Today's burning question comes from Redditor Nerdikki, who asked the online community the following question: "What is a genuine 'We don't want you to know this one, simple trick" from your profession?"
It turns out there are quite a few, and people are more than willing to share them if you ask nicely enough.
"A pepperoni with added pepperoni..."
Worked for pizza hut for 2 years.
Pepperoni pizza was $5. Double pepperoni was $8. A pepperoni with added pepperoni was $7, which was the exact same thing as a double pepperoni. Only one customer I served had figured that out.
"It is very common..."
Auto Parts: It is very common for the exact same part that was made to the same specifications, by the same people, in the same factory, at the same time, to be put in two different boxes and sold at two different prices. You think with the more expensive brand that you're paying for higher quality, but very often it is just the [NAME BRAND] part in box with a [VALUE BRAND] label on it. The tricky part is knowing when that is the case and when it is not.
"If debt collectors are calling you..."
If debt collectors are calling you, tell them you want proof of the debt and you want all future communication in writing, no phone calls.
If it's a legit debt you will still owe the money, but they will contact you by mail and stop calling you. If they keep calling you after you tell them to stop, they might be breaking state or federal law, or both, and you should report them to the FTC and your state attorney general.
If they can't demonstrate that the debt is legit, and they're smart, they'll stop trying to collect it.
"Nanny here."
Nanny here. The one secret that results in sleep trained babies and well behaved children: consistency. If you need a child to change their way of doing things, then you must not give up on it or them. (Well, in 99.99999% of cases)
"We don't have this book?"
Interlibrary loan. We don't have this book? I bet SOME library around the world does. They'll ship it to us and you can have it. free of charge.
"Bakeries often throw..."
GiphyBakeries often throw all their baked goods away at the end of the day. If you come in to my shop and you nicely ask if you can take some stuff home, I'll happily give it to you rather than throw away perfectly good food.
"I work in tourism."
I work in tourism. "Packages" that bundle tours and hotels and flights into one price for a "great deal" are usually more expensive than just booking the individual components separately.
"If you dropped..."
If you dropped your consumer electronic and its not obvious but also not working, dont tell the tech support you dropped it, just say it just happened.
Everyone of us rather RMA it for you, but once you say its your fault you tied our hands. You might need to perform troubleshooting you know to be fruitless, but just do it or make a reasonable impression that you did so we can move along to your rma.
"Not my industry but..."
Not my industry but about 40% of Americans have taxes simple enough that the government has all the information needed to determine what they owe. The government could recalculate your taxes, send it to you and then have you confirm or correct it. But they don't do that because the tax prep industry lobbies hard against it. Anything that makes taxes easier hurts them.
"I used to teach..."
I used to teach programming.
Are you trying to learn to code, and getting stuck? You do not need special coaching or mentoring. You do not need a boot camp. Most probably, you need to try something and be okay with it failing.
Fire up Python, type some random bullshit in, press enter, and get an error message.
Notice that your computer has not exploded.
Notice that things are okay.
No, you do not yet have a $300k job at Google. That's fine.
Most of the way that people fail to learn to code is not that they can't understand GraphQL, or MapReduce, or Deep Learning, or the Paxos consensus algorithm, or quicksort. It's that they get scared and confused.
The best mentor is not one who you're paying a bunch of money to explain your code to you. The best mentor is one who helps you get comfortable trying things, failing, and trying more things.
Real programmers spend a lot of time staring at weird error messages.
"You can fit..."
You can fit nearly any fancy new lock you see at the shop yourself. They're not particularly complicated to fit and usually come with very good instructions if not a YouTube video. Half my job as a locksmith was fitting deadbolts. Seriously, it's not that hard.
Also a hint, locks don't stop a determined intruder, get a security system. Again, do it yourself. Security companies charge a fortune for their systems that are usually no better than the ones in the shop. The only advantage to a security company is that they will monitor your alarms, but really, if you rig it up to call you then you are your own security company.
"Your Android phone..."
GiphyYour Android phone keeps its 4G antenna on, even if you're connected to WiFi. This is to keep an active network connection so that, when you leave your WiFi, the 4G connection is already active and you keep browsing seamlessly. Problem is, keeping the antenna on drains battery.
Go to Phone Settings - About Phone - Software Information. Tap on the Build Number 7-8 times, until Developer Mode is unlocked. Go to the newly unlocked Developer Options below About Phone, and deselect Mobile Data Always Active. You've just increased your battery life.
"Accountant here..."
Accountant here. If you're reconciling a bank account and the balance in your ledger doesn't match what it's supposed to, multiply the difference by 9 and divide the difference by 9. If either one of these results is a whole number, you've got a transposition error somewhere.
"We rotate beer..."
We rotate beer in the cooler so the ones in front are about a week from expiration. If the cooler empties we will fill from displays before we take the freshest beer from the back warehouse to rebuild said displays
"If you are on certain programs..."
If you are on certain programs, you are ineligible if you have a car. If that car has been up on blocks for six months because you don't have the money to repair it, you still have a car and do not qualify.
Insurance is evil.
"If you're using..."
If you're using an Android phone and it "gets a virus" because you're "seeing popups" or whatever, 99 times out of 100 it's because you downloaded some crappy application. Delete it. No more popups.
Also you can get a perfectly good new smartphone for a little over $200 these days if you don't care about bells and whistles. The $1000 phones are $1000 because they come with all sorts of features most people don't use.
"I'm a real estate agent..."
I'm a real estate agent in WA. Don't buy houses in February. That's the hardest time to buy a house and often the most expensive. But, you should buy in the winter because sellers just want money in most cases.
"If a computer..."
If a computer, radio, etc isn't working, the majority of tech support is turning it off and back on again, checking the physical connections, downloading the newest version of what's not working, and looking for patches. There's very little hardware/software reworking, unless it's a very unique, very expensive system.
"If someone is registered..."
If someone is registered with a professional monitoring body who is responsible for the checking of someone's qualifications prior to registration, and that person loses their degree/higher qualification certificates, you can accept the proof of their registration with the professional body as verification of their qualification certificate.
EG if a doctor is registered with the general medical council and has lost their degree certificate (it happens) you can accept their GMC certificate of registration or GMC proof of entry as proof that the doctor's qualifications have been validated.
Might be boring to some but it's helpful to me!
"If you read a news article..."
If you read a news article with no named sources, 99% of the time its bullshit. The article needs a "voice" and tone so, journos with no integrity simply invent one. Your A list celebs who won't go anywhere without security and who live in gated estates are not blabbing their love life secrets to "a pal" who immediately runs to the media to let a trash tabloid know everything. The journo simply needs to fill space and paint a picture.
The exception is when the source actually asks to be anonymous. Usually this will be stated somewhere in the article that they didn't wish to be named/names have been changed. Or if the story is about something/someone extremely sensitive or dangerous.
"A pal close to her" is not out here blabbing about Jennifer Aniston. The publication is simply lying to you. Stop buying into media manipulation.
DQ: What's your company secret?
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Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.