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There are a lot of things that your workplace wouldn’t want you sharing with the general public. And God forbid that their secrets (aka the cold hard truth) actually end up on social media in plain view of everyone and anyone!

Unless you’re bound by a series of watertight non-disclosure agreements that last years and years, you’re free to spill all the tasty gossipy tea about your former workplace when you leave. And those secrets are some of the juiciest, most fun things to listen to. And useful, too, whether you’re a customer or someone who’s actively seeking a job there.

Fitness coach and TikTok content creator Anna Armagno Toussaint started a trend where former employees shared their company secrets. We’ve collected the very best responses. So grab yourselves some tea, some biscuits (or a healthier snack), and get ready for some behind-the-scenes looks at what happens in major corporations.

Bored Panda got in touch with Anna, and she was kind enough to asnwer our questions about her video, her take on company loyalty, as well as what parts of TikTok she enjoys the most. Scroll down for the full interview, Pandas!

More info: TikTok | Instagram | Facebook

This post may include affiliate links.

#1

The employees of the Lego brand Lego stores, the yellow ones that say Lego on them, are paid based on the success of the company, not based on the success of the store. So if you buy your Lego sets from a toy store or from Walmart, or from a bookstore, Lego store employees still benefit.

So our job at the Lego store is not to sell you Lego, it's to make sure you have a good time. If you have a good time with Lego, you can buy it anywhere and we will benefit. Because our job is to make you like Lego, we're super nice to you. And if you're nice to us, we will be even more nice to you. I've literally given Lego pieces to people who were nice to me, we're allowed to do that.

Nobody gives a s**t how much money you spend at the Lego store. The only thing that matters is how nice you are.

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Anna told us all about the inspiration behind her video. She had great intentions and didn't expect the TikTok to go as viral as it did.

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"The initial inspiration for the video was the Victoria's Secret Semi-Annual Sale. I worked for VS in college, and though my managers treated me well, there was definitely room for improvement as far as company employment policies were concerned," she explained that the company had some room for improvement.

"I just figured my 140 or so followers at the time could save a few dollars!" Anna said that this was her only goal. However, the video quickly took off. Anna believes that it became popular because "people are frustrated when they see poor practices, but whether out of fear, lack of safe workspace, or something else they don't feel they can change anything by speaking up."
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    #2

    So this is for the people that like to buy name brand products. I used to work for a company called Via John and we bottled things like mouthwash, baby powder, alcohol, all that stuff.

    So basically when you go out and you buy something like Listerine, but say, for example, you go to Walmart and you see the Equate brand - it's the same product. It's the same exact product just put in a different bottle. So when you're buying the name brand things, you are paying extra money for the bottle it's in or for the sticker. So buy smart, and if it has 'compared to' on it, usually you want to go with that product because it's the same as the other.

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    #3

    I used to work for a major manufacturing company. Everyone knows the name if I told you what it was. We made everything from tape to pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment. In our marketing space, we had a free area where products that we as employees or in my case, I, as a contractor could bring home for free, no questions asked. A lot of the stuff was used for marketing photography. At which point we couldn't sell it.

    One day, someone dropped off a giant clear trash bin bag, full of very nice yellow and green sponges (might help if you know what brand I'm talking about here). I grabbed probably 10 or 15 of them.

    I mean, we're talking about a bag that had hundreds in the thing. I came home and started using them. These sponges did not get stinky. They lasted each one a minimum of six months. I ended up giving a bunch to my mother. And they just held up far better than everything else on the market.

    That would have been several years ago now, they were never introduced. They were never sold to the public. They were never branded, packaged, anything like that. They disappeared into the ether and I'm going to guess it was probably because they lasted too long and were a bit too good for the world.

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    bumblebee_4 avatar
    bumble bee
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Or they discovered something that made them a liability. Chemical used to keep them smelling nice, material could be leeching when used with soap, environmental issues, but yes keep using them.

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    Bored Panda was interested to get Anna's opinion on what brands can do to inspire long-lasting loyalty in their employees. She opened up that, in her opinion, it's all about treating people well and not ignoring minor details that might be important to the workers.

    "Maybe even ask their thoughts and do what you can to create psychological safety so there is no fear of messing up. So many people shared 'secrets' about food being affected (dropped, touched, expired) before sold, being disrespected or mistreated, and unfair pricing. These are all things in management's control to fix," she noted the issues that other TikTokers raised in their videos in response to hers.
    #4

    30 Company Secrets Spilled By Ex-Employees That People Are Not Supposed To Know For two years, I worked at the largest social media company in the world. Let's call them Smacemook or Vetta. I worked in advertising operations and yes, they are listening.

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    #5

    30 Company Secrets Spilled By Ex-Employees That People Are Not Supposed To Know I used to work for Starbucks a long time ago, and here's some secrets. Most of the time, we used to spell your name wrong on purpose. We just get told, "Spell their name wrong. They'll do free advertising for us". You're going to put it on your social media, you are going to talk about it. If it goes viral, you've just done an advertisement for the company.

    If you're rude to your barista, they will give you decaf coffee. Tastes the same. You're just not going to get the coffee kick you need. Likewise, if you're nice to your barista, you are going to get stuff knocked off. They won't charge you for extra shots. They won't charge you for extra syrup. They'll make your coffee beautifully. The love you give them is the love you're getting back. Look for the person with a black apron. Now, I don't know if they do this anymore, but those people are coffee masters. They have been trained to make beautiful coffee. They know what they're doing. They'll make it expertly.

    Most of the staff will have tried all the foods and all that. So get them to make you something that they think is nice. 'Cause I'm telling you, it is always a winning combination. Might not be on the menu, but they'll mix a couple of flavors together to make you something beautiful.

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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I love this. Thank you. So nice hearing from people who enjoyed their jobs.

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    #6

    I used to work for a very large chain bookstore that's very litigious, so we won't name them. Sheds and Royals we'll call them. And, they get those big comfy chairs that they have in the building steam cleaned twice a year or so.

    I came in one day and was watching the guy do it. And all this stuff was coming out of the chair as he was using this machine. And I thought it was a chemical. And I said, "That's pretty funky looking, man, what's going on here?" And he's like, "Oh, that's urine". "Pardon me?" He's like, "Oh, yeah. Anytime you go to a public place and they have all these fabric chairs and stuff, don't sit in them because they're usually full of piss." So that's a thing.

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    "Respect goes a long way," she added. "I know retail and restaurant work isn't easy, which is where a lot of discontent is. I've done both! Just treat people with respect—coworkers, customers, and employees. Employers have to stay in the black, but keeping skilled staff will keep people coming back and keep your secrets safe."

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    Anna also revealed a bit about herself. She told Bored Panda that she initially created her TikTok account to see her Beachbody business. However, she quickly found that she prefers the 'BookTok' side of the site.

    "My real goal is to chat with other book lovers and maybe be represented by Book of the Month or Barnes & Noble or similar. And maybe meet my favorite creators," she said that her top 3 creators are Caffeinated_book_worm, Therealrahulrai, and Elysemyers.

    "Most of my posts are about reading or my husband/dog. It's easy to be passionate about the things you enjoy! My advice would be to find your niche and crack yourself up, which is generally what I do, no matter the views."
    #7

    30 Company Secrets Spilled By Ex-Employees That People Are Not Supposed To Know So I worked at Taco Bell for almost three years, and I'm here to tell you all the truth. So, ground beef is in fact real ground beef. It just has a lot of water and seasoning in it. But it's safe, I promise. The grilled chicken - I promise it's real grill chicken. You're fine. Go ahead and eat it. The shredded chicken - run, run the opposite direction away from the shredded chicken. You can swap out the shredded chicken for grilled chicken on any of the items, FYI, but the shredded chicken is all the bits of the chicken that you don't want to eat. And I promise you, eventually you're going to get a bone.

    Also, the steak, so disappointing. 'Cause I know it's like the most appetizing thing. It's 90% gelatin. If it gets left out for any amount of time, it turns into a slab of gelatin. Just trust me and stay away from shredded chicken and steak.

    momofstacy , Mike Mozart Report

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    Caro Caro
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Eeeew. Is that legal to sell a 90% gelatin blob as meat?

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    #8

    I don't know if this is a secret. A little bit of research would give you this answer, but I have owned an incorporation services firm for about 15 years. Still own one. I've been through several brands bought and sold over the last 15 years.

    But if you're trying to open a business, you do not need to go to LegalZoom or BizFilings or Form-A-Corp or any of those other service companies to do that. You can just go to Google and type in SOS, and then the two-letter abbreviation of your state and that'll take you straight to the secretary of state for your state. And it'll give you instructions there on exactly how to file the company.

    It's not difficult and you'll just pay whatever the filing fee is instead of paying a service fee to that company. And I can tell you this confidently, not putting myself out of business because people are still going to call me to do the work for them.

    So, for all you guys on a budget trying to start a company, that's the way to do it. Good luck.

