Importance Score: 25 / 100 🔵
Creative Shopper Achieves Viral Fame with Alphabetical Supermarket Receipt Art
A resourceful receipt artist has garnered significant attention on social media after meticulously curating a supermarket bill featuring items corresponding to every letter of the alphabet. Graeme Bowman, 43, a marketing professional, undertook the challenge at his local ASDA store in Leyton, aiming to find 26 distinct products, each starting with a different letter, from A to Z.
From A to Z: The Alphabetical Shopping Challenge
Graeme Bowman, a 43-year-old advertising expert, has captivated online audiences, notably on Reddit, with his inventive receipt-based artwork. Beyond his alphabetized receipt, Bowman has also fashioned satirical pieces, including a critique of Donald Trump and a festive Christmas tree, all using supermarket purchases.
The concept for this alphabetical endeavor initially sparked in Graeme’s mind over a decade ago, in 2012. However, it was only recently that he successfully deciphered which items to procure for the elusive letters ‘X’ and ‘Z’.
Navigating the Supermarket Aisles for Alphabetical Items
At the start of April, Walthamstow resident Graeme visited his neighborhood ASDA, dedicating nearly two hours to locate the precise items for his project. He commenced his alphabetical quest with ‘Apples’ for ‘A’ and ‘Bananas’ for ‘B’, systematically working through the alphabet.
Ingenuity was required when he reached ‘E’, opting for an ‘extension cord’ as ‘eggs’ were listed as ‘Organic Eggs’. For ‘Q’, ‘quiche’ proved to be an inspired choice, forming part of his £75 expenditure. ‘Pomegranates’ were selected for ‘P’, and a £15 ‘USB stick’ represented ‘U’.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
The ‘X’ and ‘Z’ Conundrum
The true obstacles emerged towards the end of the alphabet, particularly with the letters ‘X’ and ‘Z’.
Graeme recounted, “I knew I needed an ASDA superstore with clothing and diverse goods to ensure I could pinpoint items for ‘Z’ and ‘X’.”
“I meticulously examined the shelves, contemplating options like a toy zebra or a zebra-themed book for ‘Z’.”
“To my astonishment, I discovered a ‘Zinkeez’ toy, and even more surprisingly, it registered as ‘Zinkeez’ on the receipt,” he added.
Zinkeez and Xbox Dock: Conquering the Final Letters
‘Zinkeez’ toys, trending children’s fidget toys popularized by a viral TikTok trend, provided the solution for ‘Z’.
Graeme disclosed that an initial shopping attempt the previous week was abandoned due to the inability to locate an item for ‘X’.
“The store featured an Xbox controller section,” he explained, “but lacked actual products. On my subsequent visit, I selected various items and tested them, ultimately finding an ‘Xbox dock’.”
ASDA’s Product Descriptions: Key to Receipt Art
The 43-year-old revealed an intriguing rationale for choosing ASDA. He noted that the supermarket chain employs ‘simple descriptions’ for its products, contrasting with retailers like Tesco, which utilize ‘far more descriptive’ item entries on receipts.
Graeme required the lengthier Tesco receipt descriptions for a prior artwork satirizing Trump’s inauguration.
He visited a Lea Valley store and purchased a hair blonding kit, a self-tan mist, and a package of adult diapers.
Past Receipt Artworks: Trump Satire and Christmas Tree Creation
This receipt critique targeting Trump, incorporating items like Cheetos and coke to mock his eating habits, resonated on Reddit, although it didn’t achieve the same viral success as the A-Z receipt.
The Trump-themed post garnered over 33,000 upvotes and 1,400 comments.
Graeme’s foray into receipt art commenced with the construction of a Christmas tree using festive comestibles.
He purchased goose fat, mince pies, sausages, and carrots—items of varying lengths—to assemble the tree design on the receipt.
Navigating Checkout Challenges for Art
While the Christmas tree receipt appears straightforward, