The Moran family gas station

[pstokely]

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Wow. I would think the owners would screen what they ask they employees to post.

[John Kerry VonErich]

2. "Sterilize Imperfection"

[NewWaveChick1981]

3. ...

:spray: :rofl: Good one!

Welcome to DU, Jon Kerry vonErich! :hi:

[NewWaveChick1981]

4. I don't assept no bills larger than 20 either...

:rofl: :P I see signs similar to this in a lot of businesses, but these are worse...:P

[Kutjara]

5. "Be For Pumping"

A slogan we can all endorse.

[Pool Hall Ace]

6. I don't even understand that first one.

Oh, is that supposed to be "cashier" ??

[pstokely]

7. Translation

"Please pay cashier before pumping gas"

[Pool Hall Ace]

8. Oh, thank you!

So "be for" = "before." :thumbsup:

[ashling]

39. I'm for pumping

sounds better the other way

[mark414]

11. and Pleash?

[Pool Hall Ace]

20. Reminds me of Mooch the cat from the Mutts comic strip.

http://muttscomics.com/index.asp

[realisticphish]

9. It's FAR more likely that these are ESL people

seriously, these look more like common mistakes that people new to English make :shrug:

[6000eliot]

15. I teach English, and these are not typical ESL errors.

This looks more like functional illiteracy to me.

[pstokely]

18. What about these?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1400855

[Rabrrrrrr]

16. I'm with 6000eliot -- those are mistakes only native English speakers make

Not foreigners, or ESL people.

I don't teach ESL like 6000eliot, but I do a lot of editing of papers for non-native-English foreigners, and I never see mistakes like those.

Those signs are clearly a problem of native-English illiteracy and ignorance, and perhaps even proud ignorance, and not just a lack of ability.

[ScreamingMeemie]

23. I totally agree with you on the first one. I live in Detroit and many of the

gas stations are owned/operated by people of Middle Eastern descent. The first one appears to be a write it as it sounds and, in fact, looks very much like a sign on a pump at the corner Shell station here. Very earnest attempt, with nothing to do with common illiteracy. :hi:

On edit: "Opertaed"? :rolf:

[Elidor]

24. Come to Tennessee

Where fully half of the population is still new to English. And I'm not talking about the immigrants.

[jmm]

26. Here's a receipt I took a photo of

The waitress didn't strike me as a non-native English speaker




I saw some pro-Bush graffiti today stating to vote for him in 2008 and that he was a "goop" president. I would've taken pics but it was too bright out and wouldn't show up on my camera phone. Maybe I'll go back some time this week? I have a feeling immigrants weren't writing that.

[ashling]

40. Saw a buffet item in a small Oriental run place

Beef and Bloccori

[TOhioLiberal]

10. More importantly...

...who's selling regular for 2.49? Enquiring minds and all that.

[pstokely]

13. It must be an old pic

[petronius]

12. At least they didn't fall into the then/than trap...

[dEMOK]

14. I didn't realize that te Bush Mentality was so pervasive...

[Rabrrrrrr]

17. "Okay, so, if I pay with cash, can you except my VISA card, then?"

:rofl:

[pstokely]

19. The moran hotel

[fortyfeetunder]

21. That third one is intriguing

If no bills larger than a 20 can be "assepted", then what is the average gas sucking monster SUV driver gonna do -- bring a bankwad of 1's, 5's and 20's if they don't have a credit card????

:sarcasm:

[TrogL]

22. Your average gas sucking monster SUV driver has a wad of bills in his pocket

Seems to come with the territory.

They make a big deal of pulling out a wad of bills the size of a baseball, rummaging through a bunch of hundreds to peel off a 20.

If you look carefully, the last 50 bills or so are singles.

[DS1]

25. These are the same types who insist illegal Mexican workers learn English

They also have, if this is one of the shit-ass heartland states, a more powerful vote than anyone I know.

[Blue-Jay]

27. Wow.

On topic: It took me nearly ten minutes some months ago to convince a convenience store owner that "GENARIC CIGARETES" is not the correct spelling to have on the marquee.

"Which word is wrong?"

"They're both wrong."

"They can't both be wrong?"

"Ummmm...."


Also.... At a local grocery store, one of the aisle-signs advertises "Potatoe Chips".

[jmm]

28. Dan Quayle's working at a grocery store now?

I've been wondering what he's up to ;-).

[Blue-Jay]

29. Yeah. It wasn't even a temporary sign.

I was one that hangs permanently over the snack aisle. Professionally done. Big store.

Maybe I'll stop there tonight and take a picture of it.

[Left Is Write]

41. My favorite grocery store misspelling is Cherrios.

Happens all the time.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

30. The first sign is obviously someone whose first language is not English.

:shrug:

[pstokely]

33. It was taken in Alabama

notice the stickers at the pump

[YellowRubberDuckie]

35. So, there's no one in Alabama that could possibly not speak English as a first language?

That's ridiculous.
Duckie

[Wetzelbill]

31. that's what happens when GOP congressman lose and have to enter the "private sector"

:)

[judaspriestess]

32. my favorite(s) which is

todays lunch special: "Checken"

or "get your kicks on root 66"

:rofl:

[pstokely]

34. The Moran Family also owns a cheap hotel

with a "Specail"

[ironflange]

36. A nearby Ford dealership. . .

has a couple of used cars for sale that they are trumpeting on big portable signs next to a busy road. A "Colbalt" and a "Dakoda." These are only the current mistakes, there have been many in the past. Only one I can recall right now was a "Calibar."

[pstokely]

38. They can't even copy the correct spellings from the car faceplates

[bertha katzenengel]

37. The signs get the point across.

:shrug: