21. Scooby-Doo Ice Cream Bar
Product Price: $2*
Purchased at: Ice cream truck
Made by: Unknown
Anyone that’s ever watched TV will know what Scooby-Doo looks like. The cartoon dog has been on our screens for decades, so it’s only natural that companies would capitalize on the show’s success and create Scooby-shaped foods… Or at least, try to.
Scooby-Doo Ice Cream Bar ©u/NumblyBumbly / Reddit.com
This ice cream bar didn’t look much like Scooby-Doo in the advertised picture, but the real thing was even worse. Was Scooby the victim of a particularly hot day, or was it just a bad product from the very beginning? We’ll probably never know the answer.
22. Lay’s Sour Cream & Onion Chips
Product Price: $2.98*
Purchased at: Walmart
Made by: PepsiCo
Buying chips is something most of us do frequently, but have you ever stopped to think about just how much is in a packet? In most cases, half of the packet is actually empty, making it look much bigger than it is. Lays ruffled some feathers when it introduced its “New Bigger Size” packaging.
Lay’s Sour Cream & Onion Chips ©u/sherlockhomeboy23 / Reddit.com
The amount of chips inside the bag may have been bigger, but the bag itself was smaller. There was most probably a method in the madness, but that doesn’t make this a particularly good move for one of the biggest companies in the world, PepsiCo.
23. Subway 11-Inch Sub
Product Price: $5*
Purchased at: Subway
Made by: Subway
Subway prides itself on being a fast food chain with hearty sandwiches that are delicious and (depending on what you order) healthy. It’s famous foot-long subs are a bargain, but if you thought they were religiously 12 inches, think again. In some cases, they can lose an inch or two.
Subway 11-Inch Sub ©Joe Raedle/Getty Images
The last thing anyone wants from their lunch is to be short changed an entire inch, especially from a company as well-known as Subway. Considering just how profitable the sandwich chain is for executives they can afford to buy some rulers.
24. Russian Sausages
Product Price: $3*
Purchased at: Russian Grocery Store
Made by: Now-Defunct Russian Company
Buying a pack of sausages in this Russian grocery store seemed like a great deal to this buyer at first… Until they realized it wasn’t. The pack says “buy 10, get 2 free.” However, there are only five sausages in the main packet, proving it’s flawed beyond belief.
Russian Sausages ©AahSenorBlinky / Imgur.com
Instead of getting 12 sausages a careless buyer may have got home only to discover they have seven. Is it a packaging error, or is someone playing some sort of strange disappearing trick that we’re just not privy to? Either way, it’s a big no-no from us on this one.
25. Arizona Iced Tea
Product Price: $0.99*
Purchased at: Walmart
Made by: Arizona Beverages USA
Arizona Iced Tea has a lot going for it as a product. It’s fruity, delicious, and it comes in multiple varieties, making it a good money maker for its owner. But one thing that it isn’t is made in Arizona.
Arizona Iced Tea ©u/Based_Tyler / Imgur.com
In fact, buyers conscientious enough to look on the back of the bottle or can will find it clearly states “Made in Canada.” Giving its branding and the way it’s passed off, this is a little bit of a kicker and possibly one of the biggest examples of crafty branding that the world has ever seen.
26. ASDA Stonebaked Pepperoni Pizza
Product Price: $2.28*
Purchased at: Asda.com
Made by: ASDA Groceries
ASDA Groceries is known for its online delivery, bringing fresh, delicious food right to your door if you live in the UK. However, The Sun reported that one unlucky shopper was the victim of rather misleading packaging when it came to the ASDA 12-inch Stonebaked Pepperoni Pizza.
ASDA Stonebaked Pepperoni Pizza @AahSenorBlinky / Imgur.com
Instead of putting pepperoni on the whole pizza (which would have really only taken two seconds), whoever made this pizza only placed pepperoni on the half that you could see through the vented slot on the front of the package. Sadly, the shopper had to make do with a half-cheese, half-pepperoni pizza.
27. Hillshire Farms Holiday Package
Product Price: $32.17*
Purchased at: Walmart
Made by: Hillshire Farms
Hillshire Farm is usually a company that makes delicious cheese, crackers, and party platters (among other products), but, if you purchased the holiday package from this company, you might have been displeased to find that you got less cheese than you bargained for.
Hillshire Farms Holiday Package @no1uno / Imgur.com
While the meat, sauce, and stoned wheat crackers look alright (thankfully), one shopper got less than he bargained for when he realized that instead of two blocks of cheese, he instead got a thin strip. Whether this packaging fail was intentional or accidental (we’re betting intentional), it definitely wasn’t worth the price once you opened it.
28. Cadbury Stocking Stuffer
Product Price: $19.99*
Purchased at: UK Store
Made by: Cadbury UK
One Twitter user, @consulter1000, spilled the beans on the candy company Cadbury UK. His wife got three Cadbury selection packs for their children for Christmas, thinking, quite reasonably based on the packaging, that the candy inside would be a variety of Oreo, Double Decker, Wispa, Dairy Milk, and more.
Cadbury Stocking Stuffer @consulter1000@ Twitter.com
Instead, the pack came with three of the same candy—only the packaging had the variety, and it was specifically designed to trick the buyer into thinking there was more variety. As @consulter1000 said, “Santa” must have been “annoyed” when he realized the trick. The Twitterer suggested an elf consul meet to “investigate trading standards.”
29. Glade Refill
Product Price: $2-$4*
Purchased at: Unknown
Made by: Glade
Twitter user @veggiejill was very displeased when she opened her Glade Luminous Apple Spice Sense & Spray Refill. When you look closely, it’s easy to see why she was annoyed. There is only one refill in the box, but the box is sized perfectly for three.
Glade Refill @veggiejill / Twitter.com
On Amazon, it appears that this product is weirdly rare. Amazon marks the refill as “Currently unavailable,” stating that it doesn’t know if the item will be back in stock. Amazon, at least, clearly states that there is only one refill (pictured), but it’s still strange that Glade would spend money widening the box needlessly.
30. Webroot Antivirus Software
Product Price: $29.99*
Purchased at: Unknown
Made by: Webroot
Whether Webroot intentionally meant to troll people looking to download an antivirus installation or the marketing department just had a really bad idea is unclear. What is clear is that there is “no disk needed” to install, yet you buy a disk holder for the software.
Webroot Antivirus Software @r/assholedesign / Reddit.com
The antivirus software disk-holder merely contains instructions and the term “No Disk Needed!” in the circular slot where a disk would normally be. People who went out of their way to buy a software installer, likely thinking it seemed more legitimate than just downloading something online, were likely quite annoyed. Not to mention the waste of plastic.