It’s no news that every company has its own skeletons in the closet that remain virtually invisible to the general public. Chances are that you will probably never look at the companies mentioned in this post the same way ever again. But the more we know, the better—that’s why shedding a light on these dark secrets is the first step of dealing with them.
Bored Panda has contacted one of the Twitter users who replied to this thread. They preferred to stay anonymous but were kind enough to discuss the bad practices that some businesses carry out and why we are so eager to learn about them.
They told us that they were previously employed in the hospitality industry: “I worked on and off at a few bars for some extra cash when I first moved out at 23.” Finding out what was happening in the background was quite shocking, so they tried talking about this with some of the other servers.
Apparently, “they said they’d experienced the same at every bar they’d worked in. We worked out between us that most of the bars in the area did the same thing—some were really established places.”
“After I worked there, I had table service a handful of times at other bars, each time the bottle came out already opened with a pourer in place and a sparkler. When I looked closer at the bottle (as I knew what to look for), the foil seal looked really old, the bottle was chipped and scratched,” they explained that it looked like it had been around the block a few times.
Looking at how many Twitter users contributed to this viral discussion, it seems like people not only like spilling the tea about their jobs but also think it’s relevant to get a little sneak peek into the profession. The former bar worker believes that people are mostly interested because there’s a suspicion that “companies are not always run above board.”
“I did notice a lot of people replied to my tweet in denial of the goings-on and I think, socially, people hate having to accept they’ve been conned,” they mentioned. “I think my tweet was particularly interesting because people are usually drunk and, therefore, vulnerable in a bar/club environment.”
Many people replied to the user saying they could tell the difference between alcoholic beverages which, for very few people, could be true. “However, after a few drinks, most people will happily drink whatever you give them without question.”
The user hopes that people who read this thread would actually take this new information into account and “maybe make better decisions” in the future. “Just buy a drink at the bar and have fun with your friends, there’s no need to look flashy,” they advised.
When it comes to bad practices, sometimes businesses purposefully ignore or even enforce them. From the user’s experience, the companies (especially the clubbing and drinks industry) practice a “take what you can get” attitude.
“I’m not speaking for all bars and clubs at all but just a few that I’m aware of,” they specified. “There’s not many checks or inspections, maybe once a year, and—let’s face it—people can look above board for one day of the year.”
The former server also wanted to discuss things they saw from a client’s point of view: “There have been many times, as a customer, that I have witnessed sexual assault, drug-taking and men being aggressive and highlighted to security and [the establishment] completely ignored it—paying customers are the main priority it seems.”
They added, summarizing their thoughts about the thread: “I’m sure there are plenty of companies, in all industries, still practicing a zero-hours contract, not adhering to the minimum wage for cash in hand jobs, no contracts, dodgy tax dealings, etc.” So if you don’t want to be exploited and serve corporate interests, it’s important to call out such behavior whenever possible.
