What is something you know because of your job, that would surprise others? (My example is gross, thread warning!)

[Mrmen1100]

It can be anything!!

I will start..

I am a food safety inspector (local authority) and have been for over 15 years, working in two large cities, and my current job in a smaller local authority. The same theme...

Food handlers do NOT wash their hands properly after using the toilet / before preparing your food.. lack of antibacterial soap in a toilet cubicle or in a kitchen is common place.... even when I am there, hands are not washed, it is an absolute bug bear of mine.

Preparing with raw meat then handling food ready to eat.. not uncommon

Handling cash / touching screens then handling food.. not uncommon.

Yes it does put me off eating outside of my house unfortunately 🙃

I have come across a LOT worse but this example irritates me.

Your turn!!!!!

Hopeful bump!

About 15 years ago now... I could have told you the names of several very famous people who were having trouble with their finances and owed eye-wateringly huge sums to the taxman. 😂

Interesting, its easy to look into other people's lives and think they have it all, but clearly its not always the case!!

Boring but it surprises all the new starters - Greggs apply butter/sauces to sandwiches with spatulas not knives (and yes, some shocking hand hygiene...not washing hands after taking rubbish out to bins in rat-infested service yard 😱 I do always try to call it out if I see it!)

I was just thinking Greggs when I was reading your post! Yes, they handles cash and then make a bacon roll.

Tourism and Hospitality:

Not really very surprising but in destinations than run on the typical Easter to end of September summer season schedule - the worst time to go will be the last week in August.

Not always possible to avoid it, I know, with work and school holidays etc but it really is Hell Week.

The staff everywhere will be tired, supply chain problems will be at their worst and it's just one long round of frayed tempers, broken air conditioning and half the menus being a bit short of the nicer touches or running with rather, "Creative" substitutions.

By about the 3rd of September, the second wind of energy will have kicked in, as we see the finish line, the wholesalers will have got their act back together again, the plumbers, electricians and joiners will start to have spare spots for repairs and the ferry company might have gone back off strike.

As I said, not always avoidable but if you have ANY other choice of ANY other dates - take them instead.

I briefly worked in Greggs about ten years ago and haven’t eaten there since, having seen what goes on! I once went to wash my hands halfway through a shift and was told ‘we haven’t got time for that!’ Managers are terrified of the mystery shoppers marking them down for slow service.

The accountancy practice I worked for had some very interesting clients, that's for sure.😂

Years ago, and probably not allowed now, I had a friend who worked in a butchers and said they mix fresh heart in with the loose sold mince so it stays that beautiful rich red on the display tray.

I know how to make a bomb with everyday items bought on Amazon.

(Legitimate knowledge and not one I plan on initiating any time soon!)

When men come for an ultrasound of their testicles we get them to hold their penis up out the way. 99% of them then walk out the room without washing their hands.

Yes, I do clean the door handles.

Due to a previous job I knew of quite a few male celebs who were arranging their finances in a way that meant they didn't have to pay much maintenance for their DC. Nothing illegal.
I mentioned this with regards to someone who was named on here and a lady who claimed to be his wife contacted me to see if I had evidence - i did but as it wasn't illegal it wouldn't have helped her

That Jaffa Cakes are legally a cake, and not a biscuit. There was a tribunal in 1991 to decide this, as biscuits are VATable, but cakes are not. (I’m a bookkeeper in an accounting practice, we were chatting about this a while back.)

A long time ago, when I worked in a restaurant, the ‘homemade soup’ was always out of a packet and the chef, every day, proudly put the frozen peas in his mouth and spat them into the soup. Every time.

Retail workers might know this....
5020 1600
(Barcode for Cadbury Creme Eggs)

No way?! Just why?! There must've been all sorts going on there. What happened on inspection day?

I used to work in food service (done Wetherspoons, Greene King, and some nicer restaurants) and some of the things I’ve seen… if I had a serious allergy I would not eat out. Also some people are genuinely mingers, handwashing was a nightmare. When I was a shift leader I was constantly eye rolled and moaned at by some kitchen staff for enforcing hand washing…. Yes I’m a total bitch for asking you to wash your hands.

I’m a maths tutor now and I don’t think I have any cool insider info really… I mean I know a lot of gossip about people in the kids classes and one of the home ed mums tells me all the home ed community drama but I don’t think that counts.

Tbf I was 18 and I knew to avoid the soup. But yes, it’s gross! Not sure food inspectors were a thing in the 80s but I am sure it’s not unreasonable to assume it still happens 😬

How much everything you see on social media and parts of the wider internet, is a bubble created by algorithms based off data its collecting about you and your online habits designed to hold your attention and keep clicking. I would love to see a public information campaign about this, honestly, as I dont blame people for not being aware but it affects us all!

How many fake bot accounts there are and just how real the people behind them can make them seem. The true scale of misinformation campaigns by Russia alone is fascinating, and so many people have no idea this stuff is real! Lots of fake accounts that are not obviously fake at all. Social engineering is very good these days. Contributing to the algorithm by posting about the same thing. Contributing to false information that is then scraped a regurgitated by shoddy 'news' sources and AI.

I work in a very interesting but horrifying field!

Most swimming pools are also home to a colony of cockroaches.

Gawd I can't see someone spitting peas into soup now?! I guess I don't ever order the soup and I've never seen one with peas in.

It's just unnecessarily horrific. I hope that place got closed down! You poor thing having to work there! X

I temped with a coffee machine company (the massive ones used in cafés etc).
Most coffee shops will wipe the spouts with a (often dirty) cloth, but most of them don't know how to clean the inside, and then wonder where the sour milk smell is coming from.

(I've seen maggots inside machines sent back for repair or servicing ).
🤮

Most big brands who bleat on about their sustainability criteria don’t actually care and ultimately buy the cheapest option and are very happy to bin mountains of branded shite after its single use opportunity has passed

Posh boutique city hotel. Not a chain. Did a trial cleaner position shift.. 3 of us did each room. Used towels are used to dry bathrooms and cups /saucers...
I declined their job offer..

I worked in a high-net-worth field, and I am sorry to say it - money buys you clout - it shouldn't, and we should all get good customer service and be treated like we matter, but if you are HNW, you get treated like you walk on water. The manager will let them speak to you like absolute shit and take incredible liberties with your time and patience because they matter and you don't.

I had a case where a very rich dude 'lost' some very expensive jewellery but couldn't prove any form of ownership (think 200K each). Any single one of you that have home insurance would have been told to jog on, whereas I was told in no uncertain terms by the head of the company to just pay out.

After telling a HNW client no, I was summarily fired, my boss admitted that no was the absolutely correct answer, and I absolutely handled it the best way I could, but to soften the HNW client's displeasure, feathers needed to be unruffled. Luckily, I was snapped up by another department, so I just moved over.