We’re fully aware that there are far more important global issues going on right now… but can we just go all ‘grammar police’ on Sainsbury’s for a second?
It’s absolutely no secret by now that the festive season is around the corner, and this means the shelves at every retail store across the UK are getting filled up thick and fast with Christmas decorations, food, cards, and so much more as the weeks go on.
But a quick run-of-the-mill trip to the supermarket in Bolton town centre the other weekend ended up turning into a need to call the grammar police.
As well as all the festive feasting treats, the supermarket’s partner homeware brand, Habitat – which often has outlets inside Sainsbury’s stores nationwide, as well as being an online retailer in its own right – has also released its extended lineup of Christmas decorations for the 2024 season, and of course, ornaments for the tree are a big part of this.
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A shocked Sainsbury’s shopper has spotted a glaring grammatical error on a Christmas decoration / Credit: Sainsbury’s & Habitat
It’s pretty common to see decorations that mark milestone occasions adorning people’s trees, for example the first Christmas you spend in a new home, as an engaged or married couple, or with a new family member.
So, of course, Habitat has jumped on this trend and decided to release a range of £1 ceramic keepsake decorations – with one for 2024 marriages, new homes, new pets, and… ‘babies’.
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While you may look at the decoration initially and not bat an eyelid, as reading the phrase ‘Babies 1st Christmas’ etched on the front does sound correct, it only takes a moment of realisation to notice that ‘babies’ is the plural form of the word, when it should be written as ‘baby’s’ with an apostrophe of possession instead.
It leaves many (me, mainly me) wondering “how did that get signed off?”.
A misspelled Habitat Christmas Decoration at Sainsbury’s in Bolton / Credit: The Manc Group
Not content with just moving on from the matter, we decided to fire a quick email over to Sainsbury’s and Habitat to see what they had to say for themselves, and to be fair, they did give us a pretty hilarious, pun-filled response to explain things, and also confirmed that the product with the incorrect spelling has now been removed from sale.
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A spokesperson for Sainsbury’s said: “We want our festive decorations to be tree-mendous, so we’re sorry for the spelling slip-up.
“Customers can still pick up a big bauble with the correct spelling.”
Liam Gallagher-founded clothing brand closes flagship Manchester store
Thomas Melia
A Manchester high street fashion staple, originally founded by one half of Britpop duo Oasis, has announced its closure this week.
Pretty Green has beensitting prettyon Manchester‘s King Street since 2009, but it’s with a heavy heart that the brand had to announce the closure of its flagship store via social media this week.
The predominantly-male clothing brand is known for its combination of pop culture and fashion, mostly for streetwear-inspired pieces that have contributed to its large following, as well as seeing success due to the vintage nods and homages embedded in its designs and overall style.
In a statement released on Instagram at the start of this week, the brand revealed: “Thank you to everyone who has supported the store over the years.
“We leave with great memories, having met some of our idols, alongside lifelong friends and fans.”
Closure of the only Manchester store has come with the news of the brand’s ’15th Anniversary’ collection and winter range, which are being launched both online and in the Sheffield store.
Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher has visited the Manchester store on multiple occasions, with one of the most recent trips being 2021 where he surprised fans in store while waiting upstairs with his close family and friends.
As part of the new ’15th Anniversary’ collection, fans can live out their dreams of playing at Knebworth as they can rock the infamous Oasis khaki green parka, listed as ‘Multi-colour 15th Anniversary Deansgate Parka’.
Pretty Green has been owned by JD Sports since 2019, before it was acquired by large fashion marketing company Frasers Group in 2023, which also manages House of Fraser alongside a long list of other fashion chains.
It’s a shame to see such a Manc classic leave our bustling streets, but we’ll always be here to greet you with open arms Pretty Green.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
Shopping
World’s hottest ready meals to go on sale in UK but you have to be over 18 to buy them
Emily Sergeant
It’s official… the hottest ready meals in the world are about to hit UK supermarkets, but you have to be over 18 to buy them.
If you’d consider yourself to be pretty tolerant when it comes to spicy food, and reckon you’ve got what it takes to handle the heat, then two new ready meals made with the world’s hottest chilli pepper are launching in Iceland from this week – but due to the serious spice levels, bosses have been forced to ban ban under 18s from getting their hands on them.
The two new meals, a searingly-spicy Chicken Tikka Masala and a molten Chilli Mac & Cheese, are with the world’s hottest chilli, Pepper X, which tops a staggering 2.69 million Scoville heat units – making it 53,760% hotter than a jalapeño.
The Pepper X chilli earned the title of the World’s Hottest Chilli from Guinness World Records in 2023, and last year, and has only ever been available in sauce form up until now.
The world’s hottest ready meals are going on sale in the UK but you have to be over 18 to buy them / Credit: Supplied
The new products are so hot, in fact, that Iceland has become the first UK supermarket to introduce an age restriction on ready meals.
Whether you can believe it or not, staff at stores across the UK are prepped and will be on high alert when the products hit the shelves from this Thursday (10 October), ensuring IDs are shown at the checkouts, which means those daring enough for the challenge need to come prepared if they want to walk away with them.
“Our customers love spice, and they are always pushing us to turn up the heat,” explained Matthew Worsley, who is the Head Development Chef at Iceland Foods.
“So this time, we have developed a range that will not disappoint.
The meals will exclusively be available from Iceland and The Food Warehouse / Credit: Iceland Foods
“Our Pepper X range is unlike anything we’ve ever offered to our customers before. It’s intense, it’s fiery, and it’s certainly not for the faint-hearted, but with intense heat comes great responsibility, so to ensure only the most experienced spice enthusiasts can take on the challenge, we’ve decided to limit sales to customers aged 18 and over.”
The new Pepper X meals will arrive in select Iceland and The Food Warehouse stores from Thursday 10 October, with a full rollout across the UK, including online, by Monday 14October.
Emily Sergeant -
9th October 2024 
