Redditor Enguzelharf asked:
"What's your profession's myth that you regularly need to explain 'it doesn't work like that' to people?"
Stock
"I work in a hardware store and apparently people think we have a huge underground storage big enough to hide every product in existence."
"No, I can't just go and fetch a part for your 20-year-old fireplace or power tool from the backroom."
- Mjarf88
"Also- an extension cord with two sets of male ends isn’t needed for Christmas light installation. No, you didn’t but one last year. Yes, I know this. I worked here last year. We didn’t have them then either. There is a use for those cords but it’s not Christmas lights."
- pherring
"Retail. If an employee tells you they're sold out of that hot sale item. They're sold out. They're not hoarding them in the backroom, because f**k you. They know they're sold out, because you're the 10th person to ask about it, in the last 20 minutes."
- RagingHolly
Pain Meds
"Your terminally ill grandmother isn't 'becoming addicted' to her pain medication. She's dying in as much comfort and with as much dignity as we can provide."
- Aggressivecleaning
"As an add-on to this, the pain medication isn't going to kill them faster."
- fiducia42
"Honestly, I needed someone to remind me of this when we were at the morphine phase with my mom. They explain how they’ll stop all treatment and make her comfortable with the morphine, and somehow it just felt like we’d be killing her. The doctor took her time to explain that was not what was happening. I am a relatively smart person but in this situation I just really needed to hear this."
- Scullyxmulder1013
Antibiotics
"Antibiotics don't work on viral diseases."
- The_Max_V
Conservation Of Energy
"As an engineer, I have to explain a lot of time that the law of energy and mass conservation can't be broken."
- Bobraie
"Are you telling me that my childhood invention of a solar-powered car with a big lamp on it pointing at the solar panels *wouldn't* be able to run forever? I don't believe you.
- JayGold
"One time the HVAC went out in my office and my boss brought in a portable air conditioner. I asked where we were going to vent the hot air, and he was like 'What heat? It's an A/C, it just makes cold.' It took 20 minutes on a whiteboard to explain that you can't 'make cold,' you're just transferring the heat somewhere else."
- KickFacemouth
Accounting
"When someone finds out you're an accountant 90% of the time they will say "great, so you can help with my taxes haha" . There are loads of accountants who may never see taxes in their day-to-day and have minimal knowledge from their certification only."
- dahliafluffy
"So much this, and no I’m not busy in April because it’s tax season, it’s because the quarter just ended."
- jaaaaagggggg
Video Editing
"Video production. Your only options in the edit are what the camera captured."
- JhymnMusic
"Dude this. I have clients sometimes ask me to add slow motion to certain shots. 'Make it look slick and smooth.'"
"Well, you shot everything at 24fps so, no. It’s gonna look like sh*t."
- try_by
"'Just fix it in post' I will end you."
- DefinitelynotDanger
Grants
"There aren’t just buckets of grant money available for your wacky idea. You have to have a track record, an organization, a plan and a budget. It’s highly competitive."
- Soobobaloula
"I’m a professional grant writer too. The number of times I have to explain that the 'airport grant' cannot be used to replace East Main Street is too damn high."
- PrideofPicktown
"I tried to explain this to an interim administrator at the school where I worked. I had asked to meet and discuss ideas for grant projects, as writing grants had previously been part of my job. Wouldn’t accept that I couldn’t just say 'it’s for a school' and that would be that."
- Sheepeys
scrooge mcduck 80s GIFGiphyArboriculture
"Putting an angled back cut when felling a tree against the lean does absolutely nothing and will result in a tree falling on your house. Just pay us to do the job"
- spjnr
"Learned this the hard way when my landlord came over to take down a tree in the back yard by lassoing it with a rope tied to a water skiing handle and cutting a notch into the tree with a chainsaw. Turns out trees are heavy, who knew? Granted it was his house but my family living in it. We moved into our own place a little later and I’ve hired arborists ever since."
- Top_Chef
"Yep. Every good redneck knows to pull the tree down with a buddy's pickup."
"Preferably a buddy you don't like with a pickup that's not worth much."
- imdatingaMk46
Ordering In A Bar
"I work in a bar. People frequently ask for drinks to be “extra strong”, but when I explain that they can just order a double, but we can’t add extra alcohol to their drink for free, they look at me like I’m speaking a language they’ve never heard before."
- Fabulous_Piccolo_178
"For a strong drink you either have to tip very well every time you are in, or be friends with the bartender outside of work."
- Idrinktears92
"Pretty much yeah. But if I’m not behind the bar, I can’t ask whoever’s bartending to f**k up their inventory by just giving away liquor—it’s like people don’t understand that we keep track of how much is in each bottle and when the sales reports don’t match the inventory, it’s a problem. Like if you work retail and somebody asks if they can just add an extra item to their purchase without ringing it up or paying for it you’re going to look at them like they’re insane."
- Fabulous_Piccolo_178
Photo Editing
"Photo editing. It's amazing how many people think they can give me a tiny, blurry, digital image of the back of their daughter sitting on a park bench, with uneven lighting in the shade, and think I can magically and quickly turn that into a banner of her standing next to the Eiffel Tower, smiling in the sun, facing the camera. Neither Photoshop nor I have any idea what your daughter's face looks like. I can't just 'turn her around'. I literally have to work with exactly what you are seeing in the photo you hand me or email me. Now if you give me several photos, some containing her face, some with her standing, etc., then yes, I can do some quite magical things."
