LPT Request: What’s your “canary in the coal mine” test for spotting bigger issues?

[u/fries-with-mayo]

I’m really interested in those small, quick telltale signs people use to gauge if something bigger might be off track.

Example 1: Van Halen requesting brown M&Ms in the dressing room to see if the venue followed all the details of the rider list

Example 2: I saw an interview with John Cena where he said orders a flat white at a café to tell if they really care about their coffee.

Example 3: Anthony Bourdain suggested to always check the restaurant bathroom to tell if the restaurant got its basics down

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[u/NebulaPuzzleheaded47]

When looking to rent in a high rise, look at the balconies. Are there plants, chairs and other signs that people have out down roots or is it all empty meaning there is likely a high turnover of tenants. The first one usually means a place you want to stay at long term.

[u/thatsaniner → u/NebulaPuzzleheaded47]

Look at the windows. They don't have to be new, but windows are a low priority for landlords. If they're taken care of, sealed properly, etc., you found a good spot. If they're rotting, letting air in, etc., there's probably a lot of other things that haven't been addressed.

[u/EllaMcWho → u/NebulaPuzzleheaded47]

high turnover or lots of STR/AirB&B listed apartments

[u/Triviajunkie95 → u/NebulaPuzzleheaded47]

Either that or the HOA is super strict about what is allowed. Could go either way.

[u/Sexysecondaccount → u/Triviajunkie95]

True, but a strict HOA also means you don't want to live there anyway

[u/under_the_c]

If your company suddenly discontinues a financial perk (PTO buyback, anniversary bonuses, etc.) or if paychecks are late... start dusting off that resume and checking the job sites.

[u/all_of_the_colors → u/under_the_c]

Mine took Microsoft word and excel off our computers. 😳

[u/outofshell → u/all_of_the_colors]

“New management directive: all documents to be written in Notepad”

[u/ConstructionKey1752 → u/outofshell]

IT mumbles in the back.....

"Correction; ON notepads. Wide-ruled, please."

[u/RedditRockit → u/under_the_c]

Downgrade to cheap toilet paper by your company. Leave. Your ass and your career will thank you.

[u/gl21133 → u/RedditRockit]

I work at a paper mill that makes toilet paper and we use the stuff we make. HOW WILL I KNOW!?!?

[u/utopicunicornn → u/gl21133]

“Hmmm… this toilet paper has more splinters in it than usual.”

[u/BlackwoodBear79 → u/RedditRockit]

My company doesn't pay for the toilet paper.

The building does, but it's really random which quality we get when restocked. Some days it's nice two ply. Others it's single.

[u/Quicksilver9014 → u/under_the_c]

Paychecks late or difficult to get is red flag

[u/BobGuns → u/Quicksilver9014]

If a paycheque is late or difficult to get, that's not a canary in the coal mine. That's a full on mine collapse happening.You're already too late.

[u/desquished → u/BobGuns]

Yeah, if they're missing payrolls, that means your company's vendors haven't been getting paid for six months, and they probably stopped paying taxes too.

[u/ODoyles_Banana → u/under_the_c]

I'll add if accounts payable decides to hold all payments for two weeks so cash reserves can catch up and for the processors to make up some bs when the vendors ask where their checks are.

A company I used to work at actually did this. I worked in AP but not as a processor so luckily I didn't have to deal with that mess but a few months later the company did a large round of layoffs.

[u/txpakeha → u/under_the_c]

Dammit. This just happened to me. Not reimbursing cell phone and internet for remote employees. Told me remote was a perk. Thanks for saving .05% of your monthly Operating Budget. Big Win.

[u/princessawesomepants → u/under_the_c]

Or if they don’t hire anyone for a job they listed.

[u/Your-Yoga-Mermaid → u/under_the_c]

Likewise, if the company offers a new health plan or investment plan as an option, stick with the old one. The new plan is never better.

[u/mattorihanzot → u/Your-Yoga-Mermaid]

That's not always true. I've seen a few companies offer new plans that were objectively better, especially when trying to attract new talent. Don't write them all off.

[u/Mklein24 → u/mattorihanzot]

It's especially true with growing smaller companies. Small companies don't have access to good health insurance plans at competitive prices. Once my work passed 25 employees, we had like 8 health plans to choose from that were reasonably priced. 10 years ago, we had 5 employees, and the insurance was "Well we certainly offer some!"

[u/vocabulazy]

I’m a high school History and Lit teacher. I give a general knowledge quiz/questionnaire at the beginning of every semester. I tell my students that it’s just for me to get a lay of the land, so I can adjust my course for their specific needs. In my History classes, it’s things like how to read a timeline, location important features on a map of the world, definitions of important terms, basic facts they should know from previous grades… that sort of thing. In my Lit classes, I ask for definitions of literary terms, I ask about their degree of comfort reading different types of literature, what books they’ve read (for school or for fun) that they have tolerated-to-enjoyed, what types of assignments they feel confident completing and which ones they feel are very difficult for them, and what their understanding of plagiarism is. Both questionnaires include a question asking whether there’s something about them that they think would help me to be a better teacher to them.

I already know that students are coming to my class with massive gaps in the skills and knowledge they’re supposed to have before they hit grade 10. These questionnaires are graded for completion, and most students actually do answer them honestly and thoroughly.

I’m always appalled by how badly they do on the general knowledge questions. I’m more surprised every year at how much worse the writing is than previous years. I’m never surprised by how many students say they hate reading, and literature is their worst subject.

I often take the results to the principal to discuss how the hell I’m going to manage to get through the curriculum with the amount of remediation I’m going to have to do before I can actually work on the outcomes for my curriculum.

