An insulting t-shirt sold at a local Walmart went viral when customers noticed a mistake in the design. A Twitter user shared a photo of the green t-shirt with a very recycling-positive message. The shirt had a big “RE” on one side and the words “cycle,” “use,” “new,” and “think” on the other.
Despite its positive message, the shirt accidentally spelled out a harsh term. A Walmart spokeswoman told Newsweek, “This was not intentional, and the t-shirt has been removed.” The shirt was only sold in Canada.
Other Design Fails
This isn’t the first time a design mistake has gone viral. In 2022, a $1.5 million home made people laugh because its swimming pool looked like a phallic shape. Another design fail was a toilet seat with dried flowers inside, which Reddit users called “the worst design decision.”
Social Media Reactions
The original tweeter said, “I saw the shirt at a Walmart near my house. It made me laugh.” Many social media users expected Walmart to remove the shirts quickly, so they rushed to buy them before they were gone.
One customer said, “Knowing Walmart, it’s only a matter of time before they disappear, and it’s just a funny little story.”
The t-shirt caused a lot of laughter online. One Twitter user commented, “Laughed out loud when I spotted that. I want this because I’m a tree hugger. The hidden word is simply a bonus.” Another user wondered, “I always wonder exactly how many layers of approval these things go through.”
Some people thought the t-shirt shouldn’t have been removed. One person commented, “People have too much time on their hands and questionable minds. The shirt shouldn’t have been pulled.
It wasn’t designed to read downward based on just those letters. It says more about the people that think with that language than it does the designer.”
Walmart’s History of Controversial Items
This isn’t the first time Walmart has been in hot water over controversial items. They previously sold offensive shirts with captions about sex and drugs. Walmart responded, “This obviously has no business being on our site.
It wasn’t sold by Walmart directly, but by third-party sellers on our marketplace. It’s in clear violation of our policy. We apologize to anyone who was offended by the item and we’re removing it immediately.”
More Social Media Responses
Reactions to the t-shirts have been mostly laughter and light banter. One user commented, “Personally, I love the message because it doesn’t beat around the bush.”
Another user suggested, “They should have removed them from the shelves, retagged them with higher prices, and put them right back!!” A third consumer said, “I’m 10 times more likely to buy one now that someone pointed that out!”
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