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Issue 4
November 2007
"Less" Could Mean Fewer Customers
In the photos below, the express lane at a Target is reserved for shoppers with "10 items or less," while only customers with "15 items or fewer" can go through the express lane at a Whole Foods. One sign says "less," and the other says "fewer." Is there a difference?
Indeed, there is. Whole Foods has it right as "fewer." (If you're interested in an explanation of the grammatical rule, click here or here.)
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More importantly, does this distinction matter in the end? Well, The Awkward Adverb believes in the importance of precisely chosen words. Certain Whole Foods shoppers agree. Online news items show that some Whole Foods stores were making the less/fewer mistake until they received complaints. It goes to show that if a business wants to please its customers, it should speak their language.
About this E-mail
The Awkward Adverb, an e-mail newsletter sent out once a month, highlights English-language flaws that have appeared on a sign, in print, on the Web, or anywhere in the public sphere. It may address grammatical errors, careless usage, bothersome buzzwords, punctuation problems, misspellings, or confusing writing in general.
Subscribers are encouraged to submit their findings for future editions of The Awkward Adverb by responding to this e-mail. Archived past issues of the newsletter are located here.
Henry Alpert, editor of The Awkward Adverb, is a New Orleans-based copywriter and business writer who works with businesses, ad agencies, and graphic design firms on a wide array of writing projects. For more information about his services, visit action-copy.com.
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