative by many (I didn't get it that easy, I worked for my life, low lives leeching on us hard workers, etc) even if it actually benefits them too. Reduced homelessness has a significant ROI for governments and needing to spend less later which means everything is better all around, which benefits everyone.
Mel in Georgia 4 months ago
I don't care who you are, everybody will take a handout if offered. Those that need support should get it if it will raise them out of poverty. If that means I pay higher taxes, I am fine with that! I want everyone to thrive!
#24
Major financial institutions are held up by a very old version of excel.
krdleo96:
THIS! I converted an internship to full time role at my first job because I learnt how to automate a lot of basic excel work using VBA and Python. 6 years since I left that job and they still use the programs I put in place though they now have a couple of engineers to develop it more. Still in the industry and every new place I go to work, this is the quickest way to make myself valuable to the organization.
#25
Pilot here.
We're not flying the airplane unless we know it's safe. Not ever. Ever.
We're not interested in dying either.
_austinm:
Aircraft maintenance technician here. All planes have to be maintained under a rigorous schedule. I’m talking specific inspections every 6 months/100 flight hours, more at 12 months/200 hours, and so on. Plus heavy checks (usually labeled by letter– A check, for example). Each one of these checks has a fairly long list of inspections that have to be done. And this isn’t even taking into account the walkaround inspection the pilots have to do before takeoff.
Basically, you have nothing to worry about when you board a plane. Due to the vast amount of government regulation, air travel is as safe as it can possibly be.
#26
You know how in movies, people take out an old, rare book and immediately are wearing gloves to handle it?
You don't actually need gloves to handle old books in rare/special collections. Having freshly washed, dried hands is best practice. Why? Because when you wear gloves, it's more likely you may accidentally rip a page because you can't feel them as well as you can with bare hands!
The ONLY time we wear gloves is when handling artifacts, mouldy items, poison books (arsenical usually--check out the Winterthur Poison Book Project!), and photographs! And they are NOT the cotton white gloves you see in media. Just a pair of nitrile gloves that fit well!
Also, your old bible is not as rare as you think it is, nor worth as much as you think it is. Same for your book collection. You'd be surprised how many people think the bible they have is super rare when it's really not! The Bible is like THE most printed book! WE HAVE HUNDREDS OF BIBLES IN OUR COLLECTIONS. STOP GIVING US BIBLES 😭.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 4 months ago
But the Donald Trump bible cost me and my sister cousin $50 whole dollars! Yeah I went there. Can't wait to see who downvotes me first.
#27
Antibiotic resistance is a lot worse than most people know and could eventually result in an extinction-level event.
bElLa sTairZz 4 months ago (edited)
were banking on there being a lot more completely new ones to discover, when every one could realistically be our last
#28
Rinsing your produce with just water knocks down 99% of the bacteria on it. It's the best thing you can do to prevent food borne illness.
Dane-ish1:
Don’t rinse raw chicken though, it just spreads the salmonella every where.
whydatyou:
Learned this when I was working in restauraunts. the chef was adamant about the prep cooks washing the produce. when I asked why he replied; "you know on those vidoes of people working the fields and picking vegetables? well I never see a porta potty close by."
been washing vegetables ever since.
Mel in Georgia 4 months ago
I only use natural products in my vegetable garden. But do I rinse my produce every time? Absolutely! There's bug cr ap and oils and splashes from the manure I plant my vegetables in. Who wouldn't wash their veggies?
#29
As a hospital nurse, I've been asked more than once by doctors, "Ok....uh.... what do the other doctors usually do for that?"
Doctors who are willing to ask are the good ones. If you have a doctor that never admits they don't know something, we know they're one to stay away from.
#30
I work for the department of labor in our state. Yeah, there's quite a few corrupt employers who will not pay their workers, close up shop, then reopen under a different name, or fraudulently put all their assets under someone else's name.
NotBradPitt90:
My old boss did this. Before running the restaurant I worked at he was a plasterer and he has over 10 plastering businesses under his name cause he would get payments up front and then just disappear, change business names and do it again.
Me and a bunch of people took his to court for loss of wages at the restaurant and he got forced to pay $300,00 in damages for both workers and suppliers who were owed money. Sadly I never got my $2k back and last I saw he was back plastering. Somehow not in jail.
#31
It’s incredibly dangerous to cut in front of a tractor trailer. We try to keep at least a 2.5 second follow distance because we aren’t able to stop if anything happens suddenly on the road. My gross vehicle combination weight is usually at or around 100,000 lbs. It takes more than a football field length to stop.