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    #9

    30 Company Secrets Spilled By Ex-Employees That People Are Not Supposed To Know I worked for GameStop from 2011 to 2018. I was a holiday hire, assistant store manager. Knew how to do store manager work. Read the entire employee handbook because it would be freaking boring. Did every quiz, everything, all of it. So, because I read the handbook, I know for a fact that if you open a brand new game and you declare when you return it that it was too mature for your child, based on the ESRB rating, they have to return it. It is in the handbook. It states specifically: 'can return new open games if it was too mature'.

    So do with that information what you will.

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    Dirty business secrets and insights into the work industry are popular topics on TikTok. This isn’t the first time that Bored Panda has pulled back the curtain and shone the spotlight on all the mysterious goings-on—both mustache-twirlingly evil and surprisingly positive—in various companies.

    For example, musician and TikTok video content creator Anna J., who used to work at Hollister when she was a teen, went viral after spilling the beans about their workplace environment. However, she stressed to us that she doesn’t hold a grudge against the company and that they themselves have changed a lot of their practices for the better over the years.

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    There are pros and cons to going viral on TikTok for criticizing your former workplace. For instance, in musician James’ instance, all the attention helped grow her TikTok account. On the flip side, James is incredibly nervous that she might be unemployable in the future because companies might be wary of someone who shares their secrets if they’re unsatisfied. And her name is easily Googlable.
    #10

    I used to be plus-size. I worked at the mall at a famous plus-size clothing place. And in training, I asked about selling the clothes. Like, you get bonuses and commissions if you push the credit cards and I'm like, why not the clothes? And they were like, well, we are a credit card company that also sells clothes, not a clothing company that also has credit cards. That's not just the plus-size fashion industry, although it explains why you have trouble with plus-size fashion, but any place that pushes that credit card when you get to the register. Now you know.

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    Madzdad the Bard
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I believe they are talking about their own company card. Kohls in the US is that way, always pushing you to open a card at the register. Discounts ONLY if you have the card, etc.

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    #11

    30 Company Secrets Spilled By Ex-Employees That People Are Not Supposed To Know I only worked at Claire's for like a summer, so I didn't have that much time there, but I do know - don't get your ears pierced at Claire's. Don't let your child get their ears pierced at Claire's. And definitely do not let your infant get their ears pierced at Claire's.

    I only had to watch my manager do two piercings before I was allowed to start doing them. And I only ever practiced on a teddy bear before doing it on an actual human being. A literal teddy. We were told to lie to the families. If they were worried about their child having any type of allergic reaction to the metal, we were told to tell them that the safest metal we had was the 24-karat gold option, which was obviously the most expensive, but that's not true. The safest metal at Claire's is actually the cheapest for $15. You get surgical-grade titanium. Yes, there's less options and they look less pretty. They don't have as many gemstones, but you can always change it later. And it's the only metal Claire's has that's surgical grade.

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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I saw something about this. They used a blunt stud, basically the earring, to pierce the ears. It hurts so bad. I had mine done twice in my life because the first time they got infected and the pain didn't let up. I remember my mom taking them out and there was so much blood in the sink. The other time the gun got stuck halfway. The piercer had to finish it. I think she felt bad but at the same time she was trying to downplay how much pain I was in. They both had to come out, anyways, and I just let the holes close up. Never done it again. Go to a place that specializes in piercing. They use a sharp, tapered needle, followed by the earring.

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    #12

    I worked at this HR technology company that recruiters use and the first screening of a job application is usually done by AI and it captures tokens, keywords related to the job. So if you're applying for a sales job, it's looking for selling, sales, business development, things like that.

    So if you fill up the white space of your resume with all of these tokens in white font, so it's not seen on your actual resume, it'll likely get picked up by the AI wave of the technology for your application because it's finding more keywords and it's giving you a better ranking.

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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I have a feeling "words in white font" is something an AI can catch on to VERY quickly.

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    "I did not expect the video to get as much attention as it did, and I honestly kind of regret posting that video now. I wasn't clear enough in the video that I only wanted to hear the secrets of the silly jobs that people have had and not necessarily lifelong, professional careers. I worked at Hollister when I was 17 and a senior in high school, I would never make a video about any of the career-building jobs I've had in my adult life," James told us earlier that she would be far more careful about these sorts of videos now.

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    "I would love to put on my resume that I started a viral TikTok trend, but the subject of it isn't the best look. I'm now much more aware of what I post on the internet," she said.

    "Everyone has complaints about their work, but I think a perfect job is getting paid to do something you absolutely love and are doing already," James shared some of her thoughts about the job industry.
    #13

    While I was in high school and after I graduated, I used to be an assistant manager at Michael's. Some things have changed since I was there, but here are the things that remain true.

    A few times a year, Michael's does these $5 grab bags. They are filled with everything that didn't sell when prices hit 90% off. And some of them are really good. I've personally put together grab bags that are worth probably $300 or $400 retail. I would say the average is between $75 and $100, but they are basically always worth the five bucks.

    Another secret is don't ever pay full price at Michael's. If you do, I'm judging. Michael's always has coupons. They used to do better ones before the pandemic, like 50% and 60% off, but if you join the rewards program, they will give you a coupon instantly. Michael's also does tons of discounts if you're like a teacher or a nonprofit. So just ask at checkout. Most of the time, I just gave people discounts.

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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The grab bags might be an excellent deal, but if you don't know what's in the grab bag, it also can be a total waste. If I get $300 of quilting supplies, but don't quilt, what have I gained?

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    #14

    30 Company Secrets Spilled By Ex-Employees That People Are Not Supposed To Know I have worked at quite a few restaurants in New York city, maybe like four or five, I think. And I promise you this. If you've been to a restaurant in Manhattan, they have rats. They have rats. I did not say mice. I'm not talking Ratatouille. I'm talking, Master Splinter - big, huge rats.

    And you're like, well, I am not seeing them? Because rats are afraid of noise. So when you come in in the morning, that's when they're there. When you open the restaurant, they're there. But then once the people started moving around more, you go around clanging pots and pans and the more people show up, the more the rats stay away.

    I'm telling you, especially if it's Manhattan, especially if it's accessible from the first floor. Oh, baby! Yes. Yes, that restaurant has rats. I remember going into work on days, you walk in the morning, you just smell that a rat has died somewhere in the walls, somewhere inside of a booth and you can't find it.

    So the amount of covering up... air freshener and candles, yeah. New York City Manhattan restaurants are nasty. And there's probably going to be a bunch of us commenting a little thing like, oh yeah. Guaranteed. And anyone that tells you the restaurant does not have that - don't believe them.

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    Robert T
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    All cities (and towns) have rats. If they are in the building they need to be removed. If they are in the kitchen, the place needs to be closed down!

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    #15

    So I'm sharing this information because I know it's going to help a lot of people, especially if you drive a car in the United States. I used to work in the service industry with all the mechanics and everything. I was a service writer for a company whose name rhymes with Sunday, but it starts with an H.

    And they're really committed to service and making sure all of their customers are happy. And so they're very committed to their warranty. But if you ever have something that's out of warranty, it could be anything like your radio, your engine, anything. (I don't think it can be things that are aftermarket unless the dealership did it themselves) But pretty much, if you're told you have this huge expense, like your timing belt breaks, and you're just over a hundred thousand miles, they can goodwill it. You have to ask them, 'please goodwill this'. If you say those words, they're going to be like, 'do they work for corporate?' And they'll do it for free.

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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I bought a brand new car from them in 2019. When it was 6 days old, the breaks failed (no injuries) and turned out to be a parts defect. It took three months to fix it. They couldn't take a part off another new one. They gave me a loaner, which I hated driving. It took days of my time to get things sorted out, so much stress, and I'd bought the car specifically to avoid car issues during a really busy time. When I suggested that I deserve some sort of compensation (even gas cards or something, as I was stuck driving a bigger vehicle), both the dealership and Hyundai Canada said they fulfilled their legal obligation by fixing it. Apparently buying new can be a nightmare and no one cares...I told them I'd tell everyone. So I'm telling you all

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    "I believe that red flags at a company for me personally would be: employees don't receive respect, discrimination of any kind, communication isn't clear between everyone on the team, your work is not valued,” she noted what employees should be aware of potential problems.

    "Red flags at a minimum wage job or service industry job would most definitely be unsafe working conditions, inappropriate behavior from members of the team, discrimination of any kind, and unsupportive work shoes in the uniform, like what I mentioned in the Hollister video when we were only allowed to wear the flimsy flip-flops."

    She added: "With the right working conditions, I think a 'perfect job' is one in an industry you're passionate about with people you respect and who genuinely care about your wellbeing. I, personally, will always be happy with my job as long as I have the opportunity to be creative in my daily tasks.”
    #16

    I work at Texas Roadhouse and this is not a secret. They just don't tell you. With any meal, you get two sides. And instead of picking regular sides, you can pick an appetizer. Half an appetizer.

    So you can pick, like, half of skins or half of mozzarella sticks. They're just not going to tell you, but you can get it. No upcharge, no nothing.

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    #17

    I used to work where they make diapers at. Not going to say a specific brand, but it was a very big brand. And inside the diapers, the part that soaks up the pee and the liquid, is a mixture of a cotton-like material that comes in these big bale stacks and a super soaker material. It forms up like snow when it gets wet. That material is actually a carcinogen to the point that in order to clean it up, we had to be respirator fit, tested, and wear a respirator. And I'm not talking about the little mask. I'm talking about the whole shebang, when you go to the doctor and they make sure it fits your face and they test everything because the material they're putting in diapers causes cancer.

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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Probably is cancerous when inhaled: like asbestos, if you inspire it the micro-fragments will destroy your lungs.

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    #18

    I got one and it is terrible. So a few years ago, I used to do social media for one of the most iconic hotels in the world. Back in the '90s, this hotel had a live animal show. During one of the performances, an Asian elephant had broken its back leg. And for whatever reason, they didn't get him medical attention fast enough. And, apparently, he wasn't treated very well, but he ended up breaking his other leg. And so they had to euthanize him.

    That part's terrible, but it's not the terrible part. The show and where the animals were held was underground. And there was only one large service elevator that was the access in or out. Well, after they put the elephant down, they realized that they couldn't get the body out. So they had to chop it up into pieces to get it out of there. Pretty sure with a chainsaw. And we were told that we weren't supposed to talk about it.

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    #19

    30 Company Secrets Spilled By Ex-Employees That People Are Not Supposed To Know I'm gonna speak in a little bit of a code so that maybe I don't get sued. I worked for a person who was the head of plastics for a company that kind of sounds a little bit like Ronson and Ronson. And when I was working for them, I walked into their home with a plastic container and they said, 'Take that out of my home right now'.

    And I was like, 'Hey, you're the head of plastics for Ronson and Ronson? Why would it be not okay to bring plastic into your house?' And I was like, 'It's 'BPA-free'. And they looked at me dead in my face and they were like, 'Take that out of my house now. There is no plastics allowed in my house whatsoever. BPA-free means nothing. It just means we replaced it with a chemical equally or more toxic that just hasn't been banned yet'. And I will never forget that. Do with that information what you will, but I do not use plastics in my home when I can help it.

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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So the guy has no electronics, no electrical wiring, no clothes, no running water? I'm calling BS on his one.

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    #20

    30 Company Secrets Spilled By Ex-Employees That People Are Not Supposed To Know I was a manager at a McDonald's. I worked there for about three years. For the tea, they have a red jug for the sweet tea and a green jug for the unsweet tea. These jugs are four gallons big and for every four gallons of the red jug with the sweet tea, there is a full four-pound bag of sugar emptied into it.

    One pound per gallon of tea. Yeah, I stopped drinking the tea after I realized that because that's nasty.

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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Anyone who has ever made Southern style sweet tea at home ( or who has ever drunk it) should be well aware there is a s**t ton of sugar in it. Not sure how this is a secret.

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    #21

    Here's things that I wish that I would've never learned after working in banking for five and a half years. Let me just start by saying, please don't be upset with me. I want to apologize in advance for anything you're about to hear.

    Number one: the bank does have a computer system that is designed to charge you as many fees as possible. So a lot of times when you're looking in your online banking, like your mobile app, and you thought that you had so much money and you see that you're just being charged fees, but your account was still positive, it was because on our end, they show that you were negative. So what they'll do is they'll post your charges and then post your paycheck so that you get overdraft fees, even though you thought that you had the money.

    Second thing is the amount of money that we are stressed to lend out to people is horrific. It's insane. It is disgusting - the amount of money that I was expected to have lent out to people every single day. And as a banker, if you don't meet those goals, trust me, they'll make it your life's work to try to get those goals. So whatever it's going to take to get you a credit card or a car loan or a mortgage or a home equity line on your house that you probably didn't even really need, we got to do it. Most big banks are bad. Wells Fargo was just the one that got caught.

    This part is important. A lot of you guys need to start checking with lost property. I hate to break it to you, but I have seen so many people pass away and have lots of money and safe deposit boxes full of valuable items that should have gone to the families who needed it, but because they didn't trust their family members with their money, and, legally, we're not allowed to say anything about it, it goes to lost property of the state, so y'all need to start checking on that. This is not to sound mean, but some grandmas and grandpas were never broke. They just told you that they were broke because they didn't trust you with their money. And I've seen people struggle with this. Like try to pay for a funeral. Meanwhile, I'm looking at somebody's account that has a hundred thousand dollars in it and they just didn't tell their family.

