Do Not Disturb Signs For Shoppers

I think this is a great idea.

I'd particularly like to see it in Home Depot which allows salespeople to prowl their aisles, trying to sell you a new kitchen or home makeover as you're searching for a part for your toilet.

Baltimore Sun - Oct 6, 1963

Posted By: Alex - Tue Dec 21, 2021 - Comments (4)
Category: Shopping, 1960s

Buster Makes Room for His Mama at the Bargain Counter

Actually, it's Tige who deserves all the credit.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Feb 13, 2021 - Comments (0)
Category: Movies, Shopping, Comics, Children, Dogs, 1900s

Hunting Groceries

For one week in 1992, German artist Christian Jankowski "hunted" his groceries in the supermarket with a bow and arrow. From his website:


Imagine trying to go into a supermarket with a bow and arrow nowadays to hunt your groceries.

Posted By: Alex - Tue Jul 31, 2018 - Comments (6)
Category: Food, Shopping, Performance Art, 1990s

Service for smiles

Given an equal choice, will a store clerk first serve a smiling or a frowning customer?

Science provides the answer. Clerks go toward the smiler.

Maybe this is why it's so hard to ever get help in Home Depot. I need to be grinning more.

Elmira Star Gazette - Dec 11, 1972

Posted By: Alex - Thu Nov 30, 2017 - Comments (3)
Category: Science, Psychology, Shopping

Brendan O’Connell, Wal-Mart Artist

Artists find inspiration in all kinds of unusual places. Brendan O'Connell got inspired by shopping at Wal-Mart and started painting scenes from inside Wal-Mart stores. He's achieved quite a bit of success, to the point that his paintings now fetch up to $40,000. Which means they're not going to be on sale at Wal-Mart anytime soon. However, the company has purchased one of his paintings. [msn.com]

Posted By: Alex - Fri Apr 26, 2013 - Comments (5)
Category: Art, Shopping

How to find Bodega

Are you shopping for high-end sneakers? Then check out Bodega in Boston. To find it, just look for the nondescript, convenience-store shopfront on Clearway St. (Here on Google Maps). Go inside and ignore the shelves full of junk food and household supplies. Look for the Snapple Machine. It's the secret entrance to the real store hidden behind the convenience store. Though yes, you can really buy stuff in the convenience store if you want. I wonder how many people wander into the convenience store never realizing it's not the real store. (via Deceptology)

Posted By: Alex - Fri Apr 13, 2012 - Comments (6)
Category: Shopping

A Little Light Weirdness - 6

When the O'Gorman family encountered still opposition to their proposal to demolish the Edwardian house they owned and use the land for six modern properties they were probably a little miffed, or more than a little, if the name they chose to give the development is anything to go by. Having been given a green light by the local council, the O'Gormans announced that the new cul-de-sac was to be called "Pogue Muhone Court". Pogue Muhone is a phonetic English equivalent to the Gaelic "pog mo thoin", which means "kiss my ass" (Telegraph).

And if kissing ass isn’t your thing, perhaps you’d like to crawl through one instead? You can at a new exhibit called Grossology, which opens at the Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday. Subtitled “The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body” the exhibits also include a tour of the nose, a giant replica of human skin and an interactive experiment in flatulence called “Burp Man” (Miami Herald).

Not kissing but kicking ass are the pensioners of Bavaria in Germany, who decided not to take the credit crunch lying down. After their financial adviser, James Amburn, handed them losses in excess of 2.3 million euros, five OAPs tracked him to his home in Speyer, kidnapped him, and tortured him into faxing a Swiss bank for the money to pay them back. Instead he managed to alert the police. Mr. Amburn later confided that his four day ordeal was perhaps extended by his kidnappers having to stop a while when they ran out of breath (Mirror).

Also taking a little longer than usual were the German actors appearing in Erofeev’s satirical play “Moscow to the End of the Line”, alternatively billed as a “crazy depiction of one of the most famous alcoholic benders in world literature”. In an ill-considered attempt at method acting four of the performers decided to swap the water in the props for real vodka “as an experiment", only to fall off their chairs, and the stage, before inviting audience members to take a swig. They were later taken to hospital under a police escort to have their stomachs pumped (Guardian).

More outrage now, this time from Great Britain, where in a clear breach of their normal high standards of decorum, British mums have been seen shopping in the Tesco supermarket chain in pyjamas and slippers. In fact more outrage seems to have been directed at Tescos, who have implemented a dress code and now escort anyone so attired from their premises, than at the mums, They should all just be thankful they don’t have Walmarts, that’s all I’m saying (Mirror).

Posted By: Dumbfounded - Fri Jan 29, 2010 - Comments (3)
Category: Body, Buildings and Other Structures, Fashion, Inebriation and Intoxicants, Shopping, Body Fluids, Excrement, Flatulence, Alcohol, Goofs and Screw-ups

Last Minute Shopping?

I was originally going to display three or four of the most unique items from Archie McPhee's web store to give you an example of the true weirdness you can find there (vengeful unicorns, remote controlled hopping yodelling lederhosen, bacon bath soap, inflatable toast). But once I started digging deeper to find just the right ones, I realized there was no way I could stick to just a few. My fellow WUvians needed to see all of the zany craziness that McPhee's has to offer. And how can you resist any company whose motto is "Slightly Less Disappointing Than Other Companies". So if you're in need of a last minute gift idea for the weirdo on your list, this is the place for you.

Posted By: Nethie - Tue Dec 15, 2009 - Comments (6)
Category: Animals, Art, Bathrooms, Body, Humor, Shopping, Toys, Candy

The World’s Largest Gummy Bear

I'm not a fan of gummy anything so I find this to be a little disgusting myself, but over at Vat19 they are selling a five pound gummy bear. This goliath of a bear consists of 1,400 normal size gummy bears and contains an amazing 12,600 calories. They are available for $29.95 and in three different flavors: blue raspberry, red cherry, and green apple. As of right now they are sold out, but you can sign up for an email alert when more become available.

Posted By: mdb777 - Sun Sep 13, 2009 - Comments (5)
Category: Shopping, Candy

Wetsuits for the Weird

So you're going to do some surfing, or scuba diving, and the water isn't very warm. You need a wetsuit. But why settle for a plain, ordinary wetsuit, when you can get one that looks like human innards, or one that makes it seem you've been the victim of a shark attack? The possibilities are endless. Check them out here. ...bydiddo

Posted By: Nethie - Fri May 22, 2009 - Comments (1)
Category: Art, Body, Design and Designers, Overpriced Merchandise, Shopping