Target Christmas Sign Catastrophe

Merry Christmas, Apostrophe Catastrophes readers! I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season. Personally, I try to avoid all stores during December, and this sign from Target, which was submitted by several members of the Apostrophe Catastrophes Facebook group, reaffirmed my belief that it's better to stay home (or shop online) instead.



Thanks, Jen (and others who sent in this catastrophic picture)!

Appalling Bookstore Catastrophe

One would think that a bookstore, of all places, would know the rules of the English language. Unfortunately, that is not always the case, as evidenced by this photo from a Shopko store in Beloit, Wisconsin.



Thanks to Dave for sending in this appalling apostrophe catastrophe.

Turkey Leg Catastrophe

This catastrophe, which Thomas spotted at the Okanogan Family Faire in Washington State, could not be more timely.



Maybe it's trying to say, "The turkey leg is the best part of the turkey." Someone's brain was saturated with tryptophan when he or she made this sign.

Thanks, Thomas!

A Bargain Catastrophe

Anyone who knows me knows that I love a good bargain. So, I have no idea why it took me three months of living in my new city to visit Disco Dollar! I got a container of big trash bags, a box of green tea, apple cider vinegar pills, and a brand-name hair conditioner, all for $4! And as a special bonus, I spotted these catastrophic razors. Best shopping trip ever.

A Cold Mess

Zoe sent in this catastrophic sign from Kelowna, British Columbia.



The errant apostrophe in "resumes" is one of several punctuation issues on this sign. How many others can you count?

Thanks, Zoe!

Back-to-School Catastrophe

This isn't the most timely catastrophe; I should have posted it in September. Nevertheless, I felt that today was a good day to post this back-to-school catastrophe that Avi spotted on NBC Channel 6 in Miami.



I hope the person who designed this graphic isn't an actual teacher.

Thanks, Avi!

My Favorite Mistake

David sent in this catastrophic menu from a diner in Allentown.



The restaurant may have updated its menu, but it didn't take the time to proofread it.

Thanks, David!

I Predict an Apostrophe Catastrophe

If this astrologer were truly psychic, she would have known that she'd be on Apostrophe Catastrophes on October 23, 2014.



Didn't see that coming, did you, Ms. Psychic?

Oh, I miss Miss Cleo...

Thanks to Bryan for sending in this cosmic catastrophe.

Catastrophe on the Side of a London Bus

Sometimes a reader sends in a catastrophe so large that it's truly shocking.



Thousand's? How could this have happened? As Nina, who submitted this photo, so eloquently put it, "The torment."

Thanks, Nina!

Seasonal Apostrophe Catstrophe

Rachel spotted this quadruple apostrophe catastrophe in her local paper in Tupelo, MS.



That's scarier than a Halloween horror movie. What is flat pumpkin anyway?

Thanks, Rachel!

Colorado Convention Center Apostrophe Catastrophe

I'm way behind on posting submissions, as usual. Kurt sent me this apostrophe catastrophe from the Colorado Convention Center almost a year ago!



Thanks for your patience, dear readers. I'll try to post your submissions in a more timely manner.

Thanks, Kurt!

McDonald's Drive Thru Catastrophe

Finding apostrophe catastrophes at small, local businesses (or online) is like shooting fish in a barrel. So, when I find an apostrophe catastrophe committed by a large company, especially one for which I have a bit of disdain, I get pretty excited. Walking down the street of downtown Scranton last night, I saw this giant McDonald's billboard glowing in the distance and exclaimed in delight.



I started running toward the billboard and attempted to capture it despite the poor lighting. It's not perfect, but you get the idea.

A few minutes later, fireworks started exploding in the sky. Literally. Now that's what I call an eventful Friday night.

Readers, how do you feel about spelling "through" as "thru"? It doesn't really bother me. Maybe it should, but it seems like a decent shortcut and fits the tone of fast food establishments in general. Someday, I think we'll all be using "u" for the second person, and I won't even mind that either, as long as we give credit where credit is due.

Happy Belated National Punctuation Day!

Yesterday was National Punctuation Day, and I neglected to post anything on the blog! Well, I'll try to make up for it today with this gem, which Christina spotted in Fremont, Nebraska.



She said it made her think of Scotland because she kept wanting to pronounce it "laddie." Thanks for the laughs, Christina!

Oh, and speaking of holidays that include apostrophes, Happy New Year!

What the Dickens?!

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. No, actually, it was definitely the worst of times for whoever made this sign for the John Harvard Library in London.



Thanks to Helen for submitting this atrocity.

