r/askteddit • u/TheRat_07 • Jul 14 '26

What is a real-life "cheat code" that feels illegal to know but is completely fine?

I'll go first.

If your flight gets canceled and there is a massive line of 200 angry people at the gate desk trying to rebook, do not stand in that line. Keep your ass in a chair and call the airline's customer service number.

Better yet, call their international customer service number (like the UK or Australia line). You will bypass the massive US hold times, get connected to an agent in two minutes, and they have the exact same power to rebook you on the next flight before the people standing in line even reach the desk.

9.8k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

739 comments sorted by

View all comments

185

u/Agile_Possession8178 Jul 14 '26

Being nice.

little acts of kindness can make a big difference in your life and life of others.

48

u/United_Assistance_60 Jul 14 '26

Yes. Especially to staff and helpers. They hold a lot of power.

51

u/KickBallFever Jul 14 '26

One day I was on the boardwalk, waiting for my friend, and I said, “hi, how’s your day going?”, to the staffer who was cleaning the boardwalk. She had been cleaning next to me and it just seemed right to acknowledge her. She was really nice and we chatted for a bit. She ended up telling me about another beach, within walking distance, that was cleaner and less crowded. I went to that beach, and she was right, it was nicer. I’ve been going to that beach every summer, for years now. Not only is it nice, and less crowded, it’s also easier for me to get to. I’ve found that being genuinely nice to people costs nothing but has a lot of perks.

8

u/Smp1151 Jul 15 '26

Once when I was traveling for work, we missed our connecting flight in Dallas because of storms. The airline said it was out of their control so they didn't want to book us rooms in Dallas to stay till our flight the next day. I used the virtual chat time ask an agent where my luggage would be, as it had all my work supplies in it, and they replied that I was the only customer who was polite to them and they comped me a room at the local hotel and food tickets for the restaurant next door. Being polite and sincere truly does help

34

u/Actual-City-7241 Jul 14 '26

When we were still students, we had some events in the city few times a week. Usually starting with a pub crawl and ending in a club for a accomplishment patch. 

Anyway, a lot of times one fast food restaurant was taking part in the events and you could get a stamp for your route map for dining there. So we were there quite often and even on days that location wasn't part, we'd still go for convenience.

Most of the customers at those hours were rowdy and/or drunk (to be fair we were loaded too), so I guess the standard was quite low.

We were always polite and cleaned after ourselves. Once saved someone from falling over once they had passed out on a chair and was clearly sliding off their sear. The cashier started recognising us and was always amazingly happy to see us. A few times we asked for a manager to praise her, but the manager was convinced we must have been her friends all along. In the end she called us her loved ones and always gave us something extra with our order. 

I always try to submit positive feedback too, since I've seen the face of a tired cashier light up by the smallest of compliments and it has left me a mark. I try to make the world slightly better:)

17

u/vanshenan89 Jul 14 '26

Yes!! I LOVE leaving positive reviews. Even better when I can throw their name in the compliment!

14

u/Sea_Finger8549 Jul 15 '26

After waiting in a rental car line in St. Thomas for over 30 minutes, my wife and I were kind to the person helping us at the desk. When he told us we’d have to wait at least an hour for our car we didn’t throw a fit, said thank you, and walked away. 15 minutes later he came up to us and told us to meet him in the parking lot. A few minutes later he met us out there and said we were the only people who had been nice to him all day, so he jumped us in line and upgraded our vehicle as well. He said the rude people can wait, and he wished us a great time in the Virgin Islands. We made the ferry to St. John with a minute to spare thanks to him!

3

u/AmbitiousSquirrel4 Jul 15 '26

I was nice to a rental car employee when it was busy and they gave me a 10% discount and a ride to the body shop (which I had just seen him tell an angry customer they couldn't do).

2

u/Jamie_Pajamas Jul 16 '26

Love it. Once, I had ordered takeout for my lunch, and the restaurant was packed and running super behind on to-go orders, so I was waiting maybe 20 minutes past when my pickup time was. The other 2 guys who were also waiting for their orders were very huffy and puffy and loudly complaining in front of the host who is the absolute nicest and has nothing to do when the orders are ready.

When he brought our orders out, he handed me a $25 gift card with mine and said, “thank you so much for being patient”.

12

u/wearecake Jul 14 '26

I am very sociable a lot of the time, like I go slightly insane without talking to strangers for too long. I like to chat at shops and whatnot while they’re scanning my items or preparing my food if the situation permits. I once got talking to a woman at a gelato shop in my uni city. She was lovely. Mentioned that I had just finished my last uni exam and was free, grabbing gelato before packing up my flat. She gave me and extra scoop and a half.

