Friday Flubs: This Week’s $1,500 Typo at Macy’s

Every Friday’s post is a collection of typos or grammatical errors I’ve spotted throughout the week. Sometimes they are things I find while out and about and sometimes they are things I find on the Internet. If you are anything like me, these typos drive you crazy, especially when they come from people who should know better.

You’ve probably heard about Macy’s big typo this week. If you haven’t, take a look:

Image from Macy's ad (WFAA-TV).
Image from Macy’s ad (WFAA-TV).

That $47 diamond, sterling silver and 14-karat gold necklace is supposed to be priced at $479. The store’s major blunder cost it lots of money (as some customers reportedly bought the necklace for $47) and possibly some customers. When Macy’s realized its mistake, it posted signs in its stores explaining the typo, stopped offering the necklace at the wrong price and canceled online orders for it.

A typo like this can cost a business money and can hurt its reputation. While most of us may look at this as a humorous misfortune, customers who were denied the wrong sale price or who had their order canceled may be left with a bad taste in their mouth.

The moral of the story? A good editing job includes every aspect of a piece of copy, including numbers and prices.

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