    And please do not come at me for this one, but some of the most chaotically organized and proficient people in this world are specifically people who pretend to be homeless. I legally can't say that I know that they're not homeless and how much money and stuff that they have when I see them on the streets getting people for money because of how I know, like legally, I can't say anything and it sucks.

    I literally had one of my clients come to me with a homeless sign on his chest and then proceeded to open up a bank account, go back to his home, and then come back to the bank with $4,000 that he had been keeping in his closet for like a couple of weeks.

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    Madzdad the Bard
    Madzdad the Bard
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    In the US #1 is illegal since the early '90s. Deposits must be accounted first each day (for items that come in overnight) before debits. It is one of the few consumer protections that actually exist for US banks.

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    #22

    I worked at Texas Roadhouse for five years. A couple of fun facts about the bread, the fresh-baked bread, two of those pieces of bread is the equivalent amount of calories as one Big Mac. So if you eat an entire basket of bread, you just ate the amount of calories as two Big Macs.

    Also, the reason that they give you the bread in the first place and keep refilling it and refilling it is to get you fuller faster so you don't finish your entree and leave the restaurant quicker. So now you know.

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    #23

    30 Company Secrets Spilled By Ex-Employees That People Are Not Supposed To Know So I used to work for Bath & Body Works, and this really isn't a secret, but I do get asked this a lot still to this day. And most of the employees should still be wearing a pin on their apron that says like a hundred percent guaranteed. But for those that keep asking, you can still return those old used products and tell them you did not like them and exchange them item for item. Even burnt candles, lotions, sprays, wallflowers, soaps. Yeah. All those. Just go in there and tell them that you did not like it. The fragrance, it's not burning right, or you didn't like the lotion, whatever. They don't ask questions. They will let you exchange them.

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    CLG
    CLG
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I kinda hate store return policies that are this liberal because it means lots more waste, lots more unflawed products going into landfills simply because someone changed their mind and took advantage of a generous policy. At least new items can be resold, a shop can't reshelve a half-used burnt candle.

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    Madi Maree
    Madi Maree
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Another former B&BW employee here -- even if brand new items are returned, they can't be sold again. We wasted so much because people bought the wrong scent or ended up not wanting the candle. Employees can't buy them at a discounted price, either. B&BW is, by far, one of the most wasteful companies I've worked for.

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    April Porter
    April Porter
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yeah, I'm a huge B&BW customer, and I shop mostly online, so I was doing a lot of returns, but when I found out they toss everything that's brought back, even if it's brand new and perfect, I stopped returning things unless they arrive broken beyond use. Even candles that come in cracked glass can be taken out and chopped up to use with a candle warmer or fitted into an old empty jar. As far as stuff I just don't like, there's always SOMEBODY I can gift it to. I can't tell you how many stinky candles I have given to my ex-boss who I hated.

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    Kristen Fagerstrom
    Kristen Fagerstrom
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is technically true (2000-2001 employee) but don't try to fake it out. Just genuinely return the empty and say you hated it. We would have people who would try to refill the oil based scents with water, and you could clearly see the divide, and THOSE people would be on a watch list and their shopping lives were then sort of hell. Also, don't do the return and then try to buy the same thing, that actually does NOT fly.

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    Memere
    Memere
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I've never liked any of their products. Can't tolerate any of the fragrances, and the lotions & soaps irritate my skin. But my sister loves them & uses them all the time with no problem!

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    Brian Bennett
    Brian Bennett
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    A lot of this stuff you can DIY if you don't have the money to spend on this stuff!

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    Maria Hawkins
    Maria Hawkins
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I don't think this one is acurate. I tried to exchange a brand new bottle of lotion that my mom had gotten me for Christmas because I still had the one she'd bought in the same scent for my birthday. I did not have the gift receipt with me so they only granted me store credit worth HALF the sticker price.

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    RoseAnne Hutchence
    RoseAnne Hutchence
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "Taking advantage" of offers such as this, results in higher costs to the company, potentially lower profits and could ultimately result in the store closing. Lost jobs.

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    #24

    30 Company Secrets Spilled By Ex-Employees That People Are Not Supposed To Know I have not seen anybody talking about Pandora. Okay. Pandora jewelry. When you shop at Pandora, you're literally shopping for sentimental value because there's not a single charm or a bracelet you can take to a pawn shop and actually get any cash back for it.

    There's so little gold in that jewelry that it's worthless. It's all silver, it's all cubic zirconia. You wouldn't find a Swarovski, a diamond, a crystal at all. In that store is all CZ stones that we find anywhere.

