Almost every job will entail having access to some confidential information. Whether you see details about the company’s financial history or you know about the CEO’s next project long before she publicizes it, you’re probably keeping some secrets.

But if you haven’t signed an NDA or you stopped working in that sector years ago, it might be time to reveal these juicy secrets to the public. Redditors have been spilling the beans about information that is often kept under wraps in various industries, so we’ve gathered their most fascinating replies down below. From tips that might help you save money to information that may inspire you to boycott certain companies, enjoy scrolling through these insider secrets. And be sure to upvote the ones that you’d like everyone to know!

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#1

The government is not intelligent enough nor quick or clever enough to pull off any of the vast conspiracies attributed to it. Get real folks. I am surprised some times it functions half as well as it does.

© Photo: The_Urban_Core

#2

I’m an aircraft mechanic. Seriously people, getting mad because of a short delay due to mechanical failure or because we have to run an additional system test is dumb. Shouting or swearing at us if we are on the plane and working on something doesn’t help either. These are complicated electrical systems in a device that throws you thru the air. Wouldn’t you wait 15 minutes to know that everything is okay?

© Photo: Foximus05

#3

To me this is common sense, but to some people I guess not.. I work in retail and the nicer you are to me the nicer I will be to you. Aka if you’re super nice, funny, etc. I will go out of my way to help you out and get what you need. If you’re an a*s towards me I will get rid of you as soon as possible.

© Photo: Attollo

#4

It’s not a ‘secret’ in IT, but the chances are that your obscure computer problem really will be resolved by restarting your computer, and we’re not just saying that to get you off the phone.

It’s due to the unique way that computers work, moving data around memory, running multiple tasks at once often results in unusual behaviour that goes away when the computer is reset, and the volatile memory is wiped.

Telling us that you have rebooted your machine, when actually you haven’t, just wastes your time and ours.

© Photo: PS6610

#5

Don’t be mean to nurses. They chose the size of your IV and foley catheter.

© Photo: nomnomswedishfish

#6

You can fix almost any problem you are having with your computer yourself by looking up the issue on Google, then following the instructions. 9/10 times someone has had the same problem as you before.

© Photo: User

#7

At many hotels/motels/hostels, bed sheets and pillowcases are changed and cleaned daily, but not the comforters and blankets..unless there is a noticeable smell or stain. It would cost too much to have them washed. It’s gross.

Next time you check-in, ask for a new comforter. You’ll get a clean one from the linen room.

source: I used to be a hotel housekeeping supervisor.

© Photo: anon

#8

If you call a political office, chances are the politician will never get your comments (even though the interns answering the phone are required to say that they will).

© Photo: cutecottage

#9

Working in a post production house I’ve learned that around 10% of a films budget is covering up stupid mistakes.

© Photo: anon

#10

If you call 911, it’s okay (and understandable) to panic, but if your default “panicked personality” is that you become a d**k, try and rein it in.

The people on the phone are the middle-men between you and the first responders… The primary concern for first responders is safety when they arrive, and things like “caller threatening operator” “caller will not answer safety questions and just keeps saying ‘hurry the f*** you piece of s**t’” can read like there may be something more than panic going on. Maybe even some mental health issues.

Your standard of care may always be the same when first responders arrive, but your response time will definitely be delayed if, say an ambulance needs to wait for police to attend with them to be safe because you threatened to k**l the 911 operators mom.

Be safe out there!

© Photo: beta_nerd

#11

Hospitals mess up ALL the time. In both small and large ways. The laws and policies are so strict that making an error can cost someone a job or license, so the vast majority will do what it takes to cover it up. Administrations will also work to cover up things as well if they feel they can get away with it to avoid bad publicity.

© Photo: JacobtheRed

#12

I work at a mortgage lender. This isn’t really an industry secret, but certainly a helpful tip. Never take out a loan at the max end of what you qualify for. People think that if a lender tells them they qualify for a certain loan max that means they can afford the loan and this is just not the case. That limit is what you can afford if your expenses don’t increase at all, and assumes you will basically not be saving any money on a monthly basis. Lenders only care if you can pay them back, not if you’ll be able to also save money.

