Two big brands had red faces in recent days thanks to typos on their commercial products. Here’s how they handled their respective boo-boos.

Sapporo Breweries ran into trouble just before the release of their exclusive new beer brand. “Due to incorrect spelling found in a section of the Kaitakushi Beer Tailored product design, we have decided to discontinue sales,” Sapporo announced on January 8. “There are no legal issues with the error or the design, but it is certainly embarrassing.” Sigh. Thirsty Sapporo fans took to their social channels and clamored for the lager to go on sale anyway. “After careful consideration by [Sapporo and Family Mart] we took the opinions of our customers seriously and decided to revoke the decision to cancel sales,” Sapporo said a few days later. The cans will now be available for sale on February 2. Spot the mistake.

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‘Limited, Unique, Alamak’ read a recent product sign hanging above the KLAMBY aisle in IKEA Singapore. After printing a typo on its new reusable shopping bag, the retail giant did entirely the right thing in an effort not to waste any product. “At IKEA,” the sign explained, “it’s OK to make a mistake. We printed the wrong website address on the KLAMBY reusable bag but because it’s reusable, we won’t scrap them. They’re limited edition and they won’t be back!” Spot the typo (in the main image above).

Good for Sapporo and IKEA for admitting their mistakes and not letting any beer or bags go to waste. And a note to breweries and retailers: proofread your product designs before rolling them out!

“alamak“: (Malaysia, Singapore, colloquial) oh dear, oh my God (expression of shock). Etymology: Borrowed from Malay alamak, probably a contraction of Allah (“God”) + mak (“mother”).

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