Workplace secrets thread

[Nemoide]

I'm a librarian and even though it should be common sense, I think a lot of people don't realize that libraries throw out books. We don't have infinite space! My library has a used book store connected to it, so books tend to go there rather than getting thrown out directly, but removing titles is still necessary to the upkeep of libraries.

I worked in a huge movie theater and I suspect that most folks don't know that all the popcorn is popped on the weekend and kept in bags until it's needed for the next week. It's a system that pretty much guarantees that you'll never get fresh popcorn unless you have a lot of luck on your side. Oh, and if anyone's curious, the reason theater popcorn is yellow and tastes the way it does is because of something called "Flavacol."

My other jobs don't really have "secret" stories worth sharing. School photographers are overworked and value quantity over quality? One hour photo employees see everyone's pictures? *shrug*

[Jrecee]

One hour photo employees see everyone's pictures? *shrug*

Photo techs are horribly undertrained. All those precious memories? You're trusting them to some kid making 7.25 an hour who's had one day of training, or a manager who is so technically inept it's amazing he can even check his e-mail.

Of course pretty much everything has gone digital these days, so it's the customer's fault if they delete their photos.

[MrPopo]

I worked in a huge movie theater and I suspect that most folks don't know that all the popcorn is popped on the weekend and kept in bags until it's needed for the next week. It's a system that pretty much guarantees that you'll never get fresh popcorn unless you have a lot of luck on your side.

That depends on the chain. I worked at AMC 10 years ago and the popcorn was popped on demand. Only popcorn that would be saved for the next day was the small amount already in the individual bags.

[Luke]

Wish I could think of some specific events when I worked at Jiffy Lube for three years. Well, everyday we ripped off people. Too many stories to tell? Have never taken my car back after I quit.

Inside the mind of a Jiffy Lube mechanic:

Some asshole tightened the oil filter on to tight. Fuck it, it stays. Hey Miss, your air filter is about dirty as sin. We can give you a deal and install it for twenty five bucks. Why aren't you buying synthetic oil for this car?

[AppleQueso]

I worked in a huge movie theater and I suspect that most folks don't know that all the popcorn is popped on the weekend and kept in bags until it's needed for the next week. It's a system that pretty much guarantees that you'll never get fresh popcorn unless you have a lot of luck on your side.

That depends on the chain. I worked at AMC 10 years ago and the popcorn was popped on demand. Only popcorn that would be saved for the next day was the small amount already in the individual bags.

I worked at a century/cinemark, and we took leftover popcorn home at the end of the night and popped them fresh in the morning.

[Nintendork666]

One hour photo employees see everyone's pictures? *shrug*

Photo techs are horribly undertrained. All those precious memories? You're trusting them to some kid making 7.25 an hour who's had one day of training, or a manager who is so technically inept it's amazing he can even check his e-mail.

Of course pretty much everything has gone digital these days, so it's the customer's fault if they delete their photos.

[gtmtnbiker]

My first job was as a paper carrier for the local newspaper. There was a kid across the street who would help me from time to time delivering the papers. At one house, a Harley Davidson biker lived there with his Mom. This kid delivered the paper and noticed a stack of Easy Rider magazines (known for having pics of topless females) sitting on the porch. He swiped them.

This same kid noticed at another house some sort of magazine wrapped in brown paper sticking out of the mailbox. Playboy. He swiped it.

My next job, I worked at a steakhouse named Ponderosa. One of the meals you could get was Steak Tips which was steak tips covered with buttered mushrooms/onions. We had these people called runners who would bring food to the table (there were no waiters at Ponderosa. You got in line cafeteria style and placed your order with the cashier). While waiting for the rest of the food to be ready, the runners would sometimes snack on the steak tips. So instead of having 8 or 9 pieces of meat, you would have 6-7. Well one time, this girl was hungry and there was only 3 pieces left. The cashier noticed this and got a fork/knife and cut the remaining pieces even smaller. Then she loaded the plate with even more mushrooms/onions.

[Nemoide]

I worked in a huge movie theater and I suspect that most folks don't know that all the popcorn is popped on the weekend and kept in bags until it's needed for the next week. It's a system that pretty much guarantees that you'll never get fresh popcorn unless you have a lot of luck on your side.

That depends on the chain. I worked at AMC 10 years ago and the popcorn was popped on demand. Only popcorn that would be saved for the next day was the small amount already in the individual bags.

I wonder what it's like at the theater I worked at nowadays. It was a Loews but they were absorbed by AMC.

One hour photo employees see everyone's pictures? *shrug*

Photo techs are horribly undertrained. All those precious memories? You're trusting them to some kid making 7.25 an hour who's had one day of training, or a manager who is so technically inept it's amazing he can even check his e-mail.

Of course pretty much everything has gone digital these days, so it's the customer's fault if they delete their photos.

Depends on the place! I took pride in my work, even if 85% of the pictures were drunken high schoolers with disposable cameras! At the first drug store I worked at, it was me (a photography nerd) and the manager of the photo department. Things ran pretty well... except now I'm reminded that the machines were in such bad shape that the color-tests we had to run twice a day would often come out too bad to pass so we would fake the results with an old test. So yeah, maybe it wasn't all that great a place to get pictures developed.

[Xeogred]

Wish I could think of some specific events when I worked at Jiffy Lube for three years. Well, everyday we ripped off people. Too many stories to tell? Have never taken my car back after I quit.

Inside the mind of a Jiffy Lube mechanic:

Some asshole tightened the oil filter on to tight. Fuck it, it stays. Hey Miss, your air filter is about dirty as sin. We can give you a deal and install it for twenty five bucks. Why aren't you buying synthetic oil for this car?

Sums it up!

[Luke]

My first job was as a paper carrier for the local newspaper. I had to go to two hundred houses, or one dumpster.

Sums it up!

When I had my 1988 Pathfinder, I always changed the oil myself. A friend of mine worked at a Jiffy Lube and said if an oil filter was on too tight, they'd just leave it. Luckily I have a great and trustworthy mechanic who takes care of my current whip (do kids still say whip?).

Back on topic: Do any of you guys tip fast food employees? I rarely do as most fast food employees seem like they would rather be any where else on the planet, but if a teller/cashier is polite, courteous, and hands me my food with a smile I'll usually give him/her a few bucks.


Very Fitting.