    And two, it varies from franchise to franchise. I worked at a few, some are really good at being organized and stuff, but a lot of them - it's dirty. They don't keep things up. You could probably look in between the things on the floor and you might find a charm underneath there, honestly, that filthy.

    And we all steal, all the employees.

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    Caro Caro
    Caro Caro
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    2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Don't we all know that this is cheap stuff? It's pretty obvious that it's fake because the prices are so low.... EDIT I mean overpriced cheap stuff ....

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    #25

    Many years ago, I used to work for this department store that rhymes with Boredstrome. When I first started there, I actually worked in the shoe department. One day, these ladies tried to come up to me and return a pair.

    They were silver and they were actually kind of dirty. So mind you, she had no box. She says, "I want to return the shoes". I said, "how is that?" She said, "you just look it up and return it to my card". So instantly, I'm flabbergasted. And I go ask my manager about it. She says, yes, that's actually true.

    So, of course, they try to go through all different avenues to see if you actually got the shoes from the store. But if they can't find it, it doesn't mean they're not going to return it. What they do is they actually look at the price of the shoe now. So say you got the shoe for $500 back then, and now it goes, like, for $375. During that time, people are going to take that $375.

    Later that week, I actually had a lady who returned two pairs of shoes that came in a box. Oh, but she got these shoes 10 years ago. I asked her, "why are you returning those shoes?" She said she lost her job. Mind you, these shoes were like $500 each. As soon as I scanned them on a computer, there was a receipt. She got $500 for each pair of shoes. Oh, and mind you. They actually own their own bank. So as soon as you go to return something, it's probably in your account within 30 minutes to a day.

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    SayRay
    SayRay
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    wait.... I can return shoes I spent tons on money on years ago and never wore??!!

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    #26

    I used to work for PlayStation. When you have a problem with your 4, 5, I'm pretty sure they even still service the 3's - send it in, it's worth a hundred dollars. I think it might even be $150 for the 5's to get it serviced because if they can't fix it, you get a refurbished unit. You don't have to replace your system, you get a refurbished unit.

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    David Leick
    David Leick
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I too have worked for the PlayStation, and the Xbox and the Gamecube and even the Genesis!

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    #27

    So I worked for a designer handbag store roughly about 11 years on and off between part-time and full-time. And this handbag store can be found at most outlets and factory areas in the US in most cities and towns. When you go into the store, everything in the front of the store is made for factory. It is not made the same way, and it does not use the same leather as the full-price store. If you are looking for items you may have seen in the full-price store, on the full-price website, head straight to the back. Those bags are the ones that actually come to get transferred from the full-price store when they are discontinued. That's where you'll find them.

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    #28

    I'm going to tell you about them, but I'm not going to say the names because you can still get sued. Okay. I was an envelope machine adjuster.

    The people that worked in the factory that chewed chewing tobacco would spit their chew spit in the glue buckets. That glue went on your envelopes. That's what you lick to seal your envelopes.

    Off-brand no-name bacon is the same as the name-brand bacon. It just doesn't look as pretty in the package, or it has a little bit of higher fat content.

    If you go to eat somewhere that makes sandwiches like fast food-wise, possibly 12 inches, there's mold in the ice machine. And if you worked there and you say that's not mold, you have another problem. It's limescale.

    Those big signs, like the big gas station signs, those poles only have a two-year warranty. I've seen the basis bust off of them before they even left the shop.

    I've been offered a lot of money to do structural welding and use my certificates to say that other people's welds are my welds because they're not certified.

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    Bored Panda
    Bored Panda
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "Off-brand no-name bacon is the same as the name-brand bacon. It just doesn't look as pretty... or it has a little bit of higher fat content." So, it's the same, but it's different? Higher fat content means it's different. So, it's not the same.

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    #29

    30 Company Secrets Spilled By Ex-Employees That People Are Not Supposed To Know I used to work at Victoria's Secret. If you like the semi-annual sale, buy whatever you want, and then go back in 14 days and you can price adjust. They will let you do it (or they're supposed to). They don't like it, but if you're nice, you can at least buy that much additional stuff now that everything's half off.

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    Robert T
    Robert T
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Half off in Victoria's Secret is likely to get you done for indecent exposure!

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    #30

    I used to work for a candy company who shall remain nameless because I signed a nondisclosure. But what they don't want you to know is that all of their factory workers are undocumented immigrants. They bring them in from overseas. They house them. The men work in the factories. The women stay at home.

    You may be asking why they do this. Well, first of all, the immigrants want to get away from the threats they face in their home nation. But the really interesting part is that they really value chocolate. They don't have a lot of it from where they are. They get all the chocolate they want for free with this company, in addition to low wages, you know.

