The Four Ages Of Sand

This is very deep

Or is it shallow?

From Alan R:

One man's deep is another man's shallow 

Bargain!

Spotted by Alan R

Actually, it's a cheap marketing trick. At least we now know the level of respect the big supermarkets have for their customers...

The Multi-buy non-deal

 

This is the advertising on the shelves that announces Two for £2, but fails to highlight that there is no saving there - the item's price is £1 each. But does it make us buy more? Psychologist Gorkan Ahmetoglu, who wrote a report for the Office of Fair Trading on the influence promotions and offers of savings have on shopping habits, says this type of advertising acts as a subconscious trigger. "They are triggering the same reaction as when you eat chocolate. The offer will still attract your attention and a lot of people will not look at the single unit price."  See here for more:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_9652000/9652944.stm

Let the punishment fit the crime, I say

Great sign spotted by Alan R:

Karpol: steal it here?

Ooo, this could be a new 4AoS category: spotting old advertisements. When we were out for UniC's  birthday the other week in Gabriel's Wharf, I noticed these old signs high up above a shop. 

A quick search show the Karpol sign to be a scarce pre-war enamel sign from the 30's. And one sold at auction for almost £250! I've got a ladder in my car... 

http://www.christies.com/lotFinder/lot_details.aspx?intObjectID=4532531

I can't find out how old the Stanes sign is, but the name comes from Sir Robert Stanes (13 May 1841 – 6 September 1936), who launched himself on a successful career as a coffee planter in Coimbatore, immediately after he arrived there, aged 17 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Stanes)

 

 

 

Real sign

Following on from Tom's prank signs, here's a real one from Alan R.

Signs are very important. They impart useful information which we can use to modify our behaviour and hopefully make our lives safer.

Not quite sure what to do with this one though.

 

Prank signs for the London Underground

Anyone who uses our underground transport system will appreciate these. Site spotted by Tom

http://boingboing.net/2012/10/08/prank-signs-for-the-london-und.html

An anonymous -- but inspired -- prankster has affixed some helpful addenda to the usual London Underground official signage on various tube-trains, as are documented in this Imgur photoset.

http://imgur.com/a/lUWTG#Jl086

Quiche Offer

Another good one spotted by Alan R:

 

Faulty Saxophone

This just in from Alan R:

"The person who labelled this obviously thought it sounded nothing like a saxophone."

Well Come in?

This in an ice-cream shop in Merida. 

It's nice they made the effort I suppose.

How far to the nearest cafe?

After a hard morning chasing birds in the Andes, I walked to the remote village of Jaji. I was gasping for a cup of tea and a bun (or the Venezuelan equivalent) and found this lovely cafe:

I just followed the sign, and there it was. Often these kind of signs are wildly inaccurate with distances, but this one was spot on: 3 metres exactly.