County Fair Catastrophe

Yikes! I haven't updated Apostrophe Catastrophes in a month! This is truly a catastrophe, and I apologize. But I've been busy. I moved to Pennsylvania! While I miss Boston dearly (love that dirty water...), I now have an entirely new state filled with apostrophe catastrophes to capture. One of the first things I did upon arriving here was head to a county fair because sheep are my favorite things in the entire world.



If I were ever to become a therapist, I would prescribe sheep and Irish accents to anyone who is depressed.

Making the day even better, I found an apostrophe catastrophe at the fair!



Gyro is...?

Thanks to my loyal Apostrophe Catastrophe readers for your patience. I promise to be better about updating the blog more often. Keep those submissions coming!

Jeep Bumper Sticker Catastrophe

Meg spotted this double atrocity somewhere in Connecticut.



Tailgating and crossing over multiple lanes at once are two of my biggest driving pet peeves, but this bumper sticker may be a close third.

Thanks, Meg!

Teach Your Children Well

The most appalling part of this catastrophe is that the sign is posted at a school.



Thanks to Steve from Camberley for sending this one.

Gas Station Catastrophe

My dad sent in this catastrophic sign from a gas station in Lexington, Mass.



Time to fuel up for Memorial Day travel.

Thanks, Dad!

*You're* Not Learning Proper Grammar

Alan sent me this catastrophic bib from New Orleans. Your learning is... flawed.



Now I've lost my appetite. At least the baby wearing this bib can't read the catastrophe.

Thanks, Alan!

Himalayan Catastrophe

No, not that one. This is just an apostrophe catastrophe that my friend Carrie found during her travels.



Thanks, Carrie!

Driving Me Crazy

I feel sort of bad posting this one because everyone at this Subaru dealership was super-nice, and I love their cars, but all's fair in love and punctuation.



The showroom had five or six of these banners featuring an apostrophe catastrophe in the plural of Subaru (look below the 2009 in the middle), so I had to take a photo. Incidentally, I read somewhere that Subaru's slogan, "It's what makes a Subaru, a Subaru" [sic] has an errant comma in it. Yes, I'm nitpicking, but that's what this blog is all about.

I still plan to buy a Subaru for my next car anyway. Driving around New England in a two-wheel drive vehicle can be scary at times (i.e. throughout our six-month winter period).

For Kids Who Can't Read Good

Tina sent in this catastrophically ironic sign from Naples, Florida.



Good thing this statement is in quotation marks because it probably isn't true.

Thanks, Tina!

Panty Catastrophe

I was taking a walk yesterday in Scranton, but it was crazy cold out, so I ducked into a mall. *shudder*



Fortunately, the mall's big department store, Boscov's, provided me with this gem.

At least they didn't write "bikini's" to go along with "ladie's."

Bananas Cause Gas?

When I first saw this apostrophe catastrophe from my friend Irene (a.k.a. my friend Ethan's mom), I thought, "Bananas cause gas?"



But apparently it means that they aren't unnaturally ripened using gas or something. I'm not up on all these organic food trends.

I especially love this catastrophe because it's from Market Basket, which is, well... just check out this website. Some may disagree, but I say it's worth dealing with the chaos of Market Basket to pay literally 1/3 of what I would pay at Whole Foods or Shaw's.

Thanks, Irene!

Another Gym Catastrophe

My gym corrected the blatant apostrophe catastrophe that I found there the other day, but now another one has cropped up.



It's a little hard to see, but it says, "Sale ends in two day's." Yikes. Also, the sign should read "Now on Sale," not "in sale." And you don't need a dollar sign before "10 bucks." That's redundant.

In addition to the grammar and syntax errors, this sign presents the fallacy that these sales at the gym last only a few days. Signing up for a gym membership is like buying a car (or a mattress). You never pay the sticker price, and you can negotiate.

That's your public service announcement for the day.

Winter Drink Catastrophe

The menu from Delaney's in North Conway features an apostrophe catastrophe and an oddly X-rated drink title (4th drink on the list).



Despite the punctuation errors, these drinks did sound delicious, but I had a two-and-a-half hour drive ahead of me, so I stuck with water. Their buffalo chicken soup was delicious after a 9-mile hike, though!

Gym Catastrophe

It's 6 degrees and snowing today so I had to go to the gym. The highlight of my workout was finding this catastrophic sign.



I do like the women's area because creepy dudes never hit on me in there, but this sign is almost as atrocious as taking a selfie on the treadmill. Well, for $10 a month, I guess my gym can't afford to hire a proofreader.