"It's My Policy To Never Use Retractable Leashes": Employees Are Sharing Little Tips From Their Jobs For Everyone Else
Recently, I highlighted some people on the internet who gave us fascinating tidbits about their jobs that everyone else should know. Based on the comments of that post, here are some more interesting job secrets.
1."As a vet tech...I want everyone to know to avoid toxic plants when sending flowers. Any lilies must be absolutely avoided for anyone with pets."
2."When shopping at Costco, place items in your cart with the barcode facing up. Cashiers can just scan it right in the cart. It's less for the employees to have to lift and move and faster for everybody to get through checkout."
—Allyssa Laplante, Facebook
3."The darker the coffee roast, the lower the caffeine content. So when you order 'strong' coffee, it means basically nothing. Do you want it to taste strong, or have more caffeine? And by the way, your best bet for caffeine is not actually espresso — it’s a regular light roast. Yes, the espresso is more concentrated, but you’re drinking such a small amount that it doesn’t matter. A shot of espresso is 1–1.5 ounces, but a small coffee most places is 12 ounces."
BBC
4."I filled vending machines for 10 years... Everything is FILTHY. My hands would be black after the first hour of unboxing and filling [vending] machines, and the amount of times I’ve found dead rats and their waste all over pop and candy is unbelievable – delivered that way from the companies even! Also, always check dates!"
HBO Max
5."If you’re at Walmart and have a large unbagged item, I put these at the end [of the checkout belt] so the door checkers can easily find it on the receipt."
—Amanda Montgomery, Facebook
6."Teller at a financial institution here — if you’re depositing cash, PLEASE count it before you give it to us. We, of course, are required to count it as well to verify the amount, but if you don’t know how much you’re giving me, then how can you feel the right to argue with me about the amount?"
—a
CBC
7."Starbucks barista here. When you order a drink, please say it with the size and if it’s iced or hot... It's annoying and takes longer to walk you through the entire order, and if you don't know the sizes, no problem! I'm sure you are familiar with small, medium, and large."
8."Former delivery driver. Can we clearly see your house number when we're driving down your street in the dark? Have you got your phone on hand when you know we're nearly there, especially if you live somewhere that might be tricky to find? We aren't psychic, and that 'delivery instructions' space is your chance to help us out."
9."Former housekeeper: I appreciated when guest would actually strip the bed and leave the sheets either in a pile on the bed or on the floors. Thicker blankets and pillows are left on the bed."
—A.G.
10."When I worked retail, for lost kids, we were told to ask what color their shoes were. If the kid was grabbed by someone, they would toss a different shirt on them, or a coat, a hat, or wig, etc., but changing their shoes took too much time/effort. So, if your kid is missing and you're asking for help, mention the shoe type and color."
—p28
NBC
11."I've worked in charity retail for years, and I will say this: If you're giving in something that you wouldn't use yourself because of the condition, it's more than likely going to be ragged if its textiles (which charities do get money for, but not a lot, and it takes time to sort) or [thrown away] if it's something else, which just costs the charity money. The amount of stuff we get in that is unsellable is wild. I get that we wouldn't be able to make money through our shops without people's generous donations, but please make sure they are generous and not just needing to go in your own bin/recycling."
—Siobhan Megarrell, Facebook
12."I worked at a credit union as a teller for years. If you have cash that got washed, torn, shredded, any other form of significant damage, as long as you have two-thirds of the face in the middle and all of at least one serial number, we can replace those bills for you. However, please do as much as you can to put it back together. It will save us both time, as I can’t replace it without knowing it’s adequately there."
—Katie Shumway, Facebook
13."Coming from a nurse: Do not show up to the hospital with flowers and no vase. My job is to take care of my patients and not search for a vase because you didn’t feel like buying one."
— Mary Jeffries, Facebook
FX
14."Former 911 calltaker here. Please, know your location. Where I was working, we could get a general location, but nothing exact unless you were calling from a landline. As a rule of thumb, if I'm visiting someone's house, I enter the location in my Google Maps, just in case. For large businesses, we could look them up, but smaller businesses, there was never a guarantee we could find them in our system. Just know either the address or cross streets. Anything to help us get help to you faster."
FOX
15."If you're using a hand basket, don't just put the hand basket onto the conveyor belt. Take the stuff out and set the basket on the floor or the designated basket spot. When I saw people doing that, I would ask them to remove the stuff from the basket. It's beyond rude."
16.Finally, "I'm a professional dog walker, and it's my policy to never use [retractable] leashes. They snap, they give the dog too many opportunities to get hurt (walking into traffic, heavy brush, skunks), and if a loose dog joins the picture you can't intervene nearly fast enough."
—Michelina Gillette, Facebook
