This is one of my favorite reader submissions ever. In fact, I love this so much, I think I’m going to mark it under “Best of the Blog.”
I know that there are a lot of people out there who adore Wal-Mart — one of my best friends, Alexa, is one of them. Personally, I’m ambivalent about them — the prices are great, but the stores are messy and they always have a weird smell. Like popcorn, but worse.
Anyway, reader Marimba sent me this gem of an image from Wal-Mart. This was emailed to him from a friend who got it from her sister who got it from a friend who got it from a former co-worker….
Here is what it said:
HI… Had to share this. IT’s real. From a former co-worker in one of The Commercial Appeal bureaus. Read the message below, then open the pic.
Check out this cake. Chad said they ordered it from Walmart and told them to write “Best Wishes Suzanne” and then underneath that “We will Miss You.”
Look at what they did.
All I have to say is stay in school.
The Grammar Vandal 
Shouldn’t it read: “Best Wishes, Suzanne”?
You’re quite welcome for the submission but I must point out that I am a he, not a she. Just one of those little details.
….regards, ED Marimba
I am so sorry, Ed! I assumed Marimba was your first name. I’ll change it as soon as I get home from work and can blog away in peace.
And yes, Junior Alien, it should — just as it should say, “Run Easy, Boston,” it should read, “Best Wishes, Suzanne.”
LMFAO!!!
I wine snob was once trying to sell me a bottle when he got the word mixed up with “subtle” … This wine is sublime, but it’s good.
Talk about being literal-minded, Walmart!!! OMG this is just too funny… 🙂
Funniest cake evar. Was it frosted by Amelia Bedelia?
When growing up in England, I remember hearing a (possibly apocryphal) story about one David Clarke, whose boarding school required that all students have fabric name labels sewn inside their clothing.
“David Clarke, with an ‘e’,” his mother said when ordering the labels by telephone.
The labels arrived, proudly rechristening him:
David Clark Withany
On our public library door we had a sign up for a couple of years that said: “Staff Entrance”. Yep. With the quotation marks.
based on the use of “underneat”, i would almost expect “that” to be spelled “dat”!
irregardless, that’s beautiful! or is that a mute point?
John from Grand Haven – You mean “regardless” and “moot point”. Beware the log…
LEN
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Here is a thought: get a job at a busy wal-mart and then show us your error free
results. I guarantee you’d make lots
of mistakes. Comes with the territory
in a busy retail setting.
Oh and have you ever tried writing on
a cake? It’s not easy to do.
I’d never work for Wal-Mart. They tell their employees to vote Republican.
If your job is to write on cakes, your job is also to write on cakes with the correct spelling.
Well… You may indeed possess stellar grammar and punctuation skills, but you leave a bit to be desired when it comes to organizing a blog site. I’ve combed this page at least 10 (sorry I didn’t write out the word “ten”) times and cannot find the picture of the cake being referred to in these posts.
Har!
It’s not difficult to write on a cake, even in a “busy retail setting”. I made (baked, decorated, and wrote on) wedding cakes well before I was of appropriate age to be married. Don’t take no degree in rokit siance.
This cake was also featured on cakewrecks.blogspot.com. You’ve gotta check it out for more terrible cake grammar/spelling mistakes.
I loved the cake with the literal spellings. It does remind me of Amelia Bedelia. I once met her at a librarian’s conference, the author, Peggy Parish.
Please send me more comments. My Mother was a grammar expert. She corrected her five children every time we made a grammar error.
Erik, are you serious? Maybe you have a problem with your browser. I see the cake directly posted in into the post…not to mention the fact that everyone else seems to be able to see it as well. I suspect you’re either just snarky or you’re snarky and unaware of when your browser is causing you viewing problems.
“She corrected her five children every time we made a grammar error.”
I came across exactly this type of construction while I was proofing a text recently. Does anyone know if this is acceptable grammar? It obviously can be interpreted in more than one way.
Takes the cake.
I’ve been an editor for many years and just found your hilarious site. Thanks.
I have similar cake story to share. My daughter requested that her birthday cake have frosting flowers on the corners. We ordered the cake and asked for them to include frosting flowers on the corners in addition to the written birthday message on the cake. We went to pick up the cake and, to our horror, it read “Happy Birthday Madison- with Flowers on the corners.” I kid you not!!
Sorry, Dorothy, but the last sentence should be: My mother was a grammar expert. You do not need to capitalize “mother” in that sentence.
Donald,
As a college English professor with two Master’s Degrees, one of which is in Secondary English Education, I can tell you that Dorothy did make a slight error in that line of hers that you questioned. In order to phrase it properly, she should have said: “She corrected her five children every time any one of us made an error.” I hope this was helpful!
Everyone needs a good laught right now. I would forward to having my cake and eating it too!
Everyone needs a good laugh right now. I would forward to having my cake and eating it too!
Pardon me, Alicia, but don’t you mean “I would LOOK forward to having my cake and eating it too.”?
Also, I see you have fallen victim of the curse of great impatience with your connection, and have thus double-posted.
Regarding the unnecessary capitalization of “mother,” I am of the opinion that, though it be not required, it is often greatly deserved. Thank you, Mom!
I text-message in complete sentences.
I just thought you might like to be aware that your “Best of All Time” cake mistake was actually ripped off from another blog, cakewrecks.com. You may want to give credit to this blog…