Ahh, supermarkets. Most people love them. Sure, they might be a place to buy groceries, but they can also be so much more. With the rise of gourmet and foodie grocery stores, theyโre places to sample cuisines from around the world. And considering how big some of them are, theyโre places where you could wander for hours if you really wanted to.
But theyโre also places where youโll see it all: weird customers, bad attempts at marketing, and hilariously misspelled signs. If you keep an eye out while youโre grocery shopping, you might just spot a supermarket fail, or perhaps several.
As supermarkets grow, store owners and advertisers find it challenges in the way they set up the merchandise and juxtapose their advertising. And for us, itโs good news since their efforts provide plenty of laughs along the way. It definitely makes shopping trips more interesting!
These people found hilarious examples while they were out doing their shopping. Whether they involve ridiculously misspelled signs, mislabeled products, or awkward product placements, these supermarket fails keep us laughing. Think of them the next time you visit a grocery store. Maybe youโll find a supermarket fail of your own.
1. Kids need so many things for school these days
I remember buying a lot of things for school, but they were more along the lines of pencils, rulers, backpacks, and lunch boxes. I canโt recall a โmeat cleaverโ being on my back-to-school list.
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Reddit/Jalaliep
2. Good old Rover
Well, the good news, thatโs just the stock photo in the frame and you can easily cover it up with a picture of your actual dog. Or I guess you could use a picture of your cat.
Source:
Retail Hell Underground
3. Well, thatโs rude
Weโve all seen the lights on store signs burn out many times before, but they rarely result in such an amazing coincidence. Itโs hard not to feel like Iโm being judged, though.
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Imgur/missanthropy
4. Worst surprise ever
Iโm sure what they mean is surprising your spouse with a nice new knife for normal things like preparing food.
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Imgur
5. Well, now Iโm uncomfortable
Well, hereโs some fantastically bad ad placement: a sign for Valentineโs Day on a crate full of cucumbers! If you donโt understand why this is awkward, justโฆdonโt Google it, okay?
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Imgur/followthehippo
6. This is particularly tone-deaf in modern-day America
With at least 22 school shootings in the United States in 2019, this isnโt good ad placement at all. We know it wasnโt intended like this, but itโs all in the details!
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Reddit/sw201444
7. Is it bad that I laughed?
Iโm almost certain this card was put there by a snarky customer who thought they were being funny. And they were. They were being super funny.
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Imgur/DAVESM1TH
8. Thatโs one way of looking at it, I guess
Look, if youโre drinking a bottle of wine for dinner, you might want to reflect on your life. Especially if itโs the Barefoot brand. I mean, come on.
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Imgur
9. โฆare they, though?
Funnily enough, you can actually put lemons in orange juice to cut back on the extreme sweetness. In general, though, lemons arenโt a main ingredient in orange juice. But thanks for the suggestion.
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Reddit/mbz321
10. Dinner and a show
I guess this is supposed to mean โentertainingโ in the sense of dinners to make when youโre having guests over. But, it kind of comes across like we should expect the fish to tap dance.
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Imgur
11. What a letdown
Youโve really got to wonder how many times the employees at this store were asked this question before they put the sign up. Can you imagine trying to milk a cat?
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Imgur/Jam94banjo
12. Maybe itโs reverse psychology
Sure, not everyone with diabetes contracted it from an unhealthy diet, but regardless, cake is one thing youโll need to avoid if youโre diabetic. That cake display would mean some serious medical problems.
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Reddit/xbandannax
13. WellโฆI donโt like that
Just like in real estate, advertisement is all about location, location, location. In this case, maybe donโt put a Halloween advertisement that says THAT right next toโฆa bunch of bananas.
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Reddit/majorviolence
14. Sure, itโs for the โbabyโ
This is a pretty odd layout for a store โ why would you put baby needs like diapers and formula by the beer and wine? But itโs the phrasing of the sign that makes this especially hilarious.
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Reddit/Gooddogisgood
15. This is a double whammy
Have you ever wished you could see your future spelled out in front of your eyes? Standing by this candy display, you can!
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Imgur/LibbyDisney
16. Itโs a berry loaf, not a berries loaf
Technically, the supermarket that prepared this loaf of bread didnโt lie about their product. And thatโs exactly what their lawyers would tell you, probably.
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Reddit/TrustyBakeer28
17. So close and yet so far
We might forgive the mix up between strawberries and blueberries if there wasnโt a picture of a bunch of strawberries RIGHT ON THE CARTON. On closer examination, those โblueberriesโ might actually be grapes, so in conclusionโฆwhat?
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Reddit/kwansolo
18. What a deal
Usually, these cough drops are just under $3.00 a bag, but today thereโs a special deal running: you can get them for only $10,000! Assuming you have a rewards card, of course.
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Imgur
19. What is this sign going to do to me?
Sure, this sign is trying to direct the people waiting in line at this kiosk, but it does come across as kind of threatening. There might be a better way to phrase this.
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Imgur/meltymcface
20. โBlankโ is such a common name these days
This Target store ordered a bunch of โblankโ employee name tags, and thatโs exactly what they got. Have fun figuring this one out, guys!
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Reddit
21. Theyโre special weight loss doughnuts
Thereโs nothing wrong with enjoying some mini doughnuts every once in a while, and itโs great to commit to being fit! However, it sends an odd message when you put them side by side.
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Imgur
22. Schoolโs changed
Isnโt it great when you can get deals on school supplies? Everything here is only $1, including pencil cases, notebooks, erasers, severed hands, demon masksโฆ
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Imgur
23. Well, popcorn sounds good, at least
Iโm going to go out on a limb here and assume they meant to say โbags of assorted nuts.โ How did this slip past management and how many customers complained?
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Imgur
24. Cheese is no laughing matter
LOL usually stands for โlaughing out loud,โ but in this case, it stands for โLand Oโ Lakes,โ which is a dairy brand. But this deli sticker makes it seem like that cheese is getting laughed at. So rude.
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Imgur/NotSureIfIHaveFreeTimeOrImJustForgettingEverything
25. Theyโre doughnuts without the holes
Donโt you hate it when your supermarket forgets what doughnuts are? Just look at it this way: theyโre basically like doughnuts with a little more surface area. Or you know, just regular cookies.
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Imgur/immagonnatickleyourpicklessooooogooooood
26. UmโฆI think Iโll just have some fruit
Some deals might be good, but theyโre not good enough for the product. Four muffins for $3.00 isnโt bad but it does depend on what type they are. These are not a good type.
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Imgur/itsmytuesdaymorningandilldrinkifiwantto
27. Oh, so now I have to do math?
I may not be great at math, but Iโm pretty sure that one plus one is two, not three. Or have I been doing addition wrong all my life?
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Imgur/Kataklysmyk
28. Well, thatโs one way to solve the problem
Personally, I feel like there might be better ways to handle this than by providing a dirty dog chew toy to summon the cashier. But whatever works, I guess.
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Flickr/Pixel Packing Mama
29. Itโs not the worst idea theyโve ever had
Itโs up to you to decide whether this is a supermarket fail or a supermarket win. Sure, it might feel a bit like pandering, but itโs also spot-on.
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Imgur
30. I donโt like this
Maybe some people would find this absolutely hysterical and go out of their way to buy it. Personally, Iโm a little uncomfortable with the whole โcooking something that looks like a babyโ thing.
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Reddit/Nasicournus
31. Waitโฆwhat?
Iโm trying my hardest to determine exactly what this sign is supposed to say, but for the life of me I canโt figure it out. That being said, it seems like a good deal.
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Twitter/danpottage
32. If this causes incontinence, you might need to see a doctor
Inconvenience and incontinence are two words that sound alike but do not mean the same thing at all. Word to the wise: donโt mix them up because itโll make things really awkward.
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Twitter/monkmadnomad
33. Iโll just put these in the time capsule, then
Have you ever tried to eat some food quickly because itโs right before its expiration date? No need to do that here. You have about 284 years to eat these.
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Twitter/TonyonTV
34. This just in: Tesco doesnโt understand time
Technically, theyโre open 24 hours a dayโฆsix days a week. Then on Sunday, theyโre only open for six hours, which is very different from 24.
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Twitter/cluedont
35. Well, thatโs honest
Parents and teachers alike often have mixed reactions about kids going back to school. Maybe this advertising effort is trying to do a โrejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weepโ thing. Liquor can be celebratory and commiserating!
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Facebook/Supermarket Fail
36. He just needs to buy some groceries
Go to some places around the world and this is a pretty common sight. Not so much in the United States, though, and itโs kind of unsanitary. So maybe, someone should escort this chicken out.
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Twitter/Cox_Tom
37. Hey guys, I donโt think youโre supposed to leave those on the shelf
Well, I donโt know much about organizing a grocery store, and I donโt know whatโs in those boxes, but I do know one thing: those boxes arenโt supposed to be on that shelf.
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Facebook/Supermarket Fail
38. Is it, though?
This is kind of funny and annoying at the same time because it means you have no idea how much those Haribo gummies cost. But you know the price of the beef jerky.
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Facebook/Suupermarket Fail
39. This isnโt how I remember cauliflower
Iโm not exactly sure what that is, but I know for a fact it isnโt cauliflower. It looks like it might be butternut squash, but who can really say?
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Facebook/Supermarket Fail
40. I donโt think sheโll appreciate the gesture
Weโve said it before and weโll say it again โ location, location, location. If you donโt watch where you put your signs, you might end up with one implying that condoms make a good Motherโs Day gift.
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Facebook/Supermarket Fail
41. Proofreading is important
There has to be a better way to phrase this. As itโs currently phrased, I donโt think anyone is going to want to submit their motherโs name โ theyโre just going to laugh and take pictures.
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Facebook/Supermarket Fail
42. We need a new abbreviation for โassortedโ
Hereโs a word to the wise: donโt ever abbreviate anything like this. Itโs just going to be awkward for everyone. Meanwhile, youโll be wondering why no one is buying the crackers.
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Facebook/Supermarket Fail
43. Oh, is it now?
Every advertiser makes some pretty unbelievable claims, but most of them arenโt in the realm of the impossible. As it is, Iโm pretty skeptical about this grocery storeโs claims.
Source:
Bored Panda
44. Zero stars
If youโre selling a product that doesnโt do what itโs supposed to, maybe a live demonstration isnโt the way to go. As a side note โ is there really a market for a floating cell phone?
Source:
Bored Panda
45. Wait, so what are they?
Who knew technology had come this far? With genetic modifications, we can now make fruit thatโs both a grape and non-grape at the same time! Nah, they just meant to say โseedless.โ
Source:
Bored Panda
46. I donโt think sheโll be happy
Sure, itโs not as bad as giving her condoms, but itโs probably the next-worst thing. Considering how much our mothers do for us every day, they probably donโt want cleaning supplies. Try some flowers instead.
Source:
Bored Panda
47. *panics*
Iโm just going to assume that in this case, two positives outweigh a negative. That door might say โDo not enter,โ but it also says โEnter onlyโ and โPush.โ I guess thatโs two for enter, one for donโt enter.
Source:
Bored Panda
48. Itโs amazing what you can find at the store these days
With the rise of gourmet grocery stores and multi-level supermarkets, you can find just about anything you want. Just look at this store where they have agar-agar! And, you know, cocaine.
Source:
Bored Panda
49. $3.00 for hot ice โ Not bad
Sure, โget it while itโs hotโ is just a slogan, but it was hilariously ironic to put it on a freezer full of ice. But hey, with global warming, all the ice will soon be hot.
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Bored Panda
50. Good to know
Food allergies can be life-threatening for some people, so itโs important to label them clearly. I donโt know if itโs really necessary to go this far, though.
Source:
Bored Panda
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