Lew k 4 months ago
I dont drive a tractor trailer but a 20,000 pound utility truck. Daily people race to cut me off to immediately slam on the breaks to make a turn. If I'm not paying attention or can't stop you will die. My truck will crush your civic like a beer can and I can't do anything about it. If your driving habits force those around you to slam on their breaks, please change your habits. No one needs your death on their conscience.
#32
The nurses are recommending what docs need to order and often times are the ones catching big mistakes in orders.
#33
Most modern homes (er, residential construction, inc apts) are built with the cheapest ingredients and I'm not sure they'll last more than 30 years without requiring a substantial level of exterior refurbishing.
Forrest Hobbs 4 months ago
I think this comment must apply to the USA - here in the UK, most modern homes are made out of bricks. Quality in recent years has often been sloppy, but you've got to do a really, really bad job for a brick built house not to last more than 30 years.
#34
DOCUMENT EVERYTHING.
Don't rely on verbal recounting when you go to management at work. Document it, print it, and bring it with you. Just saying that you have documented something, especially when it's multiple things that all point to an issue, management is going to be a lot more cooperative. Sometimes because it shows initiative, calm consideration, and intelligence, but more often because you have the start of a legal case if things go poorly.
#35
Librarian here - if you come in to talk to us about book damage or call to give us a head’s up that it’s being returned damage, we will be a lot more amenable to working with you about forgiving damage fines than if you return it and hope we don’t notice.
BookFanatic 4 months ago
This reminds me of my very favorite "destroyed book" experience. A little girl clutching a shredded picture book came up to the check-out desk with her mom. Mom explained they were still working on the concept of "borrowing" books and the little girl had thought Mommy had bought it for her to keep. Since it was hers, she'd torn out all the pictures she didn't like! Mom made her kick in a couple of dollars from her allowance to help pay for it.
#36
When there’s a fire the only sprinkler that goes off is where the actual fire is. They don’t all go off like in the movies.
ryguymcsly:
And the water in them is usually so gross you’d wish for the fire.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 4 months ago
Depends on the setup. Sprinklers in most places have a wax plug that releases the water when it melts. Some more flammable places use a system where the release of one valve triggers a change in water pressure that triggers a pump to kick on that is strong enough to blow out all the valves and shower water everywhere. These are really only used in industrial facilities like sawmills and woodworking facilities. So hero dude triggering it with a lighter in a movie, is still total BS.
#37
Most people that work in government agencies are not evil guys in suits discussing how to screw you over in a dark room. They are regular people that happen to be really passionate about a specific field and could be making way more money in the private sector if they wanted to.
I wasn't surprised at all at how many government employees rejected Elon Musk's offer to pay them out because they aren't in this for the money lol.
#38
High school students are really, REALLY, behind on reading… it’s frightening.
No_Mirror_3867:
I’m a high school teacher in Australia. I really, really fear for our future. Kids’ attention spans are shot, they don’t read anything that takes more than one minute and when they are given an activity to complete, they just stare at you until you model the answer on the board. We are seriously in trouble.
bElLa sTairZz 4 months ago
as someone in highschool currently its terrifying. actually HAVING to read anything is so rare, from a mix of kids not wanting to and not being able to. But I cant say most adults are reading any more than us
#39
On a good note, the secret I’d like people to know is that anesthesia as a field is incredibly safe. We get super sick patients through surgery everyday. Young, healthy people you’d almost have to try to make something go wrong to have a bad outcome. The d***s and safety monitors are so much better than 20 years ago. We are really good at putting people to sleep and waking them up. You are safer in the OR than you are on the road driving to the OR, statistically.
Michael Largey 4 months ago
I went through back surgery where the anesthesiologist nearly cost me the sight in one eye because she was not paying attention to me. (It was being compressed from pressing into the sugery table.) And then she tried to tell me it was my fault. Lady, I was unconscious at the time. You made me that way, and it was your job to protect me from the effects of that. Fortunately therecovery nurse was a former student of mine and took the steps necessary. The head surgeon was not pleased at the subsequent meeting with him.
#40
Personal trainer turned doctor of physical therapy: exercise makes you healthier not skinnier.
Mel in Georgia 4 months ago
There are so many benefits to exercise ... the goal is not to look ripped - it's to strengthen your core to prevent falls, strengthen your bones, improve your mental health, and increase your stamina among other things. Get moving!
#41
Your sinks and toilets are not garbage cans. For the love of all things holy, stop flushing wipes!
Beth Wheeler 4 months ago
Or an idiot like my mother who would clean out her fridge and flush it. She always cut melons into big pieces. Me and my husband kept telling her to stop because she was going to have a problem. She didn't listen and it cost her over $2000 over 20 years ago.
