Meg: Accepted?
Ben: it must mean they take all forms of debit
Meg: Yep.
Meg: I can’t post typo things though. Too hypocritical.
Meg: I’d have to write, “Further proof that Walmart’s grammar is only marginally better than my own.”
Ben: aw
Ben: then the terrorists have already won
That doesn’t even look like a word. [Writing on the Wal]
(Photo:Tim and Cheryl Stolberg)
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Haha, it took me awhile to see what you were talking about.
Just ignore that red squiggly line underneath when you put it in the word processor before you mash “print”, there, ace. Aside from the fact that you picked the wrong word.
Unless things have changed since I worked there, it looks like that was printed on a very simple sign-making utility that has no spell check. Hell, even the manager’s systems didn’t have a real word processor/spreadsheet, just a stripped-down version that was near impossible to work.
Walmart has a program called Smart that runs on a OS that I dont know of. I think it might be a linux or something. (I build computers btw) Anyway they use a very basic if even that text editor that lets them make signs. If you put to many words on a line you risk cutting off the words when you print and you have to manually move down to the next line. Forget spell check or grammar check half of them can hardly type…
My goodness. That’s not even close.
So, is it “execpted” or “acecpted”?
(because it looks like the original intent was to announce “no debit accepted”, so cash or CC only)
Meg, your grammar is not bad. People on here are just 7th grade middle school english teachers trapped in Consumerist bodies.
Would that hold up legally if one demanded to use debit?
@clevershark: Wow you really are “clever”
clever shark is clever
Jeez, must be that cognitive thing where your brain fills in the blanks, because for a minute or two, I only noticed the usage error and completely missed the spelling. I was scratching my head at the comments, though.
the red squiggly line doesn’t show up if you type in all caps. bummer for walmart.
It does if you set your spell check option to check words in all caps…..
@machete_bear:
There is no legality either way. Unless there is some law requiring them to take debit cards, even if they had a sign that says “ALL DEBIT CARDS ACCEPTED”, they would be free to dishonor it at any time. Such a sign doesn’t create any sort of contractual obligation on Walmart.
Well, I take execption to those snarks!
@ErnieMcCracken: Hey, thanks!
You know, it’s one thing if this was a hand written sign (which would be ghetto enough) but this looks like a pretty professionally done sign, and that just makes it all the more hilarious.
‘execpted’ is websters word of the year. i wonder how many times that sign was used in their store?
@Shadowman615: That is because our brain only needs the first and last letter of a word to be correct and it fills in the missing info.
That theory was heartily disproved. They cherry picked the transpositions they used to illustrate it in the first place..
execp ted? How come Ted gets to use debit. That bastard.
It does take talent to design a sign that a)says the opposite of what you want to say, and b)then proceeds to butcher the spelling.
@SpdRacer: yaeh i raed taht sowmehre. i tihnk it wsa at a jmmiy jhon’s.
The Wal-Mart here misspelled Blu-Ray as “Blue-Ray” on the Harry Potter DVD display… a minor typo that I can accept, as Blu-ray is a new technology that many people have either a) haven’t heard of or b) have heard of, but are waiting for the Blu-ray/HD DVD format war victor to emerge before they buy the darn players. But this particular Wally World typo is un-”except”-able!
Still, I bet that one could easily use a Visa/MC/Discover debit/check card at that checkout lane as a credit card (read: by asking the cashier to push the “credit” key and then signing the receipt instead of using a PIN). And the funds would still come out of the customer’s checking account anyway whether the customer signs or uses a PIN, so it would be no big deal. Problem solved.
The format war ended at least three years ago. The only place you can get HD DVDs now are eBay and thrift stores.
@CaffeinatedSquint: I wouldn’t go that far. It looks to me like someone just printed text on white tabloid-sized paper or card stock. No professionals needed, just a big printer.
@Pylon83: Aslong as your debit card has a Mastercard/Visa logo and Wal-Mart has Mastercard/Visa logos, indicating that they accept those cards. They have to then accept debit cards.
@MFfan310: Probably. The difference between debit and credit in the US is if you key in a code or if you sign.
But then, there’ll always be one or two people that will probably take out their debit card with a Visa/Mastercard logo on it, stare at it, look at the misspelled sign, stare at their debit card again and say: “Damn, I can’t use this debit card!”
No, there are legal differences between debit card and credit cards. While many consumers think that using their debit, or check card, as a credit card gives them the same consumer protection, this is not correct.
Credit Cards – consumer is using the issuer’s money.
Debit Cards – consumer is using their OWN money.
Credit cards have consumer protections for charge backs and fraud that are not the same for debit cards. Some issuers will opt to give consumers similar protection, but they are not LEGALLY required to do so.
in the words of a former district manager of mine:
@mac-phisto:
or one of my managers — “well it’s already there, so i guess it’s a mute point.”
@y2julio:
Possibly true, but that is all private contract controlled. It doesn’t make it “illegal” to refuse to accept them. It simply puts Wal-Mart in breach of contract with Visa/MC, etc.
Debit ≠Credit.
Some banks charge fees for Debit transactions. Or, at least, they used to. Also, depending on the bank, sometimes credit transactions take longer to hit your account than debit transactions.
Clearly the cashier is dyslexic and he/she meant “EXPECTED”.
But far, far better than Ben’s.
Hmmm. “Hypercritical,” perhaps?
Sorry. Couldn’t resist.
I expected my exception to be accepted
I think my ex wrote that sign.
just when you think you’ve seen the dumbest thing ever, another one comes along…
@jeff303: I am honored to share our name.
As my former boss would say ‘that’ll learn them’
@Pylon83: I’m pretty sure Visa/MC isn’t going to care all that much about one checkout line in one Wal-Mart that can’t accept Debit Cards.
“You mean we don’t get french benefits?”
If the editors start worrying about their own grammar and spelling, we won’t have much to comment on.
It could be that they are even WORSE than you think, they might mean No Debit Accepted.
Red squiggly line means it’s mis-spelled. This word is actually spelled correctly.
I’d have bought a green marker and put a green squiggly line underneath it.
@Jordan Lund: No, it’s not. The E and C have swapped places.
@Ghede: I’m… pretty sure that’s the joke, actually.
@meghannmarco: Yeah, um, so your occasional typos? Not so much an issue, apparently.
I once saw stickers which read “Camera for research purposes only.” It was meant to be placed stealthily on the little electronic eyes that automatically flush toilets in public restrooms. I wish I could find those stickers again, they were great!
@CAD06: actually the program that wal-mart uses for thier printed signs is pretty archaic, and has no “little red squiggly” or even a spellcheck, that being said when I worked for the company (worst, 4, years, ever) one of my managers would have me spellcheck it before she would print it
Man alive. If you’re not sure–and clearly, in this case, the signmaker was not sure–don’t guess! USE ANOTHER WORD.
In this case, might I suggest the word “CARDS”?
No. Debit. Cards.
Hey Wal-Mart…use a dictionary…it ain’t rocket surgery.
On the other hand, Wal-Mart dictionaries are probably translated from Chinese into English, so who knows what you’ll get.
Dyslexics of the world, untie!
That’s even worse than the classic “Employee’s Only” sign you see in so many places.
@ErnieMcCracken: Yes, I am a 7th grade middle-school English teacher trapped in a Consumerist body. Now put your head down on your desk and stay quiet until the recess bell rings.
Oh, and another thing, shouldn’t the word “Walmart” in the title be hyphenated?
@azntg: Sometimes I have to key, sometimes I have to sign, sometimes I do neither (and I only ever use a debit card). I don’t even bother to question it at this point, as long as my statement comes out ok
@TheUncleBob: I don’t know if my Credit Union (OH NOES BANKS V CUS!!) is special, but I’ve never paid a fee for a debit transaction.
@swissdietcoke: @Jordan Lund: Walmart doesn’t use mainstream word processors to make these signs. They use some rudimentary DOS-based notepad-like program, so no red squiggly, no spell check at all.
@Shadowman615: Actually, it’s plain old 8.5×14″ paper, printed on a Lexmark network laser printer.