Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Products Made By People Who Clearly Never Use Them

A pair of sunglasses, their case and an iced espresso coffee are placed on top of a counter
Photo by Tamara Bellis

"Reddit user DongLaiCha asked: 'What products are clearly made by people or companies who never actually use them?'"

Do you ever use a product and wonder... "Who in the world thought this would work?"

That seems to be an issue with a lot of items in life.


Like, who designed all these extra dinner forks?

It's all too confusing when you just want to eat a salad and a steak.

Let me keep my fork.

You're wasting water on all the cleaning.

Think before you create.

Redditor DongLaiCha wanted to discuss some products that may need more in-field research, so they asked:

"What products are clearly made by people or companies who never actually use them?"

Remember CDs?

It was easier to break into the Pentagon than open that plastic wrapping.

Who thought that idea up?

Too Dry

Hair Bathing GIFGiphy

"I swear that people who design some shampoo and conditioner bottles have never tried to use them while wet."

danarexasaurus

Assessments

"Elementary state assessments. They are the most obtuse, poorly written, unrealistic questions on earth. They enrage me. They are clearly written by people who either have zero experience in elementary education or haven’t had any in a decade or so."

meadow_chef

"I have a BA in English and couldn't figure out one of the answers to my child's third-grade ELA state test practice. I spoke to the teacher about it and she sounded so defeated about the testing. There's no way to prepare children for a test when the questions and answers are so poorly written that the students, their teacher, and the parents can't pick the correct answer."

DistractedHouseWitch

Cheap and Expensive

"A few years ago we wanted a coffee maker with a slightly larger carafe. The only 14-cup one we could find at a reasonable price was branded with Drew Barrymore's name. Whatever, we bought it. It was the worst kitchen device I've ever owned. The interface to set the clock, program it, etc. was absolutely baffling to use, never seemed to do the same thing twice."

"The instructions were apparently written by whatever guy at the factory had a cousin who'd seen an American TV show once. And when it actually did somehow make coffee, it came out shriekingly hot, to where I would put a couple of ice cubes into my travel mug when I left for work just to get it down to drinkable temperature."

Fabulous-Quality-282

Flip It

"Those who make the 'pull this flip to open' on plastic packaging of cold cuts."

MissNatdah

"Similarly, the people who make 'resealable' packages of food products where you have to cut it open in a certain place, but cutting there either results in: A) the package still being sealed closed, or B) ruining the internal sealing zipper. I have this issue with the frozen dumplings I buy and no matter what I do, I have NEVER been able to reseal the package as advertised and have to resort to a chip clip."

pls_send_caffeine

Punch a Hole

Mac And Cheese Eating GIF by Megan BatoonGiphy

"The 'push here to open' spot on Kraft Mac and Cheese."

coop_doop

"Whenever I get a different brand I just punch a hole in the same spot out of habit. It’s about exactly as hard to do as with the Kraft ones. So they might as well take out the perforating step and save .001¢/box in the production process."

Reaper_Messiah

Why do they want to keep our Mac and Cheese from us?

Give me my meal!!

Tearing Sheets

office paper GIFGiphy

"Those toilet paper holders in public toilets that cut off at two sheets."

theshortlady

"Same area: those paper towel dispensers that require a two-handed pull, commonly leaving you with two little torn-off triangles of paper in your hands."

repowers

Useless

"Zebra printers. I swear Zebra customer service is useless. I've had to call the help desks for the specific companies I've worked for because the Zebra CS is just like 'Huh!?'"

monotoonz

"We wrote our own internal manuals for how to setup, manage, and troubleshoot Zebra printers. It includes helpful information like 'Do not call Zebra about this issue, instead, see Appendix A' (which is screenshots of conversations about how it is is a known issue and the resolution should be coming shortly (dated 2016))."

001235

City Life

"Maybe a bit off-topic, but in a meeting with a former colleague of mine, the person in charge of the metro for a nearby city admitted that he had never used the metro. Not that he didn’t use the metro, but that he had never used it in his life, even once. I suspect that this kind of thing isn’t uncommon for government services."

KireGoTI

"Similar story. A lifelong friend of didn’t even know we had a Metro until a recent expansion meant she had to drive a different way into her office. She works for the city council."

TheKingMonkey

Warn You

"Hospital beds. From the standpoint of the person who has to push it around and mess with rails that get caught in the mattress and plug it in with a long dirty cord that gets mixed up with another random cord that no one knows its purpose. No retractable cords so they constantly drag on the ground and try to trip you when pushing the bed."

"Brakes that are in the most awkward position that you have to invert your knee to reach with your foot. And worst, the screeching, ear-piercing alarm that they emit to 'warn you' that the bed is not locked. Hospital beds are obnoxious."

Agitated-Effort3423

Help Please

Customer Service Waiting GIF by Juno CalypsoGiphy

"Customer-facing software. Developers should be required to hire grandmas under the explicit condition that if grandma can't look at a menu option and decide what to click without giving up and calling the help desk your functionality has failed."

Puzzleheaded-Bat8657

I can't even begin to get into software options.

It brings back too much PTSD.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

AOC Has Mic Drop Response To MAGA Republicans Who Try To Mock 'Democratic Priorities'

New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez issued a powerful rebuke against President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement, pointing out why mocking things like affordable housing and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as "Democrat priorities" ultimately hurts Republicans.

Ocasio-Cortez, speaking during a CNN town hall alongside Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, accused Republicans of refusing to work to end the government shutdown, stressing that the country’s health care system could collapse if Republicans refuse to meet Democrats’ demands in negotiations.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from New Berlin Public Library's 'trust fall' skit
@newberlinlibrary/Instagram

Wisconsin Public Library Has Internet Cackling With Unexpectedly Hilarious 'Trust Fall' Video

When we think of the library, we think of books awaiting us on the shelves—but the New Berlin Public Library in Wisconsin is here to remind us that public libraries contain so much more.

This library in particular contains a "Library of Things," in which the public can access otherwise expensive items for free, like boardgames, learning resources, and even Halloween costumes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dave Taylor
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

GOP Rep. Blames Coordinated 'Ruse' After Swastika Image Is Seen Displayed In His Office

Ohio Republican Representative Dave Taylor demanded an investigation after a swastika image was found on display in his Washington, D.C., office, and blamed it on a "targeted" "ruse."

Politico obtained a photo from a virtual meeting showing a distorted image of the American flag—its red and white lines altered into the shape of a swastika— pinned to what appears to be a cubicle wall behind Angelo Elia, a staffer for Taylor. Beside it hung a pocket Constitution and a congressional calendar. Elia’s involvement in the incident, if any, remains unclear.

Keep ReadingShow less
A kitchen counter with appliances all over it
sink beside window
Photo by Arun Clarke on Unsplash

Everyday Items People Didn't Realize Were Super Expensive Until They Had To Buy Them

As children, we dream of becoming adults.

Living our own lives in our own homes, no longer under the rules and regulations of our parents.

Keep ReadingShow less
deceased family dog named Chop
KFOX14/CBS4

Popular Account 'We Rate Dogs' Unloads On Border Patrol For Killing Family's Beloved Dog During Search

As the internet evolved, certain social media accounts became known for providing wholesome, feel good content, like I Can Has Cheezburger?, The Dodo, and We Rate Dogs. Unsurprisingly, all three focus primarily on animals, offering amusing or heartfelt stories, videos, and memes as an escape from the trials and tribulations of daily life.

But the folks at We Rate Dogs recently took a departure from their usual content.

Keep ReadingShow less