Business

Businesses are the classic whipping-boys of urban legendry, and the bigger they are, the more they get whipped. Seems like they can’t do anything right — they’re run by people who abuse their customers, cheat the public, commit astounding marketing blunders, mistranslate their own advertisements, and donate money to organizations of dubious repute.

Born Gentle - Philip Morris cigarette ad

Is This a Real Philip Morris Ad Featuring Mother and Baby? "Proud mothers, please forgive us if we too feel something of the pride of a...

True

Are Josef Stalin’s Initials on the US Dime? Rumor has it that the tiny initials "JS" on every U.S. dime stand for "Josef...

False

Canada Company Makes Annual Fur Payments to the Queen Old rumor holds that Canada's Hudson's Bay Co. is required to make annual payments of...

False

1954 Canadian Devil’s Head Banknote Did a Canadian banknote display a grinning devil behind Queen Elizabeth?

Between 1937 and 1945 Heinz produced a version of Alphabetti Spaghetti especially for the German market that consisted solely of little pasta swastikas.

Did Heinz Market Swastika-Shaped Pasta In Germany During WWII? As this rumor goes, Heinz produced a version of Alphabetti spaghetti for Nazi-era Germans that consisted...

False

Did a Taco Bell Employee Refuse a $2 Bill? The tale of a Taco Bell employee who refused to accept a less common form...

Legend

A rumor said Starbucks was going cashless in the UK US and Canada but was false.

Is Starbucks Going Cashless in UK, US, and Canada? A picture of a sign taken inside a Starbucks store read, "We're Going Cashless." A...

Mostly False

Do Shein Clothes Contain Unhealthy Lead Levels? The Chinese fast-fashion giant has a long history of environmental issues.

Mixture

Did Woman Win $1,000 in Evaporated Milk Carnation Slogan Contest By Submitting a Bawdy Verse?

Did Woman Win $1,000 in Carnation Slogan Contest By Submitting a Bawdy Verse? Evaporated milk is created by reducing the volume of whole milk by removing about 60%...

False

Dollar General is not changing its hours to be open for 24 hours a day, despite a Facebook rumor.

Is Dollar General Going To Be Open 24 Hours a Day? According to a viral Facebook post, Dollar General would be making the change to its...

False

A picture in a viral tweet purportedly showed an Applebee's sign that had the words adult spouse and the tweet claimed the company was welcoming child brides.

Does an Applebee’s ‘Adult Spouse’ Sign Welcome ‘Child Brides’? A viral tweet with a picture of a sign said: "Fascists attacking drag bars, meanwhile...

False

Are Amazon Emails About ‘Prime Day Small Business’ Sweepstakes a Scam or Legit? According to email messages posted on Twitter, Amazon was hosting the special sweepstakes around "Prime...

Legit