- nollaf126
"ENHANCE"
- whateverathrowaway00
Super Troopers Reaction GIF by Searchlight PicturesGiphyThe moral of the story is: if someone who is an expert in a field tells you that something is a certain way, it's probably best to believe them.
Redditor KingPin1010 asked:
"What life changing item can you buy for less than $100?"
More Screens
"Another monitor."
"Your productivity will increase dramatically."
- ItsTribeTimeNow
"I have 3. But maybe you are right..."
- TJonesyNinja
"There's never enough monitors."
- Account Deleted
Greenery
"House plants. They will make you happy looking after them. I recently bought a venus fly trap, she caught her first fly today. So proud."
- ManonastickUk
"This is so wholesome I could die."
"I started keeping and growing plants and herbs, and just not killing them feels like such a huge accomplishment. Seeing a new sprout is like a celebration."
"Now I understand why people have graduations for kindergarten."
- NeckroFeelyAck
"Feed me Seymour!!!"
- ManKittie
Hungry Feed Me GIFGiphyQuackers
"Two pet ducks. You may be tempted to go for one. But trust me. You need two. And you’ll have about $76 left over."
- duckmama89
"They don't tell you this in school, but the ducks in the park are free..."
- IntroDucktory_Clause
"Ducks are free in the pond near my house. They’re tricky to catch but worth it in the end."
- HerNameIsGrief
More Than Just Rice
"Rice cooker. That f**ker kept me fed during depression when I barely had the energy to get out of bed. Takes less than nothing to get some rice in there and flip the switch. Want something sweet? Throw coconut and sugar in there. Want flavor but can’t be f**ked to make anything? Get some Spanish rice or saffron goin. You can throw tofu in there with it if you need. Yeah it’s not the best for you but hot food is better than no food."
- HotTopicMallRat
"Cooking old fashioned oats in the rice cooker has become a winter tradition in our family. The texture of the oats is fantastic. The kids and I pick and dry fruits in the warmer months to use in oatmeal during the winter months."
- DameLibrio
Best Use For A Buck
"I bought a $1 back scratcher from an asian market in town. Best $1 I ever spent."
- matthewsmazes
"My boyfriend came home from work one day raving about this back scratcher his boss had. I thought it was the dumbest thing. A few days later he comes home and says he found the same one at a gas station for $8. I rolled my eyes thinking who needs a back scratcher for $8. It’s the best thing ever. It looks like a little metal skeleton hand and it’s extendable."
- pepperedcitrus
Tea With Ease
"If you have trouble getting up or functioning in the morning, and like a nice cup of coffee or tea, an electric kettle with a timer can be a real game-changer. Or just getting an electric kettle if you don't have one."
- zazzlekdazzle
"An electric kettle with a thermometer will up your tea game by leagues."
- Psychological_Tear_6
dolly parton tea GIF by London Theatre DirectGiphySo Snuggly
"A king sized blanket for a queen sized bed."
- ImHere4theFunnies
"I got a king for a double bed. Best decision ever! The double sheets fit the bed, but I couldn't snuggle completely under them without curling up. Now. I can hide completely under the duvet stretched out. Best thing ever in the winter!"
- Zanki
"If I pull the covers completely over myself the boogeyman can’t find me."
- apgeorge69
Save Your Shins, And Your Eyes
"Motion sensor night lights. Can’t tell you how many stubbed toes or falls they have prevented. Also a cheap intruder alarm."
- epanek
"Get a motion activated toilet bowl light. They're amazing. Don't kill your eyes in the middle of the night when you gotta pee."
- Onlythegoodstuff17
"Relatedly, a dimmer switch for the bathroom. Works in the middle of the night, as well as early mornings, as you can gradually increase the brightness to match your current tolerance for the world."
- Cimarro
Support Your Cranium
"May sound simple, but a good pillow. It is amazing the change in body aches, and sleep you see when you have a good pillow that fits you."
- shartnado3
"I thought that I liked memory foam and other fancy pillows, but the real life changer for me was a buckwheat pillow. I have sleep apnea, and it allows me to get my head into the perfect position and keep it there comfortably."
"Before you go out and buy one, please research the pro's and cons. They aren't for everyone."
"Consider them if you like a firmer pillow, occasionally wake up with an achey neck from lack of support, and want a pillow that breathes well. Someone in the comments has also pointed out that you will win every pillow fight you get into."
"Downsides are: if you shift around in your sleep a lot, you'll need to adjust the pillow to fit your new position. Adjusting the pillow and settling in makes a little bit of noise as the buckwheat husks rub against each other, kind of like dry leaves crinkling. Some people are also allergic to buckwheat, but there are other similar fillings such as millet husks. Organic fillings also need to be replaced once in a while, since it breaks down over time.
- Phosphero
Make Your Mornings Easier
"Step 1: Throw away all your socks.
Step 2: Buy 3-5 packages of the same sock.
Step 3: Enjoy a life without ever having to match socks again."
- slykly2
"OMG!! I thought I was the only one that did this. My husband and kids make fun of me but I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. One gets a hole, throw it out and move on. No worries about finding the mate and getting rid of the pair. No matching socks when doing laundry. No worrying about wearing two different socks at the same time (sorry, my OCD won’t let me do this). This makes my life so much easier!'
- turtlefreak23
It doesn't take a $1,000 new toy or appliance to make a big difference in your life. Sometimes it's something like a $10 water bottle you found on sale that makes drinking water easier and more fun that makes the biggest improvement.