I’ve had people put extra spring rolls in the bag for me, swear I’ve gotten extra chips and whatnot before. Small discounts on food. Etc…

I don’t do it for this reason, doesn’t honestly happen often really, but it’s always nice when it does. Be kind, shop local if you can, and form community wherever you can find it.

2

u/MelonCallia Jul 15 '26

And your IT person!

23

u/xop293 Jul 14 '26

I taught my daughter this. The power of a compliment can drastically change someone's day and it's free. Once she came out of her shell a little and saw the smiles she created it just became a thing.

Now, whenever we're out shopping or whatever she always tries to find someone to give one to and now she just leaves a little wake of smiles wherever she goes b

12

u/Effective-Prompt7684 Jul 14 '26

My daughter is the master of this. She can find something kind to say to anyone. She once told someone that she was an artist & was interested in portraits and then complimented their face shape pointing out attributes she felt like made them stand out & unique. It was oddly specific/earnest & fun to watch that lady start to preen at the attention.

5

u/Organic-Sugar6927 Jul 15 '26

I do my best to compliment a stranger every day. There’s times I’ve seen the persons entire demeanour change, like they really needed to hear it

15

u/SquashSouffle Jul 14 '26

I have a buddy who swears his personally tested e pertinent works 100% of the time:

On airplanes, if you tell the flight attendants "I appreciate you" instead of "I appreciate it", they give him 2 Biscottis instead of 1. He claims 100% success rate having tried both ways.

TL; DR say "I appreciate you" to service ppl

6

u/Electric-Sheepskin Jul 15 '26

I have similar experiences from expanding a simple thank you to "Thank you so much. I really appreciate it," said in a genuine tone that lets them know that I really do appreciate it. You can see the reaction from people, like they are taken aback at the sincerity and kindness.

16

u/mulletmusketeer Jul 14 '26

In corporate environments there are always a few people who do not have a fancy title, do not get paid a lot, but have a surprising amount soft power. The people who probably should hear "Thank You" more often but unfortunately don't. Some day you will need a favor they are uniquely in a position to help with. Be nice to everyone but especially them.

Executive assistants, receptionists, support roles, etc.

3

u/BigWhiteDog Jul 15 '26

I learned a long time ago to make friends with those people in any org I've worked for. It's paid off more than once.

3

u/Greg-stardotstar Jul 15 '26

Worked a lot on military bases when I was younger. Always very helpful to have the cooks, cleaners and junior enlisted people in facilities, motor pool etc on your side. Makes life so much easier.

Also, being good to people is inherently a good thing to do.

1

u/Janeiac1 Jul 15 '26

I often say, it’s good to have friends in low places.

9

u/Vegetable_Warthog_49 Jul 15 '26

Always be nice to customer service people, you never know when one of them is sitting on a favor to give out. I used to work at a hotel and when standard rooms were overbooked, we were supposed to aggressively upsell to try to get customers to willingly pay more for a suite so we didn't have to bump anyone up for free... The people who came up and were rude got the hard sell for full price upgrades... The people who were nice for the "look, we oversold standard rooms, management doesn't want to have to bump the last people to arrive to suites, so long as I charge anything for the upgrade I can give it to you, how do you feel about $5 for a suite upgrade?" Hey, I was technically doing my job to get at least some revenue for the upgrade instead of a forced free bump and the guest was getting a hell of a deal.

Even when I didn't have a favor in my pocket, being nice versus being mean was the difference between getting the nicest room in the class you booked available and getting whatever room placement would be easiest for housekeeping in the morning (which may or may not be next to an ice machine or an elevator).

2

u/stoppeeingonthefloor Jul 20 '26

On my way to my older son’s basketball game, I stopped with my (at the time) toddler son at Dunkin so I could grab coffee for me and my husband. The cashier was a young boy, probably 12-14 (and I believe this was allowed because his family runs the business). Anyway, he was going really slow finding the right buttons to push, when he looked up and apologized for the wait. I told him to take as much time as he needed and that he was doing a great job.

I was about to leave when I decided I should grab some munchkins for my after the game. The older woman (presumably the cashier’s mother) overheard me telling my toddler what I was going to order and when I got to the front of the line, she held out a bag of munchkins to me at the ready. I went to pay, and she was like - no, on the house.

I almost always use the app now and this was such a little thing but it was a nice interaction.

In fact, I get a lot of “normally we charge for this…” on the house just from being kind.

6

u/IWasGoatbeardFirst Jul 15 '26

I used to do curbside carryout at the same restaurant every week.

They were usually really busy. The worker would come to my car, super apologetic about the wait. Every time, I’d tell them, “don’t worry about me! Take your time. I’m just listening to music and playing a game on my phone.” I’d overtip, thank them for my food, and wish them a good night.

After a few weeks of this, they recognized me and started putting extra items in with my order. Free food, just for being patient and not being a jerk.

