A while ago, we wrote a post where employees shared the dirtiest secrets about the industries they've worked in. Many of our readers from the BuzzFeed Community shared even more juicy secrets from their current and former jobs. Here are the shocking results:
Note: Obviously, we can't 100% confirm all of these stories, but these people are supposedly speaking from their own experiences as alleged former employees.
1. "I work at a trampoline park, and the whole place is nasty. Kids go to the bathroom everywhere, and we can't clean piss out of the foam pit — no one wants to touch it. So, chances are, you are jumping into pee-soaked foam."
2. "Some factories will make the same exact product for more than one company. They're made in the same building, by the same people, on the same machines, with the same materials, in the same design. Literally the only thing that changes is the tag/logo, but because the name on the finished product is different, they can sell it at vastly different price points. My dad has worked at more than one factory that has done this..."
3. "I used to work at a large national chain of bridal stores, and the wedding dresses you're trying on are NEVER washed. We would try to spot clean if a bride got makeup inside or a buildup of deodorant. And the bridesmaids dresses are 10x worse because they are tried on by so many more people, and the styles never change. They smelled like B.O. and dirt. I will say that we did throw out a dress after a bride got period blood all down the inside, so at least there's that."
4. "I work in a furniture store that makes custom furniture on request. If you give us a bad attitude, you can bet you're paying a higher price."
5. "I work in a small pub/restaurant as a server. Recently, I helped the kitchen staff clean the fryers in the morning before opening. I assumed they were going to change the oil in them after we finished, but they did not. A significant amount of degreaser (which is toxic) got into the oil that we used all day and probably the next as well."
6. "If you're using medical insurance to have a breast augmentation and your doctor takes photos, be aware that those photos are sent to the insurance company and are seen by non-medical office staff."
7. "I work at a swimming pool. When someone sh*ts in the pool, we only evacuate it for a short period of time and maybe add some extra chlorine with a bucket to give the illusion we are doing something. Short of scooping it out with a net (which is sometimes not an option since baby poop dissipates), there is nothing we can or need to do because there is so much chlorine in the pool, it doesn't even matter."
8. "Hotels and motels are all different. I used to be a housekeeper at a really cheap motel and everything got scrubbed from top to bottom. Then, I worked at a very high-end hotel, and we had time limits on how long each room could be cleaned. It was nasty. I lost my job because I took too long cleaning everything correctly. Check the drawers, check under the bed, and if there's crap, it hasn't been cleaned properly. Most housekeepers have 10–15 minutes on single room, a double, and if they're lucky, a whopping 15 minutes on a suite before the boss [says] you need to move onto the next room — finished or not."
9. "NEVER use glasses provided in hotel rooms, especially the bathrooms. I've seen those get 'cleaned' with the same rag that cleans the toilet and sink. Think staying in an expensive hotel will save you from this nastiness? Think again."
10. "Whenever you're at a fast-food drive-thru, WE HEAR EVERYTHING. As long as you are in the censor, our mics are open. So, we can listen to your phone conversation, jammin' music taste, or even your rude comments."
11. "I work for a phone company, and whenever you ask for a manager or supervisor over the phone, you are just getting another rep, who has already listened to the rep you were talking with and had probably already been working with them. So, if they say they can’t do something, the 'manager' has probably already tried it and can’t do anything either. Also, we are WAY less likely to give you credits if you demand them versus being nice and polite."
12. "I worked at a popular sandwich place and had to cut up tomatoes that were in contact with other tomatoes that were rotten/moldy, and management didn't let us throw them away. The meats (ham, cold cuts, beef, turkey, chicken) come in plastic bags, and the guac comes premade, frozen in a little plastic baggy."
13. "Worked for a few hair salons at the front desk. If you’re rude to your stylist, get snippy with the front desk, or consistently arrive late, we make a note on your profile to treat you differently. There’s one lady who used to come into the salon in the mid-2000s who walked out on a bill worth a couple hundred dollars — to the point that cops were called — a full decade before I started working at the place. The only reason I know the story is because someone made a note of it on her profile, and it pops up every time we deal with her. A decade later."
14. "I work at a dealership, and it’s best to go the last day of the month. Everyone is scrambling to meet their bonuses and will even take a loser deal. Do not ever settle for what they try to give you at first. They CAN do better. They give you a bad price at the start to see if you’ll take it, but just stay firm and tell them that they can do better! When they say they’re 'talking to the banks,' that’s not true. That just means they’re talking to their desk (desk manager)."
15. "I worked for a huge makeup company for 10 years, and I know that A LOT of my fellow artists did not thoroughly clean their brushes in between their makeup appointments."
16. "At the supermarket chain I work for, most of the food at the salad bar is there because it's about to go bad, so they put it there to sell it. Same goes with the pre-marinated meats in the meat department. Customers pick food off the hot and cold bars with their bare fingers all day as well."
17. "If you're ordering flowers, stop looking at the photoshopped images online. You are not going to get that. No one gets that. Speak in terms of size, color, and budget. The florist can make whatever is freshest at that point in time instead of being painfully tethered to a delusional photo composite."
18. "I was a room attendant (maid) for the nicest hotel in a very famous and popular national park. The comforters only got changed 2–3 times a season unless there was a norovirus outbreak. Granted, this is the super scratchy, decorative layer that no one sleeps with anyway, but I’d suggest removing it and just sticking it in a corner as soon as you get to your room."
19. "At large theater chains (maybe some smaller ones, too), they usually have a pipe system for water for ice. Roaches love that pipe system for whatever reason. Basically, it wasn’t uncommon to find roaches in the ice. Also, the nacho cheese is really gross, not just because of what it’s made of, but because no one ever cleans the machine. People will literally quit before having to clean it, or it [barely gets] cleaned."
20. "As a flight attendant, my only advice is to never order coffee, tea, or anything with ice in it. The water container is never cleaned. We only use bottled water when you ask us for water, not for coffee and tea."
And finally:
21. "I worked for a very large lingerie company. ... We would get returned underwear, and while you'd think they just get damaged out because who knows if they were really worn, they don't. We put them right back out on the floor. Also, when we were closed and restocking, those panties were all over the floor getting organized. Trust me — wash your panties before wearing them."
Do you have any dirty secrets from your job? Let us know in the comments below!
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.