© Photo: anon

#13

Every hotel has a giant box of unclaimed phone chargers and will be more than happy to let you go through it. I’ll never have to buy one again.

© Photo: thebossapplesauce

#14

I work with UPS. If theres a holiday we try to keep your packages in an air conditioned building, but space is limited so we may have to leave your perishables out in the hot sun for a day. It’s best to ship perishables when it’s not a holiday or the weekend.

UPS 3 day select means if there’s room on the plane it goes on the plane. If there isn’t it ships by ground. Usually there’s room on the plane.

2 day and next day air are just about the same thing. They usually all fit on the plane.

write “important” or “please rush” on your packages for faster shipping. We don’t get paid enough to care and we’ll just throw it in with other high priority items no matter what the official label says.

please ship heavy items in a heavy duty box. So many boxes are destroyed because people think they can put steel mining equipment in a paper bag.

© Photo: anon

#15

Some multinational corporations maintain a hiring freeze and don’t give out raises even though they have just had a record setting year of profits.

But then again, everyone already knew that.

© Photo: clickity-click

#16

As a resident assistant at a university – most of us do not give a s**t if you drink and smoke. Just be discrete and don’t make us come looking for you breaking the rules.

© Photo: anon

#17

Never f*** with someone handling your food. Ever.

© Photo: User

#18

80% of profit from those d**g stores. (CVS, Walgreens etc) comes from the pharmacy in the back of the store.

The front is just there to get you inside.

© Photo: pecanpiehipster

#19

Most lifeguards are not the super professional bad a**es I thought they were growing up, rather there a bunch of stoner teenagers who love to party and are actually terrified over some aspects over the job, particularly watching small kids and performing CPR.

Parents, watch your own kids if you want what’s best for them. Better yet, SWIM with your kids and make sure they understand not to f*** with the guy in the big chair.

© Photo: anon

#20

**Servers don’t wash their hands as often as they should**. After the bathroom, yes, but if we touch your dirty plate, it’s going straight to the dish pit and there’s no time to wash hands before grabbing someone else’s food and delivering it to the table. On busy nights, it’s GO GO GO and no stopping. Sorry 🙁

Other things we touch before we touch your clean plate: Money, glasses, silverware, ourselves, our dirty apron, forks that have fallen into the trash accidentally, the computer screen to put in your order (where several other servers have touched only seconds prior).

Source: I’m a server and I’ve worked in restaurants for 8 years.

© Photo: User

#21

The government, DoD in particular, is incredibly wasteful with your money.

© Photo: WatchTheBoom

#22

More retail fun…this time from the Loss Prevention department…

The biggest one that surprises people: At least once a week, someone s***s in the dressing room. It is the most foul thing I can imagine anyone doing, and the only legitimate excuse for such behavior is that you were raised by wolves. Still, it happens. Weekly.

From the LP standpoint, there aren’t really a whole lot of secrets. Most people who shoplift already know that if they are confronted by security, that the best course of action is to bolt…because in nearly every store out there, LPO’s are forbidden from giving chase. Every time I encountered what I considered a “good” shoplifter, they dropped the merchandise and ran like h**l.

The most common thieves are teenagers who [be bad] at it. Also common, and really bizarre, are the old people who will buy an armload of clothing and steal a 2-dollar pair of earrings for no discernible reason.

Professional shoplifters aren’t incredibly common, but catching them is incredibly difficult. They can carry out a thousand dollars worth of merchandise without being spotted, and we can spend a day reviewing tapes without figuring out how they did it. They work in teams, create diversions, know where all of the blind spots are and they know how to target big-ticket items without being caught.

© Photo: anon

#23

I work in a all-scratch dessert bakery. At some point along the production line, its been frozen. Depending what youre making, its absolutely fine and makes no difference. I prefer to frost frozen cupcakes. We keep them frozen for 1-7 days before you buy them which is why they taste so f*****g good. The idea that everything should be baked that day and eaten is false. Bread, yeah. Danish or croissants? Yes, though a second day usually wont hurt. Lemon pound cake? h**l no. Wait til the next day for those flavors to really develop. Same with brownies, cakes, mousses… etc.

