50 Times Grocery Stores Made Customers Laugh With Their Fails

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, they’re places to sample cuisines from around the world. And considering how big some of them are, they’re places where you could wander for hours if you really wanted to.

But they’re also places where you’ll see it all: weird customers, bad attempts at marketing, and hilariously misspelled signs. If you keep an eye out while you’re grocery shopping, you might just spot a supermarket fail, or perhaps several.

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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, it’s 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 you’ll find a supermarket fail of your own.

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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 can’t recall a “meat cleaver” being on my back-to-school list.

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2. Good old Rover

Well, the good news, that’s 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.

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3. Well, that’s rude

We’ve all seen the lights on store signs burn out many times before, but they rarely result in such an amazing coincidence. It’s hard not to feel like I’m being judged, though.

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4. Worst surprise ever

I’m sure what they mean is surprising your spouse with a nice new knife for normal things like preparing food.

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5. Well, now I’m uncomfortable

Well, here’s some fantastically bad ad placement: a sign for Valentine’s Day on a crate full of cucumbers! If you don’t understand why this is awkward, just…don’t Google it, okay?

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6. This is particularly tone-deaf in modern-day America

With at least 22 school shootings in the United States in 2019, this isn’t good ad placement at all. We know it wasn’t intended like this, but it’s all in the details!

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7. Is it bad that I laughed?

I’m 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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8. That’s one way of looking at it, I guess

Look, if you’re drinking a bottle of wine for dinner, you might want to reflect on your life. Especially if it’s the Barefoot brand. I mean, come on.

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9. …are they, though?

Funnily enough, you can actually put lemons in orange juice to cut back on the extreme sweetness. In general, though, lemons aren’t a main ingredient in orange juice. But thanks for the suggestion.

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10. Dinner and a show

I guess this is supposed to mean “entertaining” in the sense of dinners to make when you’re having guests over. But, it kind of comes across like we should expect the fish to tap dance.

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11. What a letdown

You’ve 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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12. Maybe it’s reverse psychology

Sure, not everyone with diabetes contracted it from an unhealthy diet, but regardless, cake is one thing you’ll need to avoid if you’re diabetic. That cake display would mean some serious medical problems.

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13. Well…I don’t like that

Just like in real estate, advertisement is all about location, location, location. In this case, maybe don’t put a Halloween advertisement that says THAT right next to…a bunch of bananas.

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14. Sure, it’s for the “baby”

This is a pretty odd layout for a store — why would you put baby needs like diapers and formula by the beer and wine? But it’s the phrasing of the sign that makes this especially hilarious.

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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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16. It’s a berry loaf, not a berries loaf

Technically, the supermarket that prepared this loaf of bread didn’t lie about their product. And that’s exactly what their lawyers would tell you, probably.

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17. So close and yet so far

We might forgive the mix up between strawberries and blueberries if there wasn’t a picture of a bunch of strawberries RIGHT ON THE CARTON. On closer examination, those “blueberries” might actually be grapes, so in conclusion…what?

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18. What a deal

Usually, these cough drops are just under $3.00 a bag, but today there’s a special deal running: you can get them for only $10,000! Assuming you have a rewards card, of course.

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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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20. “Blank” is such a common name these days

This Target store ordered a bunch of “blank” employee name tags, and that’s exactly what they got. Have fun figuring this one out, guys!

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21. They’re special weight loss doughnuts

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying some mini doughnuts every once in a while, and it’s great to commit to being fit! However, it sends an odd message when you put them side by side.

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22. School’s changed

Isn’t it great when you can get deals on school supplies? Everything here is only $1, including pencil cases, notebooks, erasers, severed hands, demon masks…

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23. Well, popcorn sounds good, at least

I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume they meant to say “bags of assorted nuts.” How did this slip past management and how many customers complained?

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24. Cheese is no laughing matter

LOL usually stands for “laughing out loud,” but in this case, it stands for “Land O’ Lakes,” 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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25. They’re doughnuts without the holes

Don’t you hate it when your supermarket forgets what doughnuts are? Just look at it this way: they’re basically like doughnuts with a little more surface area. Or you know, just regular cookies.

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26. Um…I think I’ll just have some fruit

Some deals might be good, but they’re not good enough for the product. Four muffins for $3.00 isn’t bad but it does depend on what type they are. These are not a good type.

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27. Oh, so now I have to do math?

I may not be great at math, but I’m pretty sure that one plus one is two, not three. Or have I been doing addition wrong all my life?

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28. Well, that’s 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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29. It’s not the worst idea they’ve ever had

It’s up to you to decide whether this is a supermarket fail or a supermarket win. Sure, it might feel a bit like pandering, but it’s also spot-on.

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30. I don’t like this

Maybe some people would find this absolutely hysterical and go out of their way to buy it. Personally, I’m a little uncomfortable with the whole “cooking something that looks like a baby” thing.

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31. Wait…what?

I’m trying my hardest to determine exactly what this sign is supposed to say, but for the life of me I can’t figure it out. That being said, it seems like a good deal.

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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: don’t mix them up because it’ll make things really awkward.

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33. I’ll just put these in the time capsule, then

Have you ever tried to eat some food quickly because it’s right before its expiration date? No need to do that here. You have about 284 years to eat these.

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34. This just in: Tesco doesn’t understand time

Technically, they’re open 24 hours a day…six days a week. Then on Sunday, they’re only open for six hours, which is very different from 24.

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35. Well, that’s honest

Parents and teachers alike often have mixed reactions about kids going back to school. Maybe this advertising effort is trying to do a “rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep” thing. Liquor can be celebratory and commiserating!

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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 it’s kind of unsanitary. So maybe, someone should escort this chicken out.

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37. Hey guys, I don’t think you’re supposed to leave those on the shelf

Well, I don’t know much about organizing a grocery store, and I don’t know what’s in those boxes, but I do know one thing: those boxes aren’t supposed to be on that shelf.

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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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39. This isn’t how I remember cauliflower

I’m not exactly sure what that is, but I know for a fact it isn’t cauliflower. It looks like it might be butternut squash, but who can really say?

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40. I don’t think she’ll appreciate the gesture

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again — location, location, location. If you don’t watch where you put your signs, you might end up with one implying that condoms make a good Mother’s Day gift.

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41. Proofreading is important

There has to be a better way to phrase this. As it’s currently phrased, I don’t think anyone is going to want to submit their mother’s name — they’re just going to laugh and take pictures.

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42. We need a new abbreviation for “assorted”

Here’s a word to the wise: don’t ever abbreviate anything like this. It’s just going to be awkward for everyone. Meanwhile, you’ll be wondering why no one is buying the crackers.

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43. Oh, is it now?

Every advertiser makes some pretty unbelievable claims, but most of them aren’t in the realm of the impossible. As it is, I’m pretty skeptical about this grocery store’s claims.

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44. Zero stars

If you’re selling a product that doesn’t do what it’s supposed to, maybe a live demonstration isn’t the way to go. As a side note — is there really a market for a floating cell phone?

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45. Wait, so what are they?

Who knew technology had come this far? With genetic modifications, we can now make fruit that’s both a grape and non-grape at the same time! Nah, they just meant to say “seedless.”

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46. I don’t think she’ll be happy

Sure, it’s not as bad as giving her condoms, but it’s probably the next-worst thing. Considering how much our mothers do for us every day, they probably don’t want cleaning supplies. Try some flowers instead.

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47. *panics*

I’m just going to assume that in this case, two positives outweigh a negative. That door might say “Do not enter,” but it also says “Enter only” and “Push.” I guess that’s two for enter, one for don’t enter.

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48. It’s 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.

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49. $3.00 for hot ice – Not bad

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Sure, “get it while it’s hot” 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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50. Good to know

Food allergies can be life-threatening for some people, so it’s important to label them clearly. I don’t know if it’s really necessary to go this far, though.

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