Secrets Revealed by Ex-Employees: The Hidden Truths About Your Favorite Companies

I recently scrolled the internet’s front page when I saw this question, “What’s a company secret you can share now that you don’t work there?” Here are the top-voted responses.

1. We Used to Have Somebody Post This Question

A Redditor said, “I used to work for a company that rhymes with Muzzbeed, and we used to have somebody post this question every few months for material for one of our clickbait articles.”

2. I Worked at Radio Shack for a Year and a Half

A user revealed, “They are out of business now, but in the early 90s I worked at Radio Shack for a year and a half. When people would return an item because it didn’t work, the manager of the store would just box it back up and sell it again as if it were new. When I asked him about it he said, “Hopefully they will return it to a different store.”

“I nearly got fired when I refused to sell a guy a walkie talkie CB radio that I knew didn’t work. The guy was on his way out for a hunting trip and was buying three of these for him and his friends. We had two and the third was the broken one. In front of the customer, I told the manager that one didn’t work and I had tested it. The guy was happy I told him, we arranged for him to get the last one he needed at a different store and off he went. The manager was livid with me and nearly fired me. I’m sorry, I’m not sending people out into the forest with gear I know doesn’t work. Hilariously, a few months later the manager was caught stealing from the store and got fired.’’

3. Used to Work at a Graphic Design Firm

Redditor Sullyville said, “Used to work at a graphic design firm. All our Adobe software was pirated.”

4. I Used to Work Surveillance at a Casino

A user said, “I used to work surveillance at a casino. From something like 3 stories high ceiling, we could zoom in on money on-the-table games and read the serial numbers of the bills. We could see the pips on the dice. Policy was to not look down blouses.’’

5. Maple Sap Can Be Trucked in From Other States

Redditor Lunar_Gato said, “Maple sap can be trucked in from other states and where it’s turned from sap to syrup decides on the state it comes from, not the location of the trees.”

Another commented, “You need a maple syrup cartel, like in Quebec.’’

6. Inbound Call Center

Redditor Following_the_Sun wrote, “Inbound call center – the “We are currently experiencing an unusually high call volume“ message is permanent. They just didn’t staff adequately.”

7. I Worked as a Dog Groomer for a Summer

User Bigfeett said, “I worked as a dog groomer for a summer, we gave your dog a treat even if they weren’t good.’’ Another Redditor commented, “Scandalous!!!’’

8. We Can Still Hear You

A Redditor shared, “If you don’t hear music when you’re supposedly on hold, the operator simply muted their mic and can still hear you. I’ve heard interesting and damning things while they thought I couldn’t hear them.’’

Another Redditor commented, “I was setting up a new account with the phone company, back in the landline days. I think the operator meant to mute her mic but didn’t. She had to do some stuff in the background while I was supposed to be on hold or something.

“I could hear her typing, but at the same time she was telling someone in her office about a party she’d been to the previous weekend. It was hilarious – both her story & the situation in general – but I couldn’t laugh out loud. I had to stifle myself to hear the end of the story.’’

9. Worked in Insurance

Redditor Pergmanexe said, “Worked in insurance, hundreds of people have access to your SSN with no security clearance or background check.’’

Another Redditor commented, “The same is true of every HR office in existence.’’

10. They Upgraded but Did Something Wrong

A final user said, “Worked at a major cable/ISP and there 4 billing cycles. They upgraded the billing system, but did something wrong, and all but the current cycle got a late charge. But instead of fixing it immediately, we were told to credit their account if the customer called in.

“I did the math, and for the size of our city, and the 3/4 of people wrongly charged, it was over a million USD. Most people just pay their bill and don’t look too close.’’

Another Redditor shared, “Comcast. They do this all the time. Not really worth the hour plus it takes on the phone for them to not steal from you but it’s worth it to them to steal from thousands of people.’’ 

Did these Redditors give you any new insights into any jobs? 

This article was published and syndicated by Radical FIRE.