Open Wide, Insert Foot

I promised my knitting friends I'd put this one in. It is a moment of exquisite stupidity, but I must own up to it.

A doctor came into the stationery shop where I work part time. He wanted to create a kind of simple advertisement, a note or something to which he could attach his business card and a send it out as a simple reminder to his clients to come in for their annual exams.

He really wanted to get this one fold-over note in particular because it was a color that was compatible with his card, which he wanted to affix inside. I told him that it would work just fine and that maybe we could print something catchy on the outside of the note that would encourage people to open it.

In fact, I suggested he write "Open Wide" on the outside of the note.


OK, so did I mention that this doctor was an OB/GYN?

Seriously, I'd seen his card so I knew his specialty, but I was somehow in my head thinking he was a dentist (maybe I was thinking that I needed to get back in to see my dentist about a couple of fillings -- I don't really know).

He was, of course, rather stunned. My female colleagues in the store were similarly stunned, and then they laughed. And somewhere in all of that I realized what I'd said.

As it was, the doctor wanted to do about 2000 of these notes, and that was far more than we could print up within a reasonable price, so we recommended a local printer to him since it would cost less to do this on an offset press.

Somehow, though, I don't think we'll be seeing any more of this customer.

Oh, well....life goes on.