There are certain informative facts in life we maybe don't want to know; information that makes you think... "I'd rather you not tell me that!" Of course that type of information is the most important and we should be aware so we're prepared. For instance, food shopping, we all have to do it. Whether we're physically doing it or paying fresh direct, we all rummage for our home sustenance. And recently some grocery store employees felt we should be made aware of a few things, from shopping with more smarts to what places to just skip all together.
Redditor u/Member-Chewbacca wanted everyone to be prepared before the sojourn for groceries by asking.... Grocery store workers of reddit, what is something you know that we probably shouldn't know?
Lettuce Kills...
Giphy
Your green leaf lettuce was full of spiders and various other insects before we cleaned them. Pretty sure we got all of them. MiikeCan
I need medical assistance. MrFrazzleFace
Wash more than your produce...
You really need to clean the lids of cans before you open them. Truly. damelavenganza
This right here is super important, and not many people realize just how dangerous this can be, after Hurricane Maria, lots of people got sick cuz of rat/mouse pee thing due to uncleaned cans. Zundernietzsche
Such a Waste....
I used to work in a produce section of a grocery store back in the day. So much of the food gets thrown out as soon as it's no longer aesthetically in its prime. gpecho19
Freshness vs. appearance can be tough. Rotten food is usually ugly, but ugly food isn't necessarily rotten. I'll pass on the strawberries that have mold in the bottom, but a wonky looking sweet potato can still make some good fries. gpecho19
Hand Jobs....
We touch everything. Everything. All the cans, bottles, jugs, jars, snacks - everything you see stocked on the shelves has had at least 5 people touch it already. And we don't wash them. That's your job. Literally had a dude complain that I picked up his soda to bag it by the neck. Like, this is how I pick up every soda bottle? What do you think happens? They just float up to the shelf magically? Mr_Archer1216
Enjoy your grab....
Giphy
As cashiers, we were trained not to stop shoplifters. We could literally watch you carry something out of the store, and we couldn't run after you or tell you to stop. ferociousBirdThing
Meat is off the Diet!
I worked in the meat department at a higher end grocery store.
The marinated meat was meat that was old, but not bad. Old meat that was about to go bad was mixed in with the ground meat, either sold as is or made into sausage. It was suggested we tell customers the "best" option was what was going to go bad soon or what we had plenty of so we didn't run out.
None of these things are bad or wrong. It is how we minimize food waste, and how we minimize wasting the meat provided by ending a life. ullric
We've Been Swindled!
Buy the store brand/off brand basics, (milk, eggs, flour etc) It's literally the same exact thing from the same exact place as the more expensive brand name stuff. When I worked at a grocery store, we would occasionally get products with a label from from another store mixed in with our stuff. Also quite a bit of store brand/brand name stuff is made at the same facilities (with differences in recipes) This is not always the case but it happens more often than you think. Shay_da_la
Save the Kids...
Do not buy pic'n'mix. Those sweets have had so many grubby hands rifling through them, flies landing on them when kids didn't close the lids, probably sneezes on them... just don't do it. tragicworldrecord
The Bread and Butter...
The single most profitable items in the grocery store is a bag of ice, and a loaf of bread from a bakery. Ice can have a 100% mark up, and bakery bread can be 90% mark up. People just don't understand where grocery stores make their money. ChiSoxguy01
So serve tequila with fish....
Giphy
A good portion of whitefish fillets (maybe 40%) came to us with at least one worm curled up in them. We did our best to notice them and remove them, but some go unnoticed. That's just a product of living in the wild.
Also we talk about you after you leave if you were rude. Arr0wmanc3r
A Publix Star!
I worked for Publix.
We are not as happy to be there as we seem. We are the Disney Land of grocery stores.
When hired you are literally hired as the "talent." F4ggotianne
A wasteland....
If you give the cashier anything to put back that's frozen, it is 100% going in the trash. In a very rare circumstance, someone is available to run it back to the freezers so it doesn't melt, but otherwise it just goes into our claims bin behind customer service. It sits there until someone empties the bin in a few hours and it goes to the back of the store where someone else marks it as unsellable and throws it away.
If you give us fresh produce, popsicles, frozen pizzas, ice cream, anything that we can't just set back on the shelf for whatever reason, it WILL be wasted. StrawberryR
We're Out! I'm Sure!
Giphy
90% percent of the time when you ask us to look for something in the back, we already know we don't have it. aiecitay15
Cool Runnings....
Surprised I haven't seen this after scrolling a bit so I'll add it. This is true for most refrigerated products(yogurt, cheese, lunch meat, raw meat, lunchables, etc.) If the package is expanded its either been left out at some point and put back or is on the verge of going bad. Yogurt tops (the foil) should be slightly indented, not ballooning outwards. Same with lunchmeat packs or lunchable tops. LexieRae1172
Be Nice.
If you leave your cart in the parking lot, not in the corral, we all hate you on a deeply personal level.
The store is just disgusting. Clean everything when you get home. The people paid to clean after closing do not care and are trying to go home as quickly as possible.
Cashiers will notice you if you're buying condoms or pregnancy tests, even if they don't say anything. If you're rude, we will talk about you when you leave. Just please be nice. dryketchup
Crossing HEB off the list...
When I worked for HEB, the ripped meat packets would go back to meat market and reseal it and put it back on the shelf. You never know what kind of dirt from the belt that it may have been on. JunkBondJunkie
How Unfresh....
Everything in our bakery comes in frozen, even the few things we actually do bake in store come in as frozen dough first. People who have been ordering cakes or buying the Italian bread for years will sometimes decide to stop buying them when they find this out. Did they think the 3 people they see in the department baked the 3,000 products we stock on the shelves from scratch every day? Do they think there is an army of minimum wage workers hidden in the back lovingly kneading breads and whispering encouragements to cake batter as it goes into the oven? ohwowohkay
Recycle for Life...
If every grocery store is like the one I worked at, the amount of waste they produce will negate pretty much any efforts you can make as an individual to combat climate change. Maybe my store was just terrible but everything went in the dumpster. I tried to recycle as much as I could but it's an uphill battle when the rest of the employees don't give a crap. McWhiskey
Past Due....
Giphy
I would say check the expiration dates. Sometimes there is a fresher product right next to one that is about to expire. Also one time there was an apple pie that was apparently in the cooler since 2015 and was found in 2018. Gentlemon4
Cross Contamination....
We get our produce delivered on the same truck as we get our raw meat and fish. Not a huge deal to me but I always thought the vegans and vegetarians that shopped there would freak out if they found out our store worked that way. blurryrhombus
I once had a guy ask me if I was willing to follow him into the woods, depending on the price of the meal.
Yeah. No steak is worth that.
Plans After...
Wait What Wtf GIF by Saturday Night LiveGiphy"Thanks for the ride but I have a date with someone else, I figured you wouldn't drive me if you knew I was going on a date with someone else and I really needed a ride."
"Online dating, talked to her for a while, finally got the courage to ask her out and then she said that as we got there."
iareyours
Mirror Image
“'You look just like my wife!'”
catalinachild
"I did have a guy tell me I reminded him of his son. I don’t believe English has a word to adequately describe my feelings at that time."
UnicornMagicRainbow
"That would definitely do it."
chaotica78
Third Wheel
"'Hope you don't mind if my mother joins us.'"
ofsquire
"Actually had a girl do this on a first date because she had anxiety issues. Honestly wasn’t bad except that 90% of the time she was silent and her mom talked over her."
"I didn’t mind that much and wouldn’t have minded trying again when she was more comfortable except that she was let go at the company we worked at and she deleted her social media profiles and she never responded on her number. Ah well."
Seightx
Liar
Lying Simon Rex GIF by Simon Rex / Dirt NastyGiphy"'Hey bro aren't you gay? I made out with you last night.'"
"Random dude I've never seen before in front of my (f) date."
JHXC16
Was he lying though?
Filter Issues
"'You looked better on Tinder.'"
waqasnaseem07
"Isn’t it basic knowledge that everybody looks slightly worse than the worst picture you can find?"
no_user_ID_found
The Past
"'My ex used to do that too.'"
xxIvyOF
"Yep. I’ve definitely had two otherwise-decent-guy date-situations sour because the ex-comparisons just would not stop flowing. No woman wants to be seen as interchangeable—I’m not here to perfectly fill that ex-sized hole in your life. Focusing on the present moment and a future we could build together is a courtesy we need to grant each other in earliest dates of dating."
LarkScarlett
Powerless
"'I'm an alpha, you cant handle my top energy.'"
Midnightgay28
"I actually left a dude in the middle of dinner, in part, for saying this. I ordered an Uber under the table while pretending to listen to him. Went to the bathroom, and never came back. That was when I was young. Now I’d just say, 'How about we enjoy this meal in silence, before we head our separate ways.'”