#42
I worked for a large bank. My teams job was to figure out how many additional fees we could add before losing customers. Losing some customers was fine as long as we made it up in revenue.
#43
Therapist, here. Clients are only (supposed to be) hospitalized when they pose a clear and present danger to themselves or others.
1. If you're scared to tell a professional how badly you're hurting, start every sentence with, "I'm not going to hurt myself, but..." It'll ease their nerves and help them focus on how to help you hang on.
2. If you're going to hurt yourself, say so. A short stay in the hospital beats eternity in the grave.
S P 4 months ago (edited)
When I did differential diagnosis I used to start each assessment with "I have reviewed your chart and I'll be asking you a lot of questions. Some of them you may have answered before, but I need to make sure they wrote the answer down correctly, and if anything had changed since the last time you answered these questions. I will be asking you about self harm and aggression. I have no interest in having you hospitalized if you don't need it, but those thoughts are a symptom and I need to know about them. In the future, so will your counselor and doctor so that we can tell if you're improving with treatment. I will let you know if I'm concerned by anything you share. " Clear is kind.
#44
The federal government is generally made up of people who want to work and serve the public. There’s no more waste here than in any other job I’ve ever been in.
#45
Anonymous employee surveys aren't really anonymous. I spent almost 50 years in market research - if we really want to know who did that survey badly enough, we can figure it out.
#46
The US' education system is far more f****d up than you could ever fear.
Every single metric used to measure success is beyond biased: Many students get literally-twenty tries to pass basic tests, so as to keep graduation rates looking strong. The 'standardized' tests your state employs have backup tests, and backup-backup-backup-backup tests ready to go, just for emergencies.
The problem is that those emergencies equate to about a third of the entire student population. But you would never know that because all of the results are lumped together so that there's always lovely pass-rates.
Since COVID first broke out, I have personally witnessed dozens of students graduate while not being able to spell their own names or tie their own shoes; and I work in one of the most prestigious counties in the country. Whoever teaches in the lowest counties deserves infinite money and praise.
Most of these issues are perpetrated by parents who refuse to accept their children's failures, many others by governmental entities who want to look good and lower standards to do so, and the rest by students who cheat 24-7 and get away with it because teachers have no supported ways of detecting/reporting such things, even though the cheating is insanely obvious (For as to why, see the previous reasons).
Even, right now, Reddit's spell-check is trying to tell me that, "children's" is incorrect. We're so f****d.
Michael Largey 4 months ago
Modern government tests sometimes can be more about politics than education. The first year my state gave a state-wide public school test, the results were rather good. The state secretary of education, who wanted to ride his position into the governor's mansion, arbitrarily changed the test the next year so more students would fail and he's have a crisis to campaign on. Politics aside, these tests are often made by people who have no clue about the course material. I was asked to preview a proposed state standardized test on Precalculus written by a university professor unconnected to the public schools. Thirty percent of the questions were on subjects not in the state Precalulus curriculum or in any of the required state textbooks. But guess who would get the blame if the test had been given in that form and caused a huge number of "failures"?
#47
Your air conditioner rarely needs a full replacement. A lot of private equity has gobbled up many small and locally owned HVAC companies and push full replacements because there’s more profit on a $10,000 install compared to $500 to replace a fan motor or capacitor.
Susie Elle 4 months ago (edited)
My AC manufacturer said: just take out the filter and give it a rinse, as long as you don't smell mould it's fine, lmao. EDIT: oh and the fan unit thing needs to be cleaned from leaves and stuff,
#48
When we tell you we don’t have any more of an item in the back, it’s because we really don’t have more in the back. Sometimes we don’t even have a back at all.
#49
Donating money to a library >>>>>>> donating books to a library.
Michael Largey 4 months ago
I give books to the library because I don't have money to give to the library because I spent my money buying books.
#50
As an Architect, now retired: 50% of married couples who take on a major, like down to the studs, house remodel end up in divorce.
#51
Worked IT outsourcing for 2 decades. If you knew the outdated programming, lax report security and general disdain for tech that the biggest financial institutions have for their data production, you'd stick your money in mattresses.
#52
If you have a feeling of impending doom, come to the ED. It could save your life.
TribalMog:
Literally happened to my husband. He had refused for days to let me take him to the hospital for pain/illness. He woke me up one night at like 2 am to tell me he loved me because he just knew he was dying. I told him to shut up and put on pants. Several hours and 1 emergency surgery that bumped everyone else on the schedule later and now I get to make the call of when he has to see a doctor lol.
