75+ Hilarious Supermarket Fails

Mishap: Oranges mislabeled as apples
Average Price of Item: $1.32 per pound of apples*

We’ve all heard the saying about how you shouldn’t “compare apples and oranges,” and this takes it to a new level. One customer was shopping for produce when he spotted a sign labeling what looks like a drawer of oranges as a “Hot Buy—Apples.” Though the $0.59 price isn’t terrible, the overall presentation leaves a lot to be desired.

How'd'ya Like Them Apples? @alexanderofsb / Pinterest.com

While apples are around $1.32 per pound, oranges cost a little more, at $1.33 per pound. This is all way more expensive than the prices of produce thirty years earlier, where you could walk into your local Kroger and buy oranges for 45 cents a pound. 

Mishap: Cookies labeled as donuts
Average Price of Item: $0.99 per donut*

One customer looking for a delicious morning donut was no doubt surprised to find that that sweet treat in his “Donuts—Prepared In Store” package was actually a macadamia nut cookie. Though still delicious, that’s not exactly the same thing. Though, if you just want a quick sugar fix, that’ll suffice.

These Donuts Are Weirdly Shaped...@Ideasen5MinutosChicas / Pinterest.com

Donuts are cheaper than cookies anyway, as the average price of a donut is around $0.99. According to one website, people price their homemade cookies at around $4. If you’re looking for something cheap at a high quantity, check out the delicious cookie trays at Costco, which ends up costing around $0.20 per cookie.  

Mishap: Reminding us that cat milk isn’t from cats
Average Price of Item: $2.28*

This one isn’t a mislabeling so much as it is a correction that we didn’t know we needed. Apparently, so many people have been asking the sales staff at one grocery store about “Cat Milk” that they had to put up a sign explaining that the Whiskas product was not, in fact, milk from a cat.

An Important Distinction @herdingcats2012 / Pinterest.com

The sign, which politely says, “Please note. Cat milk does not come from cats,” makes you wonder who even thought to ask that question in the first place. The Whiskas Cat Milk, which you can get at Chewy, is basically a protein shake for cats and kittens.  

Mishap: Telling customers to make orange juice with lemons
Average Price of Item: $0.57 each*

According to this supermarket’s hilarious sign, we have all been making our orange juice wrong this entire time (and who even makes their own orange juice anymore?). The sign above the lemons—which themselves appear to be correctly-marked—says, “Lemons. Perfect for orange juice.”

Make...Orange Juice? @nuttsuda0917 / Pinterest.com

It’s unclear which supermarket this is, but the lemons are a “product of U.S.A.,” so it might be Limoneira lemons that are the victim of this mislabeled signage. We’ve all heard the saying, “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” but this is definitely a new and very bitter twist on that old concept. 

Mishap: Sign that makes it look like people are eating dog food
Average Price of Item: $5.99*

Chalk this one up to another sign shuffle. It looks like one grocery store forgot to take down its sign when it switched sections around, because it left a “Dinner. Just for the two of us,” picture with two humans above a selection of Pedigree dog food.

Woof Woof @deathtoboredom / Pinterest.com

One customer snapped the photo of the misplaced sign, posting it on social media. It’s hard to tell what grocery store the food is in, but the $5.99 price on the Pedigree dog food is pretty cheap. According to Dog Food Advisor, the best dry dog food brands are Wellness Complete Health and Instinct Original, both of which you can get on Amazon if you can’t find them in-store.  

Mishap: Knives in the school supplies section
Average Price of Item: $50-$100 for a good knife*

Unless you want your kid to get expelled and have a rather short school year, this “Back to School” section isn’t for you. One shopper posted a picture of a mislabeling, where a whole assortment of kitchen knives was put in the “Back to School” section of the store.

@alizagiaja/Pinterest

The Walmart where this happened probably quickly fixed the problem, but not before everyone got a good laugh. Though you might be excited at the cheap price (under $10, it looks like) for the kitchen knives, note that The Kitchn said you should pay $50-$100 for a good kitchen knife that’ll last. 

Mishap: Labeling a cat as a dog
Average Price of Item: $25.00*

When you look at the frame for a dog picture (which is labeled “My Dog”), you probably don’t expect to see a rather disgruntled-looking cat staring back out at you. However, that’s exactly what happened to one shopper, when he noticed just how opposite the stock photo in the frame was.

Framed @miloslavovaa1980 / Pinterest.com

Also, the price of the frame is weirdly expensive, and, judging from the bright orange price tag, it costs $25.00. If you’re looking for a cheaper picture frame—for your dog photos or, perhaps, a human—you should check out Dollar General or Dollar Tree. They’re bound to have a small frame for less. 

