AIBU to tell an Etsy seller their grammar/ punctuation is incorrect?

[Lolabear38]

Looking at signs on Etsy earlier and one I noticed said ‘Dog’s welcome’. Obviously dogs doesn’t need an apostrophe here - looking at other items in their shop I also noticed things like ‘mum’s are magic’ and some others. I messaged the seller about something I wanted to buy but mentioned the incorrect use of the apostrophe - in a polite, what I considered to be constructive way - and got a very arsey reply!

Apparently they have ‘hundreds of very satisfied customers’ (and actually they have had hundreds of sales according to their Etsy stats) and nobody has ever complained before, therefore it must be me who has the problem and I should probably look at other shops if I’m going to be ‘a perfectionist about it’.

AIBU to have pointed this out? I genuinely don't spend my days seeking out grammatical errors to correct but why are people blasted for trying to help like this? I'm not claiming my own grammar or language is perfect, but neither am I selling signs with mistakes on them. It seems like anytime someone does point out mistakes they're labelled 'grammar police' and demonised.

YABU - you should have let them carry on using apostrophes incorrectly and looked at another shop instead.

YANBU - you were trying to help 🤷🏻‍♀️

OMG. That’s a health and safety concern, surely?

I think you were being helpful and the seller was embarrassed.
The incorrect use of the apostrophe would ensure I didn’t buy the sign.
The seller might be even more successful if she takes your advice.

"While I think signs should be checked before they're made, I do think there's an element of classicm or snobbery in this. Not everyone had the same educational opportunities or got through all of high school. Could have had utter chaos at home. Compare that to a quiet, well off family where every child goes to university. It's not a level playing field and we know it. People seem to have understanding for these children but then forget about them once they become adults. We know nothing about this person or her life."

Do schoolteachers no longer correct basic spelling and grammar errors? I have a niece who went to university who in her 20s was still writing, "should of" and "could of".

I passed a tattoo shop a while ago. They had a ‘stranger things’ display in the window, showing ideas of tattoos inspired by the show that they could do. One of them was a good portrait, with the words ‘friend’s don’t lie’ underneath. I just didn’t know what to make of it. If you’re permanently marking someone else’s body surely you’d check, double check, and check again.

I will say I think anyone who picks up on other people’s SPAG unasked is an arsehole of the highest order. But if that person is trying to sell you their incorrect SPAG then I think it’s fair and you’re doing them a favour.

I think its the lowest of the low to correct a random person's spelling in front of others on sm when you perfectly understand their meaning. A "professional" sign writer is different, although I wouldn't have contacted them as its none of my business. We have a local shop called (slightly changed) Frank's Fabric's, which gives us amusement every time we pass. I wouldn't for the world have a quiet word with Frank about his sign though, I wouldn't be doing it for the right reasons.

Our local council once erected a huge banner on some derelict land to announce that "Pheonix Park" was coming soon.

It bothered me every time I drove past it.

I think generally the level of grammar and spelling has gone downhill and it is now so prevalent I almost find it difficult to remember which is correct these days.

I see so many sign written things wrong, or labelling errors on brands. I used to think that sign writers would correct the inaccuracies but they don't it seems.

Just recently I was tempted to email a company and tell them it was not "maybe we are bias" but then couldn't be bothered..

I do always have a chuckle at the pub sign down my road who sell lovely diary ice cream though.

Yanbu. Maybe if more people corrected her she'd understand that she's probably losing out on business from the many people who do understand spelling and grammar.

The latest post on her page she's talking about doing facials with 'hydrochloric acid' (yes really) and when someone has double-checked this with her she's confirmed this is correct!

That brings to mind the old comic rhyme:
Poor old Jake has gone to rest
His face we'll see no more
For what he thought was H20
Was H2SO4!

Our local council once erected a huge banner on some derelict land to announce that "Pheonix Park" was coming soon.

That one is such a common error, probably to the same extent as 'should of' nowadays. I'm sure there must be at least as many businesses out there called 'Pheonix' something or other as there are those with 'Phoenix' in their names.

OMG. That’s a health and safety concern, surely?

Absolutely... I'd report her but she blocked me after the 'pours' incident (my friend showed me this latest post) - I'd recommend that everyone reports it if it's still there - bond_skinuk on Instagram

There can't be a blanket rule for this. Some people will find it helpful others will feel criticized.

The apostrophe is still wrong however you look at it

Makes my teeth itch. I've told companies before too and they seem unbothered...I wouldn't use them if their attention to detail is that bad!

Don't be ridiculous. If I was advertising something I'd want to know if there was a problem so that I could correct it and avoid losing sales.

They’re not bothered when you tell them because they don’t seem SPAG to be important. If they did they wouldn’t have made the mistake in the first place.

Yes you're being a twat to point that out

Why? It’s a core part of her business.

They’re not bothered when you tell them because they don’t seem SPAG to be important. If they did they wouldn’t have made the mistake in the first place.

I genuinely believe that a lot of people see SPAG as some kind of archaic etiquette rules that don't really mean anything or make any actual difference - like the idea of ripping a bread roll being the 'proper' thing to do instead of cutting it in half with a knife. They don't understand that they are part of the essential building blocks to human communication.

It seems to be the thing now that there is no longer any such thing as truth and only MY truth and YOUR truth - and whichever you believe to be true is just as valid as whatever somebody else believes to be true, no matter the specific knowledge or expertise levels on either side (or blatant in-your-face facts) pertaining to the subject.

With this in mind, the self-righteous fury at somebody else pointing out your SPAG mistakes (that you don't accept to be mistakes, as they look just fine to you) makes perfect sense.

It really grinds my gears when people use loose instead of lose and advise instead of advice 😬

Not at all!
She's the one in the wrong for not triple-checking her spelling, grammar and punctuation when she's in the business of taking people's money to make signs for them. She needs to be told. She can't keep ripping people off like this. Even if it is unintentional, it's a sloppy and careless approach to her work. Lots of people have poor SPAG and will buy these signs in good faith. It's not fair on them.

I guess they dont care and the people they sell to dont care either! (By the way since the mumsnet update, apostrophes dont work for me so dont blame me for these errors!) I once saw a wedding stationery business which was spelt as "stationary" even in their online address. I so wanted to say something but decided there was no point.

Yes, that's a confusing one.
I thought of 'apple' and 'dessert' as both having double letters and then noticed on reading your post that so does 'pudding' - a happy coincidence and a convenient way of associating them. We still need to remember 'just deserts' (from 'deserve') doesn't take a double 's', though it sounds the same as apple desserts or puddings.

You are not wrong but you will get told off here.

Maybe the sign means “You will get a dog’s welcome here, ie I will jump on you, lick your face, sniff your crotch and bark excitedly when you enter.”

Or “Don’t accept any food with mushrooms in this house - Mum’s are magic”.

And I’m sure she has “hundred’s of satisfied customer’s”.

I always tell my kids dessert has to have ‘s’ twice because it’s Something Sweet 😂

Go for it. I realise those who have poor knowledge of grammar will get huffy and defensive but tough. The ignorant have to learn.