#53
As a casino dealer: We are standing at the same table you are sitting at, we can absolutely hear you talking about all those sensitive/incriminating topics.
As a nurse: We already know your medical history you don't need to lie about addictions or embarrassing health issues, we aren't going to judge you over details we need to do our job properly.
Michael Largey 4 months ago
The nurse quoted is not always right. We once brought my mother-in-law into a hospital she had never been to before. But a family member with the same first and last name had been treated there several times - and was now diseased. We stressed at the admitting desk that my mil was not the person in their records but an entirely new patient. They said they would make sure they got it right. When she got to see a doctor, he examined her and at one point said "You look pretty good for being 91!" My mil was 73 at the time. The admitting staff, despite what we had told them, had given the doctor the medical records of the dead relative.
#54
Your child's daycare teachers really do clean them throughout the day, they are just dirt magnets.
#55
Former fast food manager. Believe it or not, nobody is intentionally trying to screw up your order. We are generally making thousands of orders a day, with constant pressure to be faster. Every once in a while, things go wrong or we miss something.
We’re happy to fix it if you bring it back, and even more so if you aren’t a complete a-hole about it.
Ahnjunwan 4 months ago
I dear, that reminds me of a experience i had in germany. Ordered a big burger with bacon and extra cheese and took it to the table to eat it. I eat a little bit, no bacon. Usually i would just eat it anyway and would not care but this day I WANTED BACON!!! Went back to the counter, waited until no other customer was there anymore and said there is sadly no bacon on my burger. The man at the counter told me he will bring me a new one. Next thing that happened was the manager coming to my table, literally dropping the burger in front of me and taking the old burger apart at my table to prove there is actually a tiny bit of bacon on my burger 😰 That was so embarrasing, i am still not sure if i am a horrible customer or he is a horrible manager 🫣
#56
IT just googles s**t all day long. The secret is that we're much better at Googling than most.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 4 months ago (edited)
I did IT before Google. I'm not going back and you can't make me!
#57
Painter here
Residential and commercial painting bids are almost always inflated. Never pay to hear a bid, they should always be free and make sure to get multiple from different places.
Unless you are requesting a unique service or an art mural, the material and labor costs are easily calculated per square feet of specific surfaces. Ask for an itemized bid if you feel the contractor is being shady, any that give you push back for an itemized bid aren't willing to put good effort into the project.
Don't accept "we don't do that" when asking for itemized bids, it's a cop out for poorly managed businesses.
- industrial and commercial coatings specialist
#58
Water operator. Everyone should be aware of the dangers of forever chemicals in the water. Also some bacteria are becoming more and more immune to antibiotics.
#59
An Emergency Room doctor told me: “when the elevator doors are closing, let them close.”
edit: a number of people have pointed out that this is a great metaphor as well. Take it however you want. However, at the time the guy told me, he was telling me literally.
Beth Wheeler 4 months ago
If you're in the hallway of a hospital and you hear a CODE BLUE get against the wall because the code team will literally be running to the code. I've told that to people several times.
#60
I work at a vet clinic, and i got a few:
yes your dog or cat needs the rabies vaccine. rabies is transmissible to humans, and it's deadly.
yes your pet can have fleas, even if they never go outside, or if your yard is fenced in, or if you live in a gated community. fleas have no concept of property lines.
your local veterinarian is not always the best place to take the turtle you found on the side of the road. many vet clinics don't see wildlife, and many don't see reptiles at all.
#61
Maybe not so much of a secret, but I work retail. My section alone generates like 5 peoples worth of garbage for every restock. Which is pretty often.
So every time you're trying to find a plastic free alternative at a store, remember that there's probably someone in that store right now throwing out 40x more trash. Lol.
That being said, always strive to reduce your garbage load.
#62
I don't know if it's really a secret, but when an animal shelter lists a dog as a certain breed + mix we are 100% guessing. We aren't even sure the breed we listed is accurate.
A lot of doggy DNA doesn't show physically and most breeds share their various physical features with other breeds, so it's actually incredibly difficult to identify without a DNA test. And those are far too expensive and impractical for a dog shelter.
But if it looks like a husky and barks like a husky, it's probably a husky!
I only mention it because I do see a fair number of posts of people being surprised their rescue isn't the breed that was listed.
Mel in Georgia 4 months ago
Our rescue kinda looked like a Burmese Mountain dog. Did a DNA test. Pit and Shar Pei, dalmatian, cocker spaniel and something else. Total mutt, but we love his goofy self.
#63
Maybe not a big secret but after 30+ years as a therapist and clinical supervisor, almost everyone (excluding children) are their own worst enemy.
