Coarse print

Guess where I found this friendly message pasted?

On a prominent wall at Crossword! And no, this was not a single aberration. I found these sheets pasted at several places inside the store.

A bookstore is the last place one would associate with assassination of grammar. Besides, this is a bookstore that was once famous for its witty lines. By its own admission, Crossword wants to "encourage people to stay and browse" but such messages surely don't match that intent.

This is a huge challenge with chain stores. Each store has its peculiarities and often needs individual messaging. How does a chain build competencies and systems so that a Store Manager has better ways of communication than putting up such notices? These innocuos-looking A4 printouts can cause great damage. They score high on eyeballs (well, they're intended to) and can blow brand essence out the window. And then somebody, somewhere will once again start asking research questions.