Same Luxury, Less Lorries.

[Reality]

I was so enraged by this in Tesco yesterday that I took a photo. It's on their loo rolls.

Why, Tesco, why?

It pains me more than the 10 Items or Less sign.

WIBU to complain to the CEO or someone?

I shouldn't really say this but I'm sat on the toilet looking at the packet you speak of right now

YWNBU

I have also taken a photo of it. Post it on their fb/twitter page.

Haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about... did you think you'd posted a link?

Tesco are a pile of poo anyway (forgive the terrible loo-roll pun!)

fewer

Strumpet that really was a bit TMI

I don't even know what that means. Does it mean they just deliver fewer packs of toilet roll? Or do they cram more packs into one lorry?

::boggles::

I've emailed them.

Dear Sir,

I visited your store yesterday in order to purchase some last minute dinner items, and some loo roll.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that your own brand loo roll is about 75% cheaper than the posh stuff. Fabulous.

However, your packaging distresses me.

In a large obtrusive font at the top you declare 'same luxury less lorries', which is such a painful grammatical howler that I nearly wept. Dear Tesco, please amend this for me. I accept that 'fewer' doesn't alliterate as well, but these things matter. Spelling and grammar may seem unimportant to some, but they are the very foundation of society and we will all go to hell in a handbasket if we lose our way.

I'm sure you can understand my discombobulation. I beseech and implore you to do something about this or I will be tempted to get my red marker pen out and do it myself.

For future reference (and it really is very simple), things you can count, like lorries, elephants and forks, are FEWER. Mass nouns such as water, lager, rice and snow are LESS. Less lorries is wrong, and makes you look a mite foolish.

Warm regards,
Reality

I'm desperately re reading that to check for errors on my part, which is bound to happen, isn't it?

Freaky. I was annoyed by the same thing yesterday too.

Very annoying.

I think your 2nd to last paragraph is going to do nothing but make them go . It's a bit smug and a bit Shakespearean. Unless you would actually say "beseech and implore" in your day to day conversation.

Other than that, go for it. I would imagine you will get no response except "Oh well. Talk to the package designers."

Ah well, I've sent it already.

SmugAndShakespearean mioght be my next namechange

dame I'm a bugger for TMI

it was only a wee

I love a bit of Shakespeare me

Do let us know if they reply.

Have you never heard of alliteration?

It's a good name.

This is a losing battle. You might as well give up right now. I teach at a university and of my cohort of 45 linguistics students, only 10 were even immediately aware that this rule exists. I had to poke them very hard to alert them to what was wrong. Perhaps shop in Waitrose instead OP, I think they are the only British supermarket left that bothers with fewer....

Have you never heard of alliteration?

OP clearly states in her letter that she realises it's for alliteration.

It's an excuse for bad grammar though

It's not for alliteration anyway I think. Asda claim that they use less bags when you reuse a bag. More supermarkets do it than do not, and once it gets into mainstream writing the battle is a hopeless one. The world has not ended yet.

Oh fellow wiganer

Actually, as a professional writer, Same Luxury, Fewer Lorries actually scans better than Same Luxury, Less Lorries.

Grammar aside.

But, as a professional write, I can also tell you that some clients are really stupid!

RIP fewer

This is one of the things that bugs me the most! I'm constantly correcting the DDs.

Am I the only one who thinks the OPs letter makes her sound like a pretentious bell end,??