Mishap: Overly-obvious peanut signage
Average Price of Item: $0.202 per pound*

As anyone who has ever worked in retail or in a grocery store will tell you, it’s amazing what customers will complain about. That was likely the cause of this overly-obvious sign about peanut allergies. Positioned in front of a section of peanuts, the sign says, “This product contains peanuts.”

Nut Allergies Beware @Monicamdero/Pinterest

Well, yeah. Though peanut allergies are surprisingly common (to the point that some schools ban peanut products by companies like Smucker’s altogether), the sign is a little much. According to the AJMC, 1.2% of the entire U.S. population is allergic to peanuts. It’s the most common food allergy for kids.

Mishap: Mislabeling ice as “hot”
Average Price of Item: $2.99*

A $2.99 bag of ice is nothing to complain about, but it is unusual that it’s labeled, “Get it while it’s hot!” One shopper saw the irony in that sign and snapped a picture for social media. Judging from the photo, it doesn’t seem to have stopped many customers, as the section of Glacier Ice is almost out.

Hot Ice @barbwmn / Pinterest.com

Artic Glacier is one of the biggest ice suppliers in America, providing ice to stores like Sysco, Walmart, Giant Eagle, and more. Interestingly, Artic Glacier can even make you an ice sculpture if you ask for one (though, without the accompanying “Get it while it’s hot!” sign).

Mishap: Saying there were no pretzels when there are clearly pretzels
Average Price of Item: $3.29*

“Out of Pretzels” must mean something else, because, as one customer pointed out, that sign was placed above a case full of hot, baked pretzels. Maybe they had gone stale? Either way, the irony was too good to pass up, so the shopper had to take a photo of it.

Pants on Fire @umahmood7 / Pinterest.com

As you’ll see, it says “Market Pantry,” which means that these pretzels might be from Target. That’s right, some people’s Targets actually have pretzel machines, Pizza Huts, and Starbucks in them. Target’s partnership with Pizza Hut and Starbucks has proved one of the chain’s most lucrative business decisions in recent years. 

Mishap: Writing “Grapeless” instead of “Seedless”
Average Price of Item: $2.20 per pound* 

We’ve all been there. It’s easy to make a spelling mistake when you’re not paying attention and/or don’t care, and one grocery store sign-maker probably didn’t find black seedless grapes attention-getting. The sign says “grapeless” instead of “seedless,” an error that most people probably didn’t even notice (save for the customer who took the photo).

Seedless Grapes @marlaynegunning / Pinterest.com

In addition to the funny sign mishap, these grapeless grapes are actually way cheaper than seedless grapes on the market today at stores like Albertsons or Publix. They usually cost $2.20 per pound, but these grapes cost $1.48 per pound. If you can overlook the bad sign, they are a must-buy.

Mishap: Pregnancy magazines in the “Teen” section
Average Price of Item: $3-$6 per magazine*

Oh no. Talk about a bad influence. One store was probably in hot water after accidentally labeling an array of pregnancy and motherhood magazines as part of the “teen” section (though, if you watch Teen Mom, this might seem a little more accurate). Below the “I’m pregnant!” magazines are the Girls’ Life and Teen People mags, so maybe it was an honest mistake.

Bad Influences @barbwmn / Pinterest.com

It’s hard to tell what store this is, but it looks like either the book section of a grocery store—which is pretty common on the East Coast—or like the magazine section of a Barnes & Noble. 

Mishap: Thousand-dollar cough drop pricing
Average Price of Item: $2.75 per bag*

Unless these gold-colored cough drops are made of solid gold, this price isn’t even close. It’s clear that, at one drugstore, the sign-making machine malfunctioned, creating a price that said there was a special sale of $9,999.99 with card ($2.75 for the regular bag of cough drops).

Gold Cough Drops @deathtoboredom / Pinterest.com

The Walgreens mishap wasn’t a big deal, but it certainly was a funny one. And, if you look closer, you’ll see that the sign error continued even to the small print, where it says, “Unit price: $500 each.” In reality, the unit price of a cough drop is a far more reasonable eight or nine cents. 

Mishap: Orange juice mislabeled as bacon
Average Price of Item: $2.47 per kilo*

Well, orange juice might be “juicy,” but it’s certainly not bacon. One store had a signage accident when it accidentally labeled a selection of Tropicana and Minute Maid orange juice, grape juice, and lemonades as “Juicy Bacon.” Luckily, the prices don’t seem like they’re bacon prices, so at least that’s accurate.

Juicy Bacon @KraftyKat / Pinterest.com

The Tropicana orange juice is way less expensive than bacon, which has seen prices rise, much to bacon-lovers dismay. The demand for pork is still pretty high and currently supply chain disruptions might be causing the price to jump, too. If you love bacon, stock up for a while.