Whatever struggle, issue or problem you have, the solution starts with you doing something differently. But far too many people prefer to either blame others or are unwilling to change or both. Kids and adolescents are often more amenable to change and to take responsibility for themselves than many adults.
Second, that despite this, therapy has the same outcomes as most chronic physical health problems, typically between 40-60% positive outcomes for patients. And the reasons for unsuccessful outcomes are also the same, unwillingness to make changes, especially lifestyle changes that lead to healthier outcomes. Doctor prescribes a medicine, it will only work if you take it. You and therapist develop a plan for change, it will only work if you try it, give it some time and make adjustments when needed.
Cheryl May 4 months ago
Also a therapist and supervisor; can confirm. My team has a saying about the clients/families we are working with: "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't waterboard the horse."
#64
Software developers actually need time to write code, keeping us locked in useless scrum ceremonies and endless meetings doesn't get your work done.
EDIT: Just a fun fact, I calculated the past 5 months of meetings, our dev team had an average of 29 hours of meetings *per week*. No that’s not a typo. No management is not receptive to any kind of streamlining. Yes I’m looking for a new job.
#65
Landscape designer- all plants require maintenance, sorry.
#66
Tugboat captain pushing barges on the rivers.
Every one of those tugboats is being steered by a very bored pilot who is looking at their phone 95% of the time. Maybe even doomscrolling Reddit. They glance up every 20 seconds or so, then right back to their phone.
If you're a recreational boater out there, stay out of the way. Do not assume they see you because they do not. They're on their phone.
I'm shocked more weekend warriors don't get run over.
Kim Kermes 4 months ago
Doesn't matter how often the captain. ook, it takes forever for a change of direction, please tell us how long. Also, they have right of way in the deep channel, and can't leave it.
#67
Everything you do online is traceable and fed into advertising platforms. Speaking for myself, I'm aware how much of my anxiety comes from the targeted content, organic by the algorithms but more insidiously paid content by advertisers. People selling you bs over email or phone, know more about your online activity that you think of. ABM platforms, if the user is careless enough online, show me company, user name, job title and when they visited my client's websites, which products they saw, clicked..., sometimes contact info, IP etc.
#68
Theatre tickets are very expensive (because making theatre is very expensive) BUT if you have a local professional theatre whose shows you’re interested in, there’s likely many opportunities to get free or discounted tickets.
• Volunteer ushers usually get to see shows for free.
• Look for “Pay What You Can” nights — sometimes it will be a certain night or they might open up tickets to PWYC at a certain hour before the show to fill seats.
• Theatres post discount codes on their social media pages.
• They’ll do speciality discount nights like previews, college night, etc.
• If you’re a local library card holder, they might have passes you can check out to see shows for free.
There’s a handful of people working at theatres focused on getting the bills paid so they do focus on ticket sales and donors. We love them and value them. But as a collective everyone working at a theatre wants full houses and for as many people to see a show as would like to see the show. Finding out a show you worked hard on is getting full houses is like h****n for people who know how to play zip-zap-zop.
Missy Moo Moo 4 months ago
University with acting degrees have very cheap theatre, and some of it is AMAZING
#69
The name brand eyewear like Gucci, Versace, and Coach are some of the worst quality. I would never ever recommend them to anyone. Total waste of money. You’re paying for the logo. That is it.
Also, sometimes if your glasses come back too quickly, we will hold onto them for a few days longer so you think the lab took their time making them. Too quick of a turnaround makes it feel rushed. Rarely seen as a good thing.
Twidder Sux 4 months ago
Those glasses made by Gucci, Versace, and Coach are also owned by a monopoly in Italy. Those SOBs are the reason why the cost of prescription eyeglasses are so price gouge-y.
#70
Restarting your computer or updating your system solves half of all problems, the next 25% is pure user incompetence that you create yourself, then 10% hardware failure, and the rest is a bug in the program.
bElLa sTairZz 4 months ago
25% being incompetence also means that you can usually go to IT if you need to get out of something. real easy to click the wrong link a few times and just have no idea why it wont work!
#71
I can't speak for all Hotels/Motels.
We at the property will not freely cancel a reservation if the date of the reservation is within 72 hours of when you're trying to cancel(like trying to cancel a Saturday reservation on Thursday).
However! We will move the date of a reservation (as long as it was made directly with us, not through a third party like Booking.com) for free. This is entirely an oversight on our part. I assume most Hotels have their s**t together enough to fix this loophole.
So just move the reservation out to next week. Ok, now it's more than 72 hours away? Cancel for free. Give it a shot.
#72
A lot of times in retail, particularly popular “beauty” brands, when they do a big sale on “bestselling” favorites or have a brand artist claiming fav products…these are actually products they are having trouble selling. Not all and not always…but very often.
#73
Always ask for a discount when you shop at a pawnshop, at least 20%, they should be able to do that. Also, check dates, when an item has been there for over 6 months they want to sell it.
Jill Jones 4 months ago
The best time to shop at a p**n shop is the week between Christmas and New Year's Eve. They have to pay taxes on everything in stock as of January 1st. So they want to get rid of as much as possible.
#74
Go to freaking class. Even if you don’t pay attention you will accidentally learn. Don’t skip, it doesn’t work.
Geoffrey Scott 4 months ago
I am one of the last who was able to drop out and 'succeed' Went into the service without a diploma, got a GED after I got out. Classwork was SO much easier at that age. I am still convinced if you can read and comprehend, that is 75% of success.
#75
Our field is being taken over by private equity, we work with kids with special needs. you'll get overworked analyst, overworked therapist with poor training and supervision, and your kids will suffer for it. some things shouldn't be ran for profit.
also there is some fraud in terms of users, there are agencies that train people to play up their kids' symptoms and use us as baby sitters. This needs to be addressed as well but it won't b/c there is PROFIT to be made on both sides.
#76
We do NOT “psycho-analyze” random people that we meet in social settings, or acquaintances, or even close friends.
Our parents & sibs? Yes, yes, we very much do diagnose them in our heads.
Cheryl May 4 months ago
Speak for yourself...I became a therapist cuz psychoanalyzing random strangers, close friends, and extended family members is fun! xD
#77
It’s remarkably easy to become a “bestselling” author. It’s a simple trick of gaming the market.
1. There are multiple lists that authors aim for, the two big ones being USA Today and New York Times. USA Today is easier to get onto because it counts ebook sales, whereas NYT does not. Publishers often offer various exclusive benefits to preorders to drive week-one sales, which is crucial for list placement. Think exclusive content, swag, etc.
2. Publishers sometimes bulk-buy thousands of copies of a book, which they then report to the lists as bona fide sales. These books are then trashed.
3. Publishers will partner with various organizations (corporate, educational) to bulk buy books, which appear as authentic sales to the lists.
4. Publishers will pay bookstores to showcase the book, often under guise as a "staff pick." Those "staff favorites" at Barnes & Noble? Probably paid for.
5. Publishers will create multiple versions of the same book to game the Amazon lists.
6. Authors (like pastor/human piece of s**t Mark Driscoll) have been known to use shady marketing firms to literally lie their way onto the bestseller lists.
7. Publishers use manipulative category choice to place their books in categories that don't offer much competition, meaning it's easier to become #1.
murmelinpaiva 4 months ago
Why are ebooks so expensive? The seller has no printing or shipping costs.
#78
You know how every movie about a profession gets that profession hilariously wrong.
Well I used to be a journalist, and most movies about journalism, is pretty accurate.
I think it’s because whoever wrote the script probably wasn’t a firefighter, or bomb defuser, but they probably were a journalist.
murmelinpaiva 4 months ago
All the President's Men. In those days, editors cared about truth in journalism.
#79
Restaurant Worker ,if you’re rude to the waitstaff, don’t be surprised if your food takes longer. We’re not spitting in it, but no one’s in a rush.
#80
Most grocery stores will get the same products from the same distributor as other grocery stores.
Mel in Georgia 4 months ago
I know some people hate Walmart and for some very good reasons. But OMG they are so much cheaper than other grocery chains. My frugal sensibilities will not let me shop elsewhere for basics.
#81
Hospitality workers usually don’t care as much as you care, but if you’re kind to them they can work magic for you.
Trisec Tebeakesse 4 months ago
Hospitality worker here - can confirm. We take care of people that are nice to us. If you're an a*s, well...I'm sorry, there's just no way for me to do that.
#82
If you pay your kitchen staff enough to care enough about properly cleaning and maintaining the equipment in your restaurant, it’ll last a WHOLE LOT LONGER.
#83
You know all those corporate emails and Teams/Slack messages you think no one else can see...... sorry, we see them all. Same story with your browsing history.
#84
You don’t have to top off your refrigerant(Freon) in your air conditioner every year. If someone is telling you that ask where it’s leaking at.
Don’t trust a plumber who bites their nails.
#85
Hospice- we don’t k**l or assist or do anything to hasten DEATH.
Majority of home hospice pts IMPROVE if over 3 weeks care.
Hospice doesn’t make much money, more of a community service.
Hospice is there to teach all present how best to care for your person. No, is ALWAYS an answer. But GUILT lasts forever.
#86
Generic and name brand medications are NOT the same. They only contain the same active ingredient. Some companies care a lot about the quality of their generic, others don’t get consistent results and do not care.
Mel in Georgia 4 months ago
My insurance company would not cover the cost of a name-brand medication that worked well for me. I tried the generic, and it had terrible side effects. I asked my doctor who pushed to get coverage for my original medication because, he said, the generic had differences that made it not work as well. He was denied. I hate US healthcare.
#87
Cemetery manager. If your cemetery requires you to buy a vault, buy the cheapest one—they ALL get waterlogged; none are waterproof no matter what they’re lined with or coated/“sealed” with. Don’t fall for that s**t.
#88
In those cremated remains glass sculptures, and cremation diamonds, almost all of the remains have been burned away so its really just the glass.
-funeral home worker.
Annabelle 4 months ago
For me, it's the 'almost' that matters. If any part of my loved one is there, it's them and they're with me. And, really, as long as no sadistic pr!ck tells me that they are 0% there, I'm going to think at least some of them is there, so leave me and the assumed presence of my loved one be.
#89
Dental professional here - we can’t always tell if you floss or not.
In most cases it’s very evident when someone has great oral hygiene and flosses. But some people can get away with skipping the floss, likely related to having good genetics!
#90
Most people that work at a library are library associates. A librarian requires a masters in library science. Also, no….library workers don’t even get close to reading all day, if at all.
BookFanatic 4 months ago
But at least it's a very calm and quiet place where nothing ever happens, right? RIGHT? (says a librarian)
#91
Hairstylist here. If you always end up with a "crooked" haircut no matter how many different salons you go to, you probably just have a crooked head. Never in the history of the human race has there ever been a perfectly symmetrical face; everyone has one ear or eye that's slightly larger/smaller, higher/lower, bigger/smaller, etc.
The difference is that great stylists know how to create the illusion of symmetry.
Serena Myers 4 months ago
Thanks, I'll just continue to cut my hair every few months with scissors. You do you, as always.
#92
Worked a few professions in my life.
- Restaurants cut corners wherever possible. Margins are thin and most places will use things right up to and maybe beyond the point of expiration.
- Any accountant will tell you that every company, no matter what it is, wastes gobs of money of random things while also penny pinching in equally random ways.
- Company leadership often hide their shenanigans deep in the back of corporate books. So deep that even if there is strong suspicion that something off, most will be driven mad before finding anything specific.
- People joke (or are legit paranoid) about the government knowing everything about them. I can assure them that not only is this true, but companies know WAY more and profit off it. The only comfort I can give is that you (and everyone around you) are "average" and there is nothing so special that will make them "come after you.".
Geoffrey Scott 4 months ago
What amuses me is people don't want the 'Gummint' to know their business. Private companies know WAY more and are not constrained by Constitutional law.
#93
I work in clothing at Costco. You know how you grab the shirt from the bottom of the stack because you think it's the cleanest? Sorry, it's not. They move tables around so much that it's very likely the bottom of the stack was the top of the stack yesterday and so on.
#94
Airline Ticket and Gate Agent:
* When we tell you we don’t know why a flight is delayed or cancelled, we REALLY don’t know. You often get updates on your app before we know there’s a delay.
* We think the bag fees are exorbitant, too. We don’t make them, it’s just our job to collect them.
* We want you to get on the plane as much as you want to be on it. It makes a lot of extra work for us to re-book.
Mel in Georgia 4 months ago
There is no advantage to being an a sshole to ticket and gate agents, and it often will work against you. Being super nice and patient can often pay off!
#95
Heavy equipment operators tend to be tired, surly, and addicted to at least a few things, it’s genuinely good practice to just stay way the f**k away from any piece of heavy equipment.
We love it when you’re not around.
#96
Exercise a lot. Eat fruits, vegetables and a handful of nuts each day. Don’t smoke or drink alcohol. And I would be irrelevant. -Cardiologist.
#97
Just admitting your turning in an assignment late because you were at some college party and had a bit too much will generally get you much farther than some tired excuse like your eighth grandma is in the hospital on death’s door this semester. We were one students too.
#98
Threatening violence won't get you released from a psych unit sooner. Our job is to help you NOT hurt yourself or others.
#99
Your kid's teacher cusses a lot and probably was a big partier back in the day.
Michael Largey 4 months ago
Your kid's teacher probably has excellent reason for cussing. And they did their partying back in the day because they knew they couldn't afford it in the future on a teacher's pay.
#100
Christian Clergy here.
Many of us don’t believe what we are preaching. Yet they truly care about the folks they work with.
Also, most of them are broke and struggling just to pay bills and survive.
Mel in Georgia 4 months ago
Have a friend who was a pastor in name only who just needed the job for health insurance. She genuinely cared about her church members and was good at what she did, but hated the farce. Thank goodness she was able to get out of the field. Note- this is different from the charlatan preachers who are in it just for your money. That's a whole 'nother subject.
#101
IT departments generally emphasize getting the product out the door to please the managers, rather than getting it right.
#102
An appraisal of your home is literally and legally someone's opinion. Yeah, there are loose rules that apply but within that framework it can vary widely.
Alex Kennedy 4 months ago (edited)
Wha??? There are very solid processes used to determine market comparables for a residential property, and good appraisers know how to adjust values up and down for the specific value of the home. Even Realtor market estimates are pretty good in a large market. I feel like this person isn’t talking about actual appraisals, but some kind of non-official estimate.
#105
Most big companies that write their own internal software are one bad day away from entire systems going down and their public image shatter, because the code is poorly implemented or the folks who developed it were laid off or left.
#106
Don't mess with the mailman. We know everything about you.
Beth Wheeler 4 months ago
Not a problem here I like Melissa and leave a package of muffins, cookies or candy in my mailbox for Christmas.
#107
If you eat blue bell ice cream, there is a solid chance rainwater seeped into the packaging and it was sent out anyway.
#108
Notaries in most states are not trained, and pretty much wing it.
If your notary screws up causing you to have to have the signature notarized again, and you end up with a financial loss because of it, you can sue the notary for your loss.
Beth Wheeler 4 months ago
I don't know about other states but here in NC you have to go to Notary Public classes and pass a state test and then go to the county you live in to be sworn in.
#109
Vinyl records are far less expensive than you think, but only if you're a record store or retail outlet. Distributors will sell records at nearly cost with a suggested MSRP (suggested retail price) that's 30-40% more.
#110
Military grade means the cheapest products possible that you overpaid for.
Forrest Hobbs 4 months ago (edited)
This one's flat out wrong. Military grade electronics and the like is made with higher spec components than usual (in some cases 100% tested for compliance), in designs that are validated with extremely harsh testing to be able to cope with military conditions - extreme temperature ranges, extreme shock, pressure variation, and (often) enough radiation to kíll a human inside an hour or few. With electronics, there's "consumer grade", "industrial grade", and then the military and aerospace grades - in ascending order of toughness. *Sometimes* the military and industrial grade components are nearly the same, just with different specifications - that is, the industrial kit will be specified to work at higher power and speeds because it doesn't have to cope with such a wide temperature range as the military kit. The military components are also more likely to have been 100% tested and possibly "burnt in" to ensure reliability.
What do you think ?
CP 4 months ago
Like a lot of complaint lists these days, it seems like capitalism is the culprit for a lot of problems. Hurting people just to increase profits isn't good for society.
At Least I'm Not You 4 months ago
But hurting people for the good of society is, got it. Please, just go and live in China for a few years. Seriously, until you do, you have no idea how much worse it is for so many more people. This isn't a "If you don't like it, then leave" comment, but a true request to engulf yourself in a non-capitalist, non-democratic (socialism is such by design) society for three to five years -- if you can (think about why you never hear stories about people from West Berlin ju!mpng to Wall to escape into East Berlin). It's less than poverty, it's less than being alive, it's less than even existing. You're often not even there -- you're nothing, because nothing is all you can muster. You only exist at the discretion of the state, which is likely how you'll d!e. Unless you're already in the elite class now, you're not going to be in the elite class if socialism ever happens; which is the irony: there's only so much leadership to go around, so its best for those that have it keep it.
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CP 4 months ago
Like a lot of complaint lists these days, it seems like capitalism is the culprit for a lot of problems. Hurting people just to increase profits isn't good for society.
At Least I'm Not You 4 months ago
But hurting people for the good of society is, got it. Please, just go and live in China for a few years. Seriously, until you do, you have no idea how much worse it is for so many more people. This isn't a "If you don't like it, then leave" comment, but a true request to engulf yourself in a non-capitalist, non-democratic (socialism is such by design) society for three to five years -- if you can (think about why you never hear stories about people from West Berlin ju!mpng to Wall to escape into East Berlin). It's less than poverty, it's less than being alive, it's less than even existing. You're often not even there -- you're nothing, because nothing is all you can muster. You only exist at the discretion of the state, which is likely how you'll d!e. Unless you're already in the elite class now, you're not going to be in the elite class if socialism ever happens; which is the irony: there's only so much leadership to go around, so its best for those that have it keep it.
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