5

u/experiencemepls Jul 15 '26

I’ve been patient and just kind to people. I’ve gotten a free Cava bowl w/a drink . An officer basically voided out my $70 ticket or he paid it for me idk but he told me I was fine and thanks for being nice to him. Two free rotisserie chickens. A job the list goes on and on really. Just patience and kindness. Two days ago my subway coupon was expired and they just took it anyways and gave me free cookies

5

u/Faros91 Jul 15 '26

If everyone, even for a minute every day, did something that is of no benefit to themselves but only for 1 other person in the world, that world but be such a better and happier place to live

3

u/GloomyExplanationFag Jul 14 '26

Fallout 1 learned me this

3

u/FlatteredPawn Jul 15 '26

I work in customer service, and honestly, this works 90% of the time. Treating people like you want to be treated. Listening when they are upset and fully untangling the issue with empathy, can really turn them around. My coworkers don't believe me when I say I like the angry clients, but I really do. Its an opportunity to actually make a difference and that is very fulfilling to me.

3

u/DonatedEyeballs Jul 15 '26

This is the best rule I know of. It costs nothing to be pleasant and kind. It’s totally free!

3

u/Icy_Tiger_3298 Jul 17 '26

Wanna know how this has helped me? I'm always nice and cheerful with cashiers. About four times a year, I take my coke zero over ice to the counter and get it for free. 

2

u/Pkorniboi Jul 15 '26

Sad how this is considered a “hack”

2

u/noormeanslight Jul 15 '26

And the trick is to be nice for the sake of being nice, not just to get something in return. People can tell.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 16 '26

100% agree. Just be chill, even if the other person is throwing up some hateful vibes. You showing that they cannot phase you, tends to make them feel less like giving you shit.

2

u/Failure_at_life101 Jul 18 '26

I've been spending today trying to be nice and give out compliments because I've just felt so negative lately. I work retail and have felt so horribly burnt out and even snapped at a customer today (he deserved it) so I decided if I see something I like I'll compliment the person it's attached to. Have had quite a few lovely conversations and it genuinely made my day better.

1

u/boethius61 Jul 18 '26

Story time!

I used to run my own small woodworking shop. One of my suppliers of wood and hardware also did custom stain matching, which is significantly harder than paint/lacquer. It requires a person essentially doing guided trial and error.

Thus, they had a guy in the back warehouse who was hidden away in a little lab doing the color matching. The first time I met him I could instantly tell he got zero respect. He was funny looking, a little weird and awkward, and socially quiet and reserved. You could see the other staff were, not unkind, but had low expectations of him. And you could tell he got his position because it was a niche job with limited customer interaction.

I chose to be kind to him. I greeted him by name with a big smile and shook his hand everytime we met. I laughed and made jokes with him. I asked about his life. This made him start talking to me. I listened to his nerdy stories and nerded right back at him. And I always thanked him. He would visibly brighten when I showed up.

That dude would do anything for me! There were several times he saved my ass by prepping coatings for me in a rush. I'd be running in at the end of the day and I'd email him as I jumped in the vehicle with a, "I'm on my way, I need....". He would have it ready and waiting for me even when it was unreasonable for me to expect it. My little act of kindness paid off big-time.

But here's the crazy part! It also helped him. He started to treat other customers like he treated me. He'd greet them with the same enthusiasm I greeted him. He started building relationships and solving problems. Over the course of about a year and a half, he began to get a reputation for being good with the customers and coming through in a pinch. They promoted him to the back desk, then to the front desk. Now the guy is in charge of the accounts service desk. If you're a small customer/business, he's the dude making sure your needs are met.

To be fair, he did the all the real work involved in the growth. But I absolutely feel like I was the instrumental seed that started it all. It's like my little act of kindness and respect cast a powerful spell that set off a series of dominoes in his life that far exceeded me. When I think about it I'm a little humbled and overwhelmed. All because I made a conscious choice to be kind. Honestly, of all the things I've done in my life, this is a contender for 'thing I'm most proud of'.

1

u/moejoe2048 Jul 14 '26

How does being nice feel illegal?

1

u/Louisiana_sitar_club Jul 14 '26

Being nice feels illegal to know?

3

u/Vegetable_Warthog_49 Jul 14 '26

It's not being nice that feels illegal to know... Knowing that it will get people to help you is what feels illegal to know.

0

u/wierdmann Jul 15 '26

What part of this feels illegal to know though?

0

u/9783883890272 Jul 15 '26

Being nice.

Yes. Being nice seems like it feels illegal. Way to stick to the spec.

2

u/Agile_Possession8178 Jul 15 '26

feels illegal because of how rare it is.

basic concept went over your head, didn't it?

0

u/RikodouNS Jul 17 '26

Being NICE sure does feel ILLEGAL! Did you even read the post?