    The other interesting thing is that all these immigrants are really short people.

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    #31

    So these aren't necessarily secrets, but I worked at Chick-fil-A when I was in high school and all of their produce is delivered fresh every day, at least the location I was at. So their salads, their fruit, their lemons, their juice. Lemonade is juiced daily, it doesn't come pre-made. The chicken does come frozen, but it is breaded, cut, fried, and grilled there. So it doesn't come pre-cooked. The whole 'my pleasure' thing is real. You will get in trouble if you say you're welcome, they will say something to you.

    They have technology that tells them how busy it will be at what time and what to have prepped. 'Cause they just know what people order at that time. They truly think that all the glory is to God and they do so well because God is on their side. I'm not saying that's wrong, but I also think they're just very smart business people.

    Um, they're closed 52 days of the year and they still compete with big-name food chains. So Chick-fil-A is great.

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    #32

    When I worked at Teavana, any drinks we made for customers in the store used two to three times as much loose leaf tea as it suggests on the packaging. That's why you could never get it to taste the same when you made it at home.

    Oh! Hey, Canada. You'll be surprised if that's how it is at David's tea.

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    #33

    I used to work at Apple. I was a genius for eight years. Let's do it. When you bring in your device for an appointment at an Apple store, if you get a good technician, within the first few minutes, sometimes less, of the appointment, we know what to do. We know how to fix it. We don't need your fake substories.

    The liquid indicators inside of Apple devices only trigger when they have been submerged in liquid, they trip from the underside. Slight graze of water is not going to do it. Being in a steamy bathroom during a shower - not going to do it.

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    Lyn Arnold
    Lyn Arnold
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    What's a 'fake substory'? Why would I lie about the damage, to the person who can fix it?

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    #34

    I used to work for Costco and a lot of people don't know that they make almost all of their pastries, and breads, and cakes, and pies in house. And I would open up in the morning and have to go in there.

    And I know everybody's perception of the company is all 'they treat their employees so well', everybody loves Costco, yada, yada, yada. You just don't know what it's like to have to go in early in the morning, open up the store, and be trapped inside that building with all those yummy smells and you can't eat any of it.

    You smell all the fresh-baked breads, cakes, cookies. It's hard because you can't eat any.

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    DDmaybeandor
    DDmaybeandor
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If that’s your major complaint I’m working for that company I am going to continue raving about how great Costco is to it’s employees. Buy yourself a pie. Go in with your colleagues on rotation where you take turns buying muffins for the break room.

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    #35

    30 Company Secrets Spilled By Ex-Employees That People Are Not Supposed To Know Any time you pay for shipping and handling, you're never actually paying for shipping and handling. This is actually a company secret for most companies you'll order from online. You see, once a year, UPS and FedEx actually have to go to these companies and renegotiate their service terms for the entire year.

    You see, FedEx and UPS charge these companies yearly to actually do business with them. So they'll probably charge them like, I believe, the company I worked for, was $100,000 a year. But every day, they would show up to pick up the packages that you had to ship. So here's an example. You decided to go on Barnes & Noble and you order a book off them for $10. The tax on that item is about a $1.79. So in total, you're paying about $12 for that book. You get down to your checkout and you're going out for shipping and handling, which is what you see is another $7 added into the charge. So you're thinking naturally well, that's just to pay to get it to my house. No, unfortunately, that $7 they just charged you is going right into the company's account.

    So basically if they do this all year long, they could end up making more than $100,000. So more or less, you guys are paying for their shipping costs and you're helping them profit as well. Have a good day.

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    Marcellus the Third
    Marcellus the Third
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is just unhinged nonsense. It's exactly like claiming that train tickets don't pay towards running the trains, "because the train rides just as well whether you're on it or not, or whether you're illegally riding without ticket or not". It does, it's just that your single transaction doesn't instantaneously effect the bulk cost of the whole operation; the shipper's contract is based on expected volume and will be renegotiated yearly (as he says himself).

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    #36

    30 Company Secrets Spilled By Ex-Employees That People Are Not Supposed To Know When buying contact lenses, the same contacts that you get for three months, one month, two weeks, and one day are the same lenses. But I didn't tell you that.

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    Fiery Llama
    Fiery Llama
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So, I worked at LensCrafters for 2 years in college, and that's not true? Dailies (one day contacts) are much thinner than monthly contacts. That's literally the trade-off: monthly contact lenses are more durable, but don't feel as comfortable; dailies feel more comfortable but are much more suspectible to tearing. Even with the naked eye, you can see the difference in thickness when you look at them. They're not the same lenses.

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