No, we dont mix, bake, cool and frost your cake an hour before you come get it. No, you wont be able to tell its a day older bc Im really good at my job. We laugh anytime someone tells us they want to come later in the day so its fresher. Its the same cake I finished yesterday so that if something goes wrong I have time to fix it before its due.

© Photo: kinkybbwinphilly

#24

We don’t have it in the back and you’re wasting both of our time by asking me to go in the back and check. Ask retail employees if another store has it in stock instead.

If it’s not out on display, we probably don’t have it in stock in the back either. Retail stores can’t make money on items that aren’t out for consumers to buy but far too many people think retail workers are hiding items in the back. We aren’t in most cases (an exemption I know of is really big sizes of shoes. those are usually in the back at the store I worked at). A lot of chain retailers have the ability to check each other’s stock electronically so asking them to look at another store is more likely to find whatever you’re looking for.

© Photo: User

#25

Never order an alcoholic drink by name, they will up charge you. Example: order a vodka orange juice ($5) vs a screwdriver ($6.50)
Source: I am a bar manager.

© Photo: Mistermixology1984

#26

2. We love to make you feel unsafe or threatened (especially for your children) because we know that makes you glue your eyes to our newscast.

3. We love to show you scandalous or negative stories about celebrities because we know you are jealous of them. Their mistakes or bad luck makes you feel superior to them.

© Photo: camalittle

#27

Bar lady here, I can promise you if you click in my face to try to get my attention I will not serve you. Be nice and patient and I promise Ill be nice back to you and serve you as quickly as I can. When its busy its a little like being under attack during a zombie outbreak, but instead of wanting brains the masses want jagerbombs.

© Photo: ShuffleandTruffle

#28

Those delicious treats Starbucks has left over in their case at the end of the day? They all get thrown out, despite the fact that they are still good and tasty as h**l despite being like 600 calories. It’s to prevent hoarding of stuff so shady people can just take all of it home after closing. Makes me cry on the inside every time.

© Photo: anon

#29

Subway corporate is even greedier than Walmart and McDonald’s SOMEHOW, oh and if osha actually did proper inspections once in a while and subway didn’t have such expensive lawyers the company would have been tanked already.

© Photo: anon

#30

The cost to manufacture a dental crown is $7.Also it takes only a few hours (2 if I remember right) from start to finish.

© Photo: noah76

#31

“Can I put you on hold for a moment whilst I research this?” means I’m Googling the answer to your question or checking our local knowledgebase.

“It’ll just be a few more moments” means I couldn’t find the answer and I’m now asking coworkers.

“Hmm…. this may be a little while, what’s a good number to call you back on?”. What the f*** did you just do? Now I have to find the one guy who knows this obscure feature you broke and hope he remembers how to fix it. This will take anywhere for a few hours or a few weeks to get you an answer, depending on how obscure it is. Sometimes you have to track down some developer who worked on this thing 10 years ago that nobody but you uses and somehow is mission critical.

About 95% of calls I get I can answer and fix in a single phone call, it’s that 5% that earns me my pay cheque.

© Photo: zerbey

#32

And as a DJ, other DJs will ‘shoulder look’ and then aquire the same tunes as you. I get this all the time. 90% of it is track selection, no one really cares if you can mix or what your transitions sound like. You can press autosync on a controller and play top 40 dubstep or electro and everyone will love you. Skill doesn’t matter any more and that’s sad. Barely anyone even learns scratching or beat juggling or any turntablism any more.

© Photo: ShawnKelevra

#33

My first job after college was at a factory owned by a billionaire that most of you hate.

I learned that accident reports are needlessly complicated so that nobody will ever use them. If you get so much as a paper cut, you can’t just put a band-aid on it and keep going. You are “required” to drop work, fill out a thorough accident report that includes eye-witness accounts, and visit a doctor of the company’s choosing. The company may choose to interpret the accident report against you, which would put your job in jeopardy.

There were dozens of minor accidents every day, but nobody ever filled out an accident report while I was there.

#34

The music business is less about natural talent and more about hard work. In fact it’s about 10% talent and 90% hard work. Some people make it with different proportions but you can really make something of yourself if you put in the hours.

#35

Every other comedian f*****g hates you and will steal all your good material if you don’t spread it around quick enough.

© Photo: User