When we think of our favorite companies, we think of the things they sell, the customer service they provide. We don’t necessarily think of how they got to where they are. But it turns out that most successful companies have a few secrets tucked in their back pocket that helped drive them to their success we see today. And some are a bit, well, shady.
Some companies’ tactics are more obvious than others—for example, Wal-Mart is known for keeping their prices low. But did you know that part of that is because they gip their employees? We’re not just talking about America’s employees getting paid the minimum wage, but people in other countries.
For example, Bangladesh’s minimum wage is $37 per month, which equates to about .25 an hour if working a 40-hour work week. It’s also been said that Wal-Mart is a user of child labor. A 2006 study by Harvard Law actually went and spoke with some of these children, and found that they were working for as low as 6.5 cents an hour, seven days a week.
Let’s talk about McDonald’s for a second too. Most fast food chains have their fair share of secrets, but the one known for their golden arch had made some pretty un-golden decisions.
For example, you may want to not order the McNuggets. They’re not made specifically for you, they just sit in a warming tray all day, waiting to be given to someone. According to past employees, they’re supposed to discarded after a certain amount of time, but sometimes the timer is just reset. Gross.
On the same topic of fast food companies, have you ever noticed sometimes you order a burger or piece of chicken with grill marks, but you don’t see a grill around? Ever wonder how they get there? They’re actually usually just artificial coloring—and are added to the food before even arriving at the restaurant.
What about funeral homes? They have some secrets up their sleeves as well. For example, did you know that embalming isn’t always necessary? Embalming, the process of using chemicals to preserve the body so that funeral goers are able to view them in a suitable state, is usually something automatically checked off a list when planning a funeral, but as long as you plan the viewing or cremation shortly after death, you can request the body not to be embalmed, and save money there.
The truth is, some of our favorite companies have some dark secrets lurking that helped them get to where they are. They might not be proud of it, but it just may be why they’re so successful today.
We’re about to air some of these companies’ dirty laundry—from Nintendo to Nestle, and many more, you might be surprised to learn a thing or two about 10 of your favorite brands. Let’s just say not all success is the good kind of success—they might have had to do some shady things to get there. Check out the video below to learn more.
What do you think of some of these secrets behind these companies? Did you have any idea brands could get away with some of these things? Which one were you most surprised by?