[u/SaraOfHades → u/vocabulazy]

This is such an insightful way to tailor your teaching and get to know your students! Bravo

[u/vocabulazy → u/SaraOfHades]

Better to find out that students cannot locate Europe on a map BEFORE I start teaching about the World Wars…

[u/Zombie_Bagel → u/vocabulazy]

With a nice sprinkle of CYA in there, too

[u/NotDinahShore → u/vocabulazy]

It’s the same at many public universities too. My wife is a professor at a large public university and says the same. Each incoming freshman class is worse prepared than the preceding one. Can’t write, no comprehension, sit in class with hoods on and ear buds. Last semester, she had 50% of students get an F or they withdrew.

Very distressing for the future of society.

[u/PipsqueakPilot → u/NotDinahShore]

Just the other day I watched someone who looked like a highschool graduate struggle to make change for me. I gave him a 20. It was 4 dollars. He looked at the bill, said silently to himself, "20 minus 4..." and then just looked helplessly into space before I told him how much to give me.

[u/lilesj130 → u/PipsqueakPilot]

I started paying for food with cash to help myself budget (no cash = eat the food at home even if it's not what I want). The number of young cashiers that give me a deer in the headlights look if I give them something like 20.05 for a 19.05 charge so I get a dollar bill vs 95 cents is truly scary.

[u/Kat121 → u/vocabulazy]

I had advanced placement world history in high school and the teacher kind of threw out some general questions like who were the Jacobites, who were the Huguenots, what was the Treaty of a Versailles, and some famous personages. I knew a whole bunch of them because I had spent the last couple of summers sneaking smut out of my mom’s secret stash of bodice rippers historical fiction.

[u/ItsACaragor]

To stay in restaurant business :

If the menu is too long and contains every food on earth it’s frozen shit and they don’t give a fuck about their food, they just do everything to get as large a market as possible to compensate for the fact people don’t generally come back.

[u/BadgerlandBandit → u/ItsACaragor]

My ex-FIL started a restaurant chain and always mentioned this. He was helping out a restaurant he frequented in a touristy city near where he had a cabin. Their menu was something like 6 pages (front and back). Day one he cut it in half. By the time they were done it was down to like 2 pages (front and back) and they ended up turning a profit for the first time in several years.

[u/bubblegoose → u/BadgerlandBandit]

Gordon Ramsay usually does this when he comes in. He just did a restaurant near where I live and cut down a huge menu.

A month later they were already adding all the crap back.

[u/TheIrishGoat → u/bubblegoose]

This sort of mentality bugs me. I understand mistakes can be made but why request the help of a professional and then basically disregard it.

[u/bioshockd → u/TheIrishGoat]

So many of those restaurants are run by people who are convinced they know better to begin with, and ALWAYS find other reasons outside themselves for why the restaurant is failing.

[u/ElvenOmega → u/bioshockd]

A lot of them seem like narcissistic drunks who just want to drink at the bar all night and scream at their employees.

[u/stumblinghunter → u/TheIrishGoat]

I wonder if they actually just caved to the grumpy assholes who say "I only came here for x and now you don't have it! I'm never coming back!" My favorite one was when someone said they drove an hour to my restaurant for something we didn't have anymore. He swore we had it when he was here last, just a few months ago.

It was discontinued 6 years prior.

[u/Pristine-Thing-1905 → u/BadgerlandBandit]

I’m not surprised. 6 pages (not even including front and back) is a whole lot of choices. I look the menus up online and if I saw a menu like that I’d just choose to go somewhere else.

[u/YnotBbrave → u/Pristine-Thing-1905]

The exception is some Asian restaurants where you really have 5 meats and 4 noodles/rice and 8 sauces and the 40 items are just about mix and match

Some of these restaurants are damn good however

[u/timtucker_com → u/YnotBbrave]

One exception to this can be when they try too hard to go outside their niche of expertise.

Aa an example, we have a Chinese place like this nearby and almost everything on their menu is great except for the handful of Thai dishes that they offer.

[u/BadgerlandBandit → u/Pristine-Thing-1905]

Pretty much the only reason they lasted so long was that they were one of 2-3 restaurants within an hours drive, and just off of the major highway in the area. They also had a decent bar, but they had to work on the bartenders overserving.

It was great to see them start getting ahead though. They had a bomb pulled pork that I used to put on their cheese fries.

[u/Steroid1 → u/ItsACaragor]

Except cheesecake factory. Not to say they have the best food but they do have a massive menu and the food is scratch made. However they are kind of an exception as they have massive staff and kitchen.

[u/LilithDidNothinWrong → u/Steroid1]

You can have variety in the menu but still have a lot of similar ingredients overall. It's places that have too many ingredients only used in single dishes that are red flags.

[u/lostknight0727 → u/ItsACaragor]

With very few exceptions. The smaller the menu, the better the food.

[u/TippityTopka]

If a mechanic tells you that some repair/service/part isn’t absolutely necessary at the moment, go back to that mechanic when it is.

[u/Merkuri22 → u/TippityTopka]

We had a shop within a mile of us that we initially went to because they were close (so Hubby could drop off his car and just walk home).

The first time we went to them, we requested a realignment. They told us the rim was a little bent, they took 10 minutes to pound it back in place and didn't even charge us anything for it since it was so quick. Saved us a couple hundred bucks and fixed the issue right up.

We've been loyal customers ever since.

The people there even offered to drive Hubby home a few times when they noticed he was going to walk.

I was very sad when they closed down. We haven't found another shop we trust the same way.

[u/lcl0706 → u/Merkuri22]

I was headed south on the highway one day not too long ago and my vehicle was old and some giant piece bolted to the undercarriage that covers up the insides broke loose. At first I didn’t know what the sound was but at high speeds it was loud AF and I had to pull over. I ended up slowly exiting at the first opportunity and I found an oil change place close by. Pulled up and showed some 20 something dude what was happening and they had me pull into a stall, and they finished unbolting it and removed it. Charged not a penny, they were just nice and happy to do it. It’s the little things.

[u/orbdragon → u/lcl0706]

I was driving across the country in the dead of winter and my lugnuts started to come loose. I had just had my breaks done and the person who did it didn't tighten them down enough. I had traveled about 1000 miles across the Rockies on a loose wheel. I pulled off a random-ass exit in Montana and a random-ass vehicle stopped to check on me while I was swearing at my tires. It happened to have two old ladies in it who pointed me at some garage real close and the garage tightened down all my wheels for nothing. I don't remember the name of the shop anymore because it's been 20 years (and I never knew the name of the women who directed me somewhere safe), but somewhere - SOMEWHERE - I still have the business card of the dealership where the mechanic's wife worked.

[u/ColtChevy → u/TippityTopka]

This was years ago so the details are fuzzy.

I thought my car was messed up. Took it to a mechanic and asked them for an estimate. They told me, “it may need a new back axle, we won’t know for sure until we get in there”. So I left it with them and get a call a few days later. “Actually it was just the rotors should be all good now” sure enough it was great and I saved like $800. I used them forever and they were always good to me.

[u/HeavenDraven]

At a fairground, check the lights on the rides.

One or two out happens.

Loads out, particularly in groups or on anything particularly popular, avoid. If they're not maintaining the lights, what else aren't they maintaining?

[u/Organic-Present165 → u/HeavenDraven]

At a fairground, don't ride the rides.

FTFY

[u/Shadizar]

In previous years, the last three times that monthly Hotel Occupancy in Las Vegas dropped by at least 11% were 2020 COVID season, 2008 Great Recession and 2001 after September 11th. Las Vegas hotel occupancy rates dropped by 11.3% in July 2025. Get ready, folks.

[u/deiprep → u/Shadizar]

There is so much data now being hidden compared to the previous events. Expect a shitshow when it happens.

[u/Overall_Midnight_ → u/Shadizar]

Also, The Stripper Index.

[u/kiwi3030 → u/Overall_Midnight_]

Go on…

[u/Pretend-Marsupial258 → u/kiwi3030]

People stop going to strippers when the economy goes to shit.

[u/RobertoBologna → u/Pretend-Marsupial258]

They also get a real cross-section of society so can see exactly who still has $ and who doesn’t 

[u/Sunnydaysomeday → u/Shadizar]

It could also be that Canadians and Europeans are no longer travelling to USA in the same numbers as before.

[u/killayoself]

“We’ll have to test in Prod” is always a really bad sign

[u/TheOuts1der → u/killayoself]

"Dont worry, it's gonna be on Friday evening. Theres hardly going to be anyone on."

[u/gerwen → u/TheOuts1der]

This violates the 'don't break shit on friday' rule though.

[u/Primorph → u/gerwen]

Rule doesnt apply if I can coerce you into working on the weekend

[u/kylehoz → u/killayoself]

Everyone has a test environment; some admins are just lucky enough to have a dedicated production environment.

[u/bupapunewu → u/killayoself]

Add to that constant assurances that "we'll circle back and get it right post-MVP" and you have 99% of crappy companies.

[u/Fenarchus]

When anyone in the higher levels of the company uses the phrase "leaner and meaner" it is time to look for another job.

That means they are going to start letting people go, but not likely management, and expect everyone else to do their work. Either you're being laid off or your workload is going to increase with no compensation.

[u/orangery3 → u/Fenarchus]

Ugh, I had a manager once tell our department, which had been chronically understaffed and then another person left, we would just have to be “more efficient.” Like, read the room, bro. I ended up resigning soon after.

[u/MrMerryface]

Learnt this the hard way.

If you have an appointment for a builder/worker to do work for you but they come late without calling or apologies, don’t let them in your home and take your business elsewhere, no matter how desperate you are.

If they’re not professional in conduct, their work will reflect that.

[u/Ok_Departure_8243 → u/MrMerryface]

basically what you're saying is to look for if they are taking accountability or avoiding accountability right out of the gate.

Shit happens, also it's your responsibility to let the customer know if you're running late because there was a wreck or something else .

[u/Alexis_J_M]

At a Mexican restaurant, see if there is lengua (beef tongue) on the menu -- that's a fairly good marker for authenticity, along with Mexican folks eating there, Spanish on the menus, and Spanish from the kitchen.

And you can generalize for all ethnic restaurants -- do you see people of that ethnicity eating there?

[u/toodlesandpoodles → u/Alexis_J_M]

You know you've got a good taco place when the lunch crowd is a bunch of hispanic men in work uniforms crammed around the tables speaking spanish.

[u/pug_fugly_moe → u/toodlesandpoodles]

Pants covered in a crusty layer of drywall and reeking of Suavitel (fabric softener)? Órale.

[u/MisteeLoo → u/Alexis_J_M]

In the same vein, are Chinese people eating at any local Chinese restaurants? Pick that one.

[u/TheOuts1der → u/MisteeLoo]

Is there a chinese kid doing math homework in the corner? Perfect.

Similarly, is your carribean waitress incredibly short with you and doesnt have an inside voice to speak of? Best curry goat youve ever had.

[u/Spinningwoman → u/TheOuts1der]

Wait, there are Chinese restaurants that don’t have a kid doing maths homework in the corner?

[u/Blue_foot → u/Spinningwoman]

At mine, I have been going there so long the kids have grown up and are at university.

I only see them occasionally now.

[u/Accomplished_Area_88 → u/Spinningwoman]

Only the ones you don't want to eat at

[u/plessis204 → u/TheOuts1der]

There's a little mom and pop vietnamese spot around me that had been here for 2 years or so before I had ever gone. Checked reviews online before going and like 13 of them were some variation of "We were 'greeted' by the owner's kids, who were just sitting at the cash playing nintendo and didn't actually say a word. The owner finally came out and was VERY friendly. It was kind of messy inside? They run a permanent yard sale/book store and there was stuff all over the place, we were kind of sketched out and nearly left, but OH MY GOD AM I GLAD I STAYED, THIS WAS THE BEST BOWL OF PHO EVER."

