My local corner shop/newsagent went bust a few years back and my next nearest looks to be suffering the same fate (thanks to supermarkets but don't get me started on that one). For months there has been gossip of it going into liquidation and when they stopped selling magazines and newspapers it seemed as if the rumours were true.
Today there's a big sign outside declaring 'THERE BACK - MAGAZINES/NEWSPAPERS NOW IN STOCK'.
I went in hoping to get Women's Weekly (Paula William's final serial chapter of Burying Bad News) but the shelves were bare. Feeling cheated, I couldn't resist pointing out someone had used the wrong spelling on the board outside.
'Oh yes,' said the assistant. 'Should be T-H-E-I-R shouldn't it?'
'No, it should be T-H-E-Y'R-E.' She looked at me as if I was a nutter, and admittedly I did feel a bit Lynne Truss as I vigorously signed an air apostrophe.
I suppose if folk go in just to point out it's wrong it might increase 'THERE' sales huh?
PS. I am now paranoid you're searching this blog for grammatical/spelling errors. Be assured, you'll find plenty! Just don't write to tell me!
1 comment:
We should all club together and go out and change these signs. One of the worst I saw was Collies above a pile of cauliflowers. And I wrote about another in my Novel Ideas column where Deb's Diner was a sign on the east side of the snack van and Debs' Diner on the other. That was Debs hedging her bets. It could have even been Debs's Diner. I didn't pass it for a few months and when I did she'd changed both signs to Debz Diner. I call that clever. Or is it defeatist?
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