UnicornMagicRainbow
Mommy...
"'Mother says I should be back by 9.'"
"Saying 'mother says' just feels weird."
bunnyrut
"That gives me Norman Bates vibes."
Werewolf_lover20
"'Mother says alligators are aggressive because they have an overabundance of teeth, but lack a toothbrush.'"
sodaextraiceplease
Obvs...
just kidding jk GIFGiphy"'If you were going to be murdered, what method would you prefer. Purely hypothetical. Obvs.'"
Specific_Tap7296
If it looks anything like a Dateline NBC episode... RUN!
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Or so you would think.
Do people still knit to pass the time? Are people actively collecting stamps?
It depends on who's asking.
Curious to hear about hobby trends, Redditor gizehgizeh asked:
"What are once popular hobbies that are slowly dying these days?"
Before we've become conditioned to living on our phones, these activities used to keep people occupied.
Before Texting, There Was This
"Letter writing."
– littlekingMT
Literal And Tangible Joy
"Well the internet killed pen pals for sure. I do remember I had a Japanese girl for a penpal maybe back in 2007 or so. I honestly don't remember how it started, pretty sure some website, but that was a fun experience. But now I can just straight up talk to foreign people real time, lol. But yea getting a physical letter that someone took the time to write and mail still is hard to beat feelings wise."
– skyburnsred
Model Trains
"When I was growing up, every town had a model train store in it. Now I have one in region and everything else has to be bought online."
– Hairy_Effective1172
Pretty Rocks
"Don’t see anyone playing marbles anymore, I had an awesome collection in school."
– sheeple85
"I had some marbles as a kid in the 90s. My grandma got them for me and I had no idea what I was supposed to do with them. I always imagined them as a thing kids in the 40s played with."
– Ryoukugan
People Were Moving Canvases
"Paintball has been dying a slow death since 2006. Sad, really."
– hobo_recycler
Before the general population began hating clutter, collecting was once a "thing."
Precious Coins
"Coin collecting... I'm a silver/gold nut and I'm always hunting for precious metal coins. whenever I go into a shop they get all excited because 'no one under 70 collects coins anymore.'"
– ThatFishySmell99
Post It
"Stamp collecting."
– spooky_scully_mulder
"Collecting in general, really. Of course there are still prominent collectors but it's slipped more into enthusiast and niche territory than being a popular hobby that you might expect anyone to have."
– iuytrefdgh436yujhe2
What A Gem
"Rockhounding was immensely popular back in the 1950's and 1960's. Personally, I think it's a fascinating and fulfilling hobby, but when I go to a meeting at a rock and gem club, I'm usually the youngest one in the room by several decades."
– filthy_lucre
People once enjoyed making things.
Admiring The View
"Stained glass. I learned how to make it from my old man, and my junior high art class teacher also taught it. Very few artisans are still around."
– brobeanzhitler
Metal Vocation
"Black smithing."
– kenworth117
"I bought a forge to try. It’s insanely hard work, and crazy expensive. I still haven’t finished a piece."
– DSentvalue
Scrapbooking
"Yeah. I'm watching the arts and crafts stores around me completely uninstalling their racks for specialty paper. Now the only thing they have is mega packs of repeating colors/images. To boot all the inclusions like papercraft/die-cut things, washi tape, scissors, stickers, etc have gotten so expensive I would rather go buy $5 bags at value village to get an assortment of things versus buying anything new. I really, really miss yard sales for the same reasons."
– Phantasmai
I envy people who have jobs that are basically their hobbies.
Not everyone gets paid doing what they actually enjoy and have a profound level of passion for.
If they do, kudos to them.
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While the process could take time, some people make our jobs much easier after spotting instant red flags.
Curious to hear about our general radar of people, Redditor xxFluffie asked:
"What is something that makes you immediately dislike someone?"
Some people just think they are absolutely hilarious and never realize they're the only ones laughing.
Next In Line
"They laugh about having screwed someone else over. If you think you're not next, well, you'll learn."
– whiznat
Unfunny
"when you mention you don't like a thing and they immediately do that thing 'as a joke.'"
– wayfinder
Playing Devil's Advocate
"Kneejerk contrarians. People who, no matter what you say you like or believe, just have to dismiss it and say they like or think the opposite."
– BubbhaJebus
People who put others down get slammed here.
Bad Parents
"When they treat their kids sh**ty in public. I don't mean handling tantrums, setting a rule, having to hurry to the train etc. I mean perfectly normal-behaved kids getting in trouble for trailing along peacefully, looking at things, asking questions etc."
"If you don't like tiny humans who learn the world, why have them??"
– raxeira-etterath
Public Humiliation
"Treating people sh**ty in public for laughs. Like being rude to service workers because they think it’s funny. Big red flag."
– Ok_Personality_1080
Simply Uncalled For
"Someone who is a d*ck to other people or animals for no reason."
– xebt1000
Those with ulterior motives rubs people the wrong way.
The Scheme
"If they try to get me to join their MLM scheme."
– spazmcgee1
Hard Sell
"A guy I used to be friends with in high school reached out a couple of years after graduating about a business opportunity he wanted my opinion on because 'you've always been smart', then he set up a Skype call and brought some other dude into the call and they started trying to sell me on what was clearly an MLM scheme. The guy went from friend to 'I'm never talking to you again' in a matter of 10 minutes."
– Mental-Afternoon-164
A Timeline
"Good gawd, this! I've had more than one exposure to this abject bullsh**tery..."
- Back in the late 80's/early 90's I was invited to a meeting of literally the OG "Pyramid" where you're recruited to pay in, and then you go out and recruit others to pay in, and the last in line got f'kall.
- In 1995 I had a coworker try to reel me into Amway, which was a hard no.
- In 2000 it was Pampered Chef, though to be fair they did have useful products.
- In 2009 a coworker tried to get me into some stupid video calling service that was obviously stupid from the description. He even got offended when I called bullsh*t.
– Mystical_Cat
Too much ego is a no-go.
I Can Do Better
"Being a b*tch just to stroke their own ego."
"We get it, you can lift 5lbs more than the 12 year old, you don't have to rub it in their face just because you're slightly better"
– Livia_Pivia
Can't Top This
"Oh, you did <story that's been told>? That's nothing! I did <implausible story>.
"I get the whole empathy through relating common experience, and I'm someone who does that (which drives some people crazy on its own), but there's a big different by empathising through common experience, and one-upmanship."
– Tisarwat
Lacking Conversational Etiquette
"Starting to talk over me when I was already talking."
"Stop it you rude, arrogant jerk."
– R33Gtst
If one or more of these traits sound familiar to you, you're not alone.
We don't have time for braggadocios, pyramid-schemers, and conversation interrupters.
And that's just for starters.
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Pleading to deaf ears...
"My dad told me he had hearing loss and couldn't hear me if I whined because my pitch would get too high."
"Would completely ignore me until I asked him questions in a normal voice."
"Trusted him implicitly until I was 12 and he yelled at my younger brother for whining."- Tyrion_Stark.
Get it while you can.
"That they took everything off the shelves when the supermarket closed."- fgyfddg.
venezuela empty shelves GIF by euronewsGiphySilly superstitions.
"My grandfather used to tell me that if I played with the fire, I'd pee the bed."
"I believed him for a while, until I got older."
"I think he was just trying to protect me from the fire."- teddypa1981.
"Rain, rain go away..."
"That if it was raining where I was, it was raining everywhere in the world."- morningshartz.
Age is just a number.
"My parents used to seem really old to me, so much so I believed they grew up like cave people as children, wearing giant leaves for clothes and what not."- Laleena_.
Hammer Floor GIF by VPROGiphySo that's how they're made!
"That smokestacks from the power plant created clouds."- Scaniarix.
An instant cure.
"The sun gives you sunburns, therefore, moonlight should heal them."- velocipeter.
Better safe than sorry.
"Don't drink and drive meant all drinks."
"My dad was super confused when I told him he wasn't allowed to have any soda until we got home."- hulagirlslovetoparty.
Don't believe everything you see on TV.
"There was an episode of Mickey Mouse where Mickey couldn’t reach something at first, so he tried again and somehow his arm was long enough to reach it."
"As a small kid I believed that if I couldn’t reach something, I should just try reaching for it again and my arm would then somehow be long enough to reach it."- That-Dutch-Person.
love him one piece GIFGiphyThe miracle of childbirth.
"That babies are pooped out."
"When I was like 7 I was listening to my aunt as she explained that childbirth was pretty intense and painful for her, and I was all solemnly like, 'yeah, sometimes just my poops are painful, I don’t think I could get a baby out' and she went 'um, WHAT?' and her reaction made me realize real quick that I had f*cked up somewhere and I tried to change the subject while my mind was just reeling lol."- thesoundingfurrows.
Oh to be a child again.
And to believe literally everything you're told.
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