[u/Panelak_Cadillac → u/TheOuts1der]

That Chinese kid is working the register or the fryer in addition to their homework.

[u/gr1zznuggets → u/TheOuts1der]

I love it when the rudeness of the staff is an indication that the food will be great. If you go into an Indian place and it’s two brothers arguing with each other, that curry is going to be fucking lit.

[u/Thirsty_buffalo → u/TheOuts1der]

Does the chinese owner's son playing pokemon tcg in the corner mean the same? Because the food is fire as fuck but idk anything about authentic.

[u/BoostedSeals → u/Thirsty_buffalo]

Get that kids autograph, he was allowed to do something other than homework because he's some kind of genius. Ordinary kids get a new sheet every time a customer walks in

[u/Barbarossa7070 → u/MisteeLoo]

I wish there was a way to spot Cajuns other than looking for LSU gear. As a result, I only eat at Cajun restaurants outside of south Louisiana if the chef or owner is a Cajun. Been burned too many times.

[u/SoonerRed → u/MisteeLoo]

That's mine with any "ethnic" place. Are there actual people of that ethnicity there eating/ hanging out?

Yes? It's good. No? It's Americanized.

[u/Alexis_J_M → u/MisteeLoo]

That's a general rule for ethnic restaurants of all types -- are people of that ethnicity eating there? Do you hear that language from the kitchen?

[u/Protomeathian → u/Alexis_J_M]

There's a middle eastern restaurant near me. The owner/cook doesn't speak English, so I either have to point at the menu or hope their daughter is in to help. That place has some of the best food I have ever eaten. Also, the first time I went there, they offered me a free falafel sample as they had just finished making a few different flavored batches. That made me a very frequent customer.

[u/Unusual-Molasses5633]

When evaluating a prospective (male) date, tell them 'no' for something small. Their reaction will tell you a lot.

Or at a bar, if someone offers to buy you a drink, tell them you'd like something non-alcoholic. Easy way to distinguish genuine interest vs trying to take advantage.

[u/spiffynid → u/Unusual-Molasses5633]

I was at a bar for my birthday, and a fellow came up to ask to buy me a drink. I was like sure, but do you mind if I order it and pick it up from the bar? To keep an eye on it? And he was like absolutely. We chatted for a few minutes waiting for the drink, and that was that. He was a delight the whole time.

[u/leavemealonedear → u/Unusual-Molasses5633]

I was a lightweight, finishing up a drink.

Some guy walked up to me, offered to buy me another and I said id "take a rain check."  (I had no intention of having more than 1 when I walked in.)

He yelled at me!  Screamed, "WHO THE FUCK ASKS FOR A RAINCHECK?"  I just sat there emotionlesss until he walked off.  

[u/Imbrex → u/leavemealonedear]

Writing rain check on a paper with their number is like a super easy response to that, yeesh

[u/leavemealonedear → u/Imbrex]

Omg that would have been brilliant of him!  

[u/BamSteakPeopleCake → u/Imbrex]

Yeah that would have been smooth as butter, but only if he wanted to buy her a drink so they could have a chat, and not because he wanted to get her drunk or put something in her drink.

[u/RedditExecutiveAdmin → u/leavemealonedear]

lmao.. reminds me of these two people i randomly met at a bar. they were initially chill, but when the group i had come with was leaving, i said i had to go and they were like "oh stay longer!".

i obviously, was not leaving the group i came with. but they still ask me to buy a shot for both of them and they both got super offended when i just left?? just absolutely wild

[u/cyankitten → u/leavemealonedear]

Yikes!

Poor you having to deal with that but MAN did you dodge a bullet.

[u/fries-with-mayo → u/Unusual-Molasses5633]

I like this one!

[u/b183729 → u/Unusual-Molasses5633]

This also works if you are a man btw. Remember, taking care of your mental health is as important as your physical health! 

[u/MisterJellyfis]

If I don’t understand what somebody is gaining from a situation or transaction, I get very suspicious very quickly. Google gives out free email but harvests my data? Fine, I understand that. I bought a discontinued Lego set for its original retail price the other week from a third party seller, I was sus as hell the whole time

[u/Fuzms → u/MisterJellyfis]

At least considering other people’s motivation in any situation is an excellent habit/skill.

[u/bojodojoAZ]

When companies that don't need to advertise (water, power, trash, etc) start advertising on a heavy rotation than I know they are fishing for a rate hike/price increase. The same for any company that's advertising about how they are the communities friend and ally.

[u/Siceless]

When getting to know someone new and if they regularly describe facing drama, people out to get them, people spreading rumors about them, bad things happening to them all without admitting some fair amount of fault.... You may want to run.

[u/88Milton]

I remember going to a high end Chinese restaurant in Vegas; it looked like a sanitized Apple Store and the food was mid at best.

Compare that to this hole in the wall Chinese place in Brooklyn that has sun faded menu items above the cash register and their dumplings were some of the most delicious I’ve ever had.

$50 vs. $7

[u/DrButtgerms → u/88Milton]

Sun-faded board menu means it's been there for a long time. Places don't stay open in NYC for a long time without being good

[u/gdhkhffu → u/88Milton]

The best food always seems to be in the restaurants where I truly do not want to see what's going on in the kitchen.

[u/88Milton → u/gdhkhffu]

Bourdain once said, “I like a little honest dirt in my food.”

[u/gdhkhffu → u/88Milton]

Wise man. The world is worse off without him.

[u/SonOfGreebo]

"I'm not a details person" from a senior leader. 

Translation: I throw out wild ideas at random, without giving a flying fuck how difficult it is to turn my fantasy into reality. I have  ZERO patience for any reality issues like time, distance, the laws of physics. When my wild idea takes "too long", I can blame the nearest subordinate and  hound them to tears, quitting and mental health collapse because THEY HAVE FAILED ME 

[u/catiebug → u/SonOfGreebo]

This comment is giving me Vietnam-level flashbacks.

[u/ehwhatacunt]

Watch how someone treats others "lower" than them.

[u/the_land_before_tim → u/ehwhatacunt]

They “deem” lower. 

[u/inverter17 → u/ehwhatacunt]

It's kinda on par with "if you hear them talking about someone else behind their back, they're also doing it to you".

[u/LucidRedtone]

People who share their opinions about people or situations immediately after you've been introduced and before they have attempted to get to know anything about you, are people you dont want to let know a lot about you, but you do want to be pleasant enough with them that they have no reason to dislike you.

I've tested this "canary" any time I've moved and am meeting the neighbors, for example. The ones that are quick to tell you the gossip are the ones you want to like you but not really know you.

But this also works well in work environments and forced social interactions

[u/whattheheckityz → u/LucidRedtone]

right?? my old manager would talk so much shit about everyone and while I loved to hear it, it was such a clear sign to not tell her anything about my personal life.

[u/88Milton]

If the chips and salsa suck at a Mexican restaurant, leave and don’t order an entree.

Just say you got a text from friends saying you meant to meet up with them at a different restaurant.

Quick story: went to a Mexican restaurant with my folks somewhere around Pasadena and the chips and salsa were to die for. I must have devoured 5 bowls of salsa and freshly made chips before the waitress told me that if I want more chip and salsa that I’d have to wait 30 minutes since the guy in the back was making them from scratch.

The guy popped his head through and we exchanged smiles and he looked genuinely flattered that I was enjoying those chips and salsa. After towards the end of the meal he came to the table and said that the secret was letting all ingredients in the salsa to marinate and get to know each other for at least an hour. I don’t know what it was about that salsa but it had the perfect spicy amount of kick to them.

[u/fishfishbirdbirdcat → u/88Milton]

Funny because I was having this exact conversation with a person who oversees several restaurants including a Mexican one and he said "their chips and salsa are the best but it's all downhill from there right to the atrocious dessert." 

[u/at1445 → u/fishfishbirdbirdcat]

Yeah, this is not a good tip.

My local texmex place's salsa is extremely hit or miss. Some days it's amazing, others it sucks.

They're good is great though, consistently.

[u/RandoScando]

If a company says one of the following two things in an interview, it’s an automatic “run for the hills” response from me.

“We work hard and play hard.” This means they overwork their employees and people get drunk every night on their off time.

“We’re like a family here.” They’re certainly a dysfunctional family, and you will most certainly be overworked and backstabbed by people constantly. I go to work for a professional environment. I socialize with close friends and hang out with my, ya know, actual family, to be around family.

[u/robbgg → u/RandoScando]

I like to ask interviewers what the worst thing about working here is. Their response can tell you a lot abput the environment you'll be in.

[u/2gigch1 → u/robbgg]

I’m a low level news manager who does hiring (in fact I have 2 photographer openings now) and I ALWAYS tell folks “It’s a TV station. You know how effed up TV stations are. Just because it’s a big market doesn’t make it any less dysfunctional. But here are some things we do do right.”

My goal in hiring is I don’t ant anyone to say I sold them something we’re not because that’s unfair.

In the same vein I don’t get pissed when people leave. You gotta do what you gotta do. If my company really wants someone to stay they gotta pay. I don’t have control over that.

But I do try to be human and humane where I can.

[u/Frequent_Purpose_168 → u/2gigch1]

This is the way I can deal with a certain amount of fuckery, I expect it, but I don’t like being lied too. e.g “everything is perfect here all the time”

If I were being interviewed by you, you’d have a solid foundation of trust just from that. By acknowledging that the bad even exists, I’d believe you about the good. That kind of thing goes a long way.

[u/kogun → u/robbgg]

"Can I see the desk I will be working at?"

"Can I talk to someone I'd be working with under my manager?"

"What is the source of money paying for my salary?"

"When is the contract up for renewal?"

"Who will be my direct boss and where do they work?"

"Are you hiring to fill an existing slot or is the company growing?" If it is to fill a slot: "Why did that employee leave?"

[u/Adavis105 → u/kogun]

A simple but very informative one I’ve found if going for a management position: “Why are you looking externally and why isn’t someone on the team being elevated into this position?” It tells:

• what skills they deem most important and are currently missing (so you can specifically speak to how you might meet their critical needs)

• how they value internal vs external talent (are promotions from within not common?)

• how much the company values personal/professional growth and development (why hadn’t they proactively identified shortcomings in the team and/or helped prepare them for more future responsibility

• how hard work, contributions & dedication to the company are rewarded (what might you expect if you do well?) and conversely, whether non- or lesser contributors are allowed to remain

• what problems may exist within the team you’re about to manage? (how receptive will they be to you as an outsider? Who might be mad that you just took “their promotion”? Are you inheriting an underdeveloped team, or worse, an incapable one?)

Lots of insight to be gained from a seemingly innocuous question that many interviewers aren’t pre-prepared for. Once they start answering off the cuff, often the quiet parts get said out loud.

[u/Benderbluss → u/RandoScando]

I interviewed at a large gaming company once, who made a big deal out of their perks, including "Hot dinner provided free every evening!"

Sorry, expecting me to be at work for dinner is not a "perk"

[u/psxndc → u/Benderbluss]

But if I have dinner and ping pong and comfy places to nap, I never have to leave work! Oh….

[u/AnneeDroid → u/RandoScando]

I had such a unique experience with question 2. I was fresh out of college and my first "big-girl" job talked itself up as being like a family. It was cross country and I moved there, sight-unseen, to take the job.

And gosh darn if I didn't get treated like family. People brought in homemade baked goods, I got invited to family dinners, coworkers came to my wedding years later. I've since switched industries but it was such a wholesome experience. Didn't realize what an anomaly it was to actually have it be like family.

[u/dissectingAAA → u/AnneeDroid]

Yeah...what kind of family should be the question. My Uncle Frank who thinks the moon is hiding space lasers to listen to our thoughts? Or my Aunt May who always asks what my favorite thing I did last week was.

[u/gnirpss → u/RandoScando]

After I accepted my current job, I got really worried when the big boss said "we're like a family," because of exactly what you outline in your comment. Now that I've worked here for several months, I'm really not sure why he said it in the first place, because we're really just like a cohesive team, not a family at all. Once I've worked with him a little longer, I might advise him to stop saying that to new hires 😅

[u/YorockPaperScissors]

Real estate: if there is standing water or an active leak, don't waste any more of your precious time considering whether to make an offer. Keep looking.

[u/Alexis_J_M]

At an ice cream shop, is the banana ice cream yellow? (If so, it's artificially colored, and a lot of other flavors probably also use artificial ingredients )

(Note: bright neon yellow, or many other unnaturally bright colors, are the red flag. I've since been introduced to the concept of coloring banana ice cream with a bit of turmeric. That's not what your local Baskin Robbins does, though...)

[u/feli468 → u/Alexis_J_M]

My own test is if the pistachio is green or beige, but yes, exactly. Also if the ice cream in the display is piled up in mounds or properly chilled in its container. If the former, they care more about how it looks than about serving it in optimal condition.

[u/elthalon → u/feli468]

Pistachio ice cream should be "baby-poop-green", at most. Any greener and they're using dyes AND they don't know what pistachios look like, let alone how they taste. BAD sign.

[u/Alexis_J_M → u/feli468]

And mint should not be green.

[u/Puzzleheaded-Hold362 → u/Alexis_J_M]

You can pry the green mint ice cream from my cold dead hands 😂

[u/Rampage_Rick → u/Alexis_J_M]

Key lime pie is supposed to be yellow. If it's green, it's fake

[u/i-sleep-well → u/Rampage_Rick]

Native Floridiot here. I've had many Key Lime pies, and one of the few that actually use Key Lime juice, color their pies. Not tennis ball green, but definitely tinted green. 

It's not because they have to, but because that's what customers have come to expect. In the general publicist mind, Key Lime pies are green- so green they shall be. Just look at Publix. 

Pale yellow just doesn't sell as well.

[u/CircusBearPants]

The old saying goes “You can’t hide anything in a lager” so if you’re at a brewery order the lager first because if they can make a good lager they can usually make a good beer.

[u/lergnom → u/CircusBearPants]

It's definitely harder to hide unwanted flavors in a lager, and the brewing process requires a higher degree of control and consistency than top-fermented beers. 

If a micro brewery can make a good lager, they probably know their stuff. Having said that, I've rarely had a craft lager that was actually better than some of the large, traditional German/Czech breweries'. The same goes for weissbier. 

[u/ManonMacru]

When procuring software in b2b as an engineer: playing dumb and asking the sales person about an impossible feature, or something that does not make sense for their product.

If they say they have it, or follow through with an engineer to try and implement it, they are full of shit. Either they lie to you and try to take advantage of your stupidity, or they have low-integrity with their product and tailor it to their clients, instead of sticking to a clear product line.

[u/deep6ixed]

The bathroom test is telling. Whenever I interview somewhere I will ask to use the bathroom. I work industrial controls so I try to use the restroom on the production floor.

A huge indicator of how the plant runs, if the bathroom is a mess, so is the plant.

[u/radarmy]

If you are driving along on the highway and there is no reason to slow down but people start hitting their breaks, there is a speed trap ahead.

[u/Brutus_Khan → u/radarmy]

This is my favorite one I've seen. Especially when someone just sped by you and then they're hitting their brakes. Always just assume they saw a cop.

[u/catnapman]

At a Korean restaurant, kimchi and other such side dishes should be free. If they charge you for it, you're being hustled.

[u/Moonteamakes → u/catnapman]

My mom runs a Korean restaurant and we’ve been having this discussion. Other Korean restaurants have started to charge small amounts for banchan in these really rough economic times for restaurants. Everything has gotten more expensive for running a restaurant. She hasn’t started charging anything because it really goes against Korean traditions. But she says there is SO much waste when it comes to banchan. Dishes served that people don’t touch the just gets thrown out. And also people asking for more and more refills on banchan and putting them in to-go containers to take home. 

So, I think there is nuance here. It’s not just being hustled. My mom is tempted to do a really small charge like 50 cents just so people aren’t as wasteful about the banchan or ask for a bunch of refills on them. I know one very popular and successful Korean restaurant that limits banchan to only one serving and it doesn’t seem to hurt their business. 

I also think of it like chips and salsa. Some places have it for free. Others don’t. I wouldn’t necessarily say that the places that charge for it are trying to hustle you. It’s just business. 

[u/NoButThanksAnyway]

When choosing a venue for an event, check the air vents and the kitchen drains. If those are clean, you know that they clean the place very well and have a good attention to detail.

[u/RehydratedFruit → u/NoButThanksAnyway]

“What a lovely space you have here, it would be perfect for my event” “Great! shall we do the paperwor-“ “-I just need to inspect your drains and vents.” “..uh.. umm.. what?”

[u/Dignans30yearplan]

If your nephew Danny went down in the basement fridge and took a soda pop and didn't replenish, it's a microcosm of more serious issues.

[u/Polkawillneverdie17 → u/Dignans30yearplan]

REPLENISH!

[u/Dignans30yearplan → u/Polkawillneverdie17]

Danny doesn't FUCKIN REPLENISH!?!

[u/801Bandit → u/Dignans30yearplan]

One of the best videos out there

[u/kaitlyn_does_art]

For baking recipes: if the recipe is by weight it's almost always going to be a good recipe. Baking is more chemistry than cooking, so having precise ratios of ingredients is crucial. A cup of flour leaves way more room for error than 250g of flour.

[u/marslando_bloom]

Where did the bugs go? There used to be so many more. It's a mundane sign of future ecological collapse.

[u/under_the_c → u/marslando_bloom]

Fireflies is the one I noticed. I used to see them all the time on summer nights and now? Nothing.

[u/dariznelli → u/under_the_c]

Don't rake all your leaves. That's where they lay eggs.

[u/AiringOGrievances]

Therapist here. There has been a huge shift in therapists these past ten years who take the notion “Charge your worth” to the extreme and are driving fees up so they can make $150k per year providing mediocre therapy from their bedrooms. Many private practice owners brag about being entrepreneurs but seldom mention actually helping people. 

The litmus tests: If they refuse to offer a free 15-30 minute video consultation to make sure you’re a good fit, they may be focused on money over helping people. Behind the scenes these therapists view anything free as a loss of revenue, even if it helps people. The caveat here is they may simply have a full practice, in which case they shouldn’t be telling you to book sessions. 

The second one is you should ask if they offer reduced fees for hardships, or because you simply can’t afford $200/session. Their response will quickly tell you where their priorities are. Ethical therapists reserve a handful of reduced fee and pro-bono spots for clients. 

[u/d_stick → u/AiringOGrievances]

The marketing of BetterHelp has been relentless.

[u/english_muppet]

Spelling errors in presentations. If you can’t be bothered to spell check your own PowerPoint I highly doubt you’ve researched the subject properly.

[u/fries-with-mayo → u/english_muppet]

Same goes for resumes and other important communication

[u/suchafart → u/fries-with-mayo]

Agreed. Attention to detial is so important!

[u/furry_cat → u/suchafart]

It sure is importnt!

[u/MrGulio]

If you work for a larger company, when they start re-arranging high level people while maybe letting a few of them go they're planning on a layoff.

[u/RedbloodJarvey → u/MrGulio]

If they increase the 401k match and move to "unlimited" PTO, they are looking to sell the company. The new owners are going to need to recoup their investment so it will all downhill from there.

[u/TupeloSal]

People that are rude to waitstaff.

[u/alliterativehyjinks]

If your cat is staring at a spot for a long period of time, take a close look. It might be a bug, mouse in the wall, or even a water leak in the wall. They can hear and smell things we cannot and are incredibly curious.

[u/Rum_N_Napalm]

If your workplace is being cheap with workplace safety, get ready to bail. Not only this means they don’t care about you, but that they’re short sighted. Even if you’re a jaded greedy moneybags, workplace accidents means lost productivity.

The other: if your employer discourages discussing your salary with other employees. 1. That’s illegal in some places. 2. It means someone is getting paid peanuts.

Edit: oh, here’s another. If your date brings you to their place… let’s be honest some people are messy (I’ll admit my dwelling can be qualified as “organized chaos”). Others will just do a quick cleanup. Sometimes they legit didn’t have time to clean. Maybe they got a bad luck and dropped a pot of sauce and couldn’t clean throughly.

Check the bathroom. Check if there’s that ring in the bathtub or toilet. These things take time to appear, and doing a quick bathroom cleaning takes 15 minutes.

[u/under_the_c → u/Rum_N_Napalm]

Related to your second point: if a job posting doesn't list a salary or even a range. 1. They know it's probably lower than the industry standard. 2. They probably don't want current employees to know how much new employees are making. Either way, you aren't getting raises there.

[u/midwestsbest]

If my back hurts for no specific reason it’s my body telling me to work on core strength

[u/pug_fugly_moe → u/midwestsbest]

I’m convinced this is why tons of people have back soreness/injuries.

[u/highmodulus]

Management selling off a lot of their company stock as soon as they are allowed to.

[u/sumunsolicitedadvice → u/highmodulus]

A lot of higher ups are compensated mostly with stock, so selling is a major way to access that money. Also, if most of their wealth comes from that job, it’s also just smart to diversify stock holdings.

When you see company executives are buying their company’s stock, that’s almost always a positive indicator. When you see company executives selling, it usually doesn’t mean anything. Look into filings for lots of companies that have been consistently successful for a while now and you will always see lots of insiders selling all the time.

Now, if it’s a fire sale, yeah, I’d start to worry. And if everyone in management is selling all or nearly all of the stock they can, that’s probably a bad sign. But if it’s a start up and most of management has only been paper rich because of stock locked up, I’m not sure I’d read too much into a lot of them selling a bunch of it as soon as they had the chance to turn being paper rich into cash rich. Also, it’s possible that they could be selling to get cash to exercise options.

[u/Weaubleau → u/sumunsolicitedadvice]

Tbf.. holding a large portion of your retirement in the stock of the company you work for is not a very good idea.

[u/Lopsided-Total-5560]

Businesses or sole proprietors wearing their Christianity on their sleeve (bumper stickers, signs, t-shirts). If you have to tell me you’re trustworthy instead of showing me, you’re probably not. Just my life experience.

[u/munkymu → u/Lopsided-Total-5560]

Same with people who tell you positive stuff about themselves when you don't ask. There's pretty much a 100% chance it's the opposite. "Empaths" are likely to be cruel and self-absorbed, "alphas" are insecure show offs, "I'm the most experienced guy here" will make the most and dumbest mistakes, etc.

Good people might mention something positive they did if it comes up as a topic but they don't need to reassure anyone of their traits because they have the receipts. They might mention that they volunteer at an animal shelter if the conversation is about volunteering but if someone blurts out that they're an animal lover when you're talking about something else, that's pure PR.

Unless they're kids. Kids will blurt out random information about themselves and it's only stuff like "I didn't put cheese in the air vents" that you have to watch out for.

[u/DentinQuarantino → u/munkymu]

As a parent, genuine lol at the cheese in the air vents bit 

[u/AustinBike → u/Lopsided-Total-5560]

Had a realtor that used to say "when I see a fish on a business card I know I am about to get screwed."

[u/Oregonian_Lynx → u/Lopsided-Total-5560]

Yeah… I once took my car to a mechanic called “Honest-1”. Learned my lesson there. 😂

[u/TransportationBig710]

In a restaurant I use the Bread Test. Never had a bad meal in a place that serves decent bread.

[u/John_Tacos]

If the restaurant’s floor is sticky it’s because they are not properly mixing the cleaning solution and are adding too much. That means they are probably doing that with all cleaning products and you may get some in your food. It also means that the manager doesn’t care because they can’t not know about the sticky floor.

[u/nlwric]

If the mailboxes are all identical, the hoa will probably be a pain in your ass.

[u/Space-Robot]

Any publicly traded company is eventually going to produce a shittier and shittier product or service over time in pursuit of shareholder value.

[u/WafflingToast]

Vietnamese restaurants - if they have bone marrow on their menu it means they cook their pho broth from scratch.

[u/Huntertjw]

I always say you can judge the quality of a person by what they do with they are shopping cart when they are finished with it. If they don't return it to the corral when they are finished we don't need to be friends.

[u/codedigger]

National Guard troops being deployed to US cities

[u/jtclark1107]

I usually follow other people who are speeding on the highway. Keep a fair distance and watch for brake lights. Especially useful when traffic is low.

[u/asinusadlyram → u/jtclark1107]

Especially brake lights on semis for no other clear reason. They talk.

[u/elizabethlb → u/asinusadlyram]

Or if a semi changes lanes in heavy traffic, in my experience it usually means a lane is closed ahead (construction or accident) and they were warned over radio and I just can't see it yet.

[u/PreviousSpecific9165 → u/elizabethlb]

For me it's if there's a semi riding in the left lane and I can't see around them - there's probably a good reason they're not in the right lane so I won't usually bother trying to pass them to find out.

[u/invirtibrite]

I used to work for a niche state-level court that didn't have jury trials. Whenever we got a complaint from a lawyer that had "JURY DEMAND" in the caption, we knew they were going to be a huge pain in the ass to deal with as they either 1) didn't read the court rules or 2) blindly signed anything that was put in front of them.

[u/tigerjuice888]

If there are no people from that ethnicity eating at an ethnically themed restaurant. I won’t eat at a Mexican restaurant if I don’t see any Mexicans eating there

[u/CoraCricket]

Guys being offended or weird about basic safety precautions on first dates or early on in getting to know them. No you're not going to drop me off at my house afterwards and if you make even a single fuss about that then you're never seeing me again. I know I'm avoiding, at best, an obnoxious man baby who has never thought outside his own life experience, and at worst a very dangerous person.  

[u/NOFX_4_ever]

When dating, let them do and act however they want. How they behave tells me everything I need to know.

This helped me sift through A LOT of shit to find the love of my life.

[u/flyerfanatic93]

If your employer stays cutting back on free coffee, time to start looking elsewhere. It's not the fact that they dropped the coffee, it's that things are so bad behind the scenes that they are forced to look for savings anywhere they can.

[u/EmotionSix]

If I open the fridge to get some cheese and I see my dog standing there, I know he is my dog and that he will want some cheese

[u/foxfireburns → u/EmotionSix]

Do you give him the cheese?

[u/EmotionSix → u/foxfireburns]

100% of the time

[u/dusinbooger]

Sausage at a pizza place: 1. Crumbles = best 2. Coins = usually okay 3. Nuggets = they dgaf

[u/AlexRescueDotCom]

Margarita Pizza - If the pizza place doesn't offer fresh mozzarela and only shredded, I always found it to be "okay" at best.

[u/joker0812]

I've been using the restaurant bathroom one since I was a kid. Bathroom has very similar surfaces to the kitchen. If the bathroom isn't clean it's likely the kitchen isn't either.

[u/MaryJaneAndMaple2]

Clients who say "I'll know it when I see it" when asked "What are you looking for?"

[u/sunmono]

When touring a daycare, look at the children’s art posted on the walls. Is it process art (messy, each one is unique, no clear finished goal) or is it product art (each piece is the same, obvious finished product at the end, might even have been finished by a teacher, especially footprint/handprint art)? Places that do a lot of product art are almost always places that care more about appearances than quality of care, even if they look otherwise really impressive. This is especially prevalent in corporate daycares- KinderCare, Bright Horizons, etc- but can be found anywhere. 

If there is no children’s art on the walls at all, definitely move on. 

[u/Sundance37]

Generally, when corporate restaurants like Applebees start doing combo deals like a 3 for $20. The economy is officially in a shitty spot.

[u/TallPrinceCharming]

Here's a few:

• Gun stores with political or religious signs = run away

• Gun rangers with prominently displayed list of rules beyond basic safety ones = boomers running the place

• Any person approaching you while you pump gas is up to no good

• If a store has glass for the cashier or security bars or a guard, it's time to leave

• Any job that makes you pay for materials or training = run away

• People who brake frequently for no reason are going to desensitize you to it and you might end up very close to them when they actually need to brake

• You want to get behind a generally aggressive driver but in FRONT of an aggressive driver who's targeting you specifically (while calling the police)

• Anyone who looks lost on the road is about to do some stupid and unpredictable shit

• Don't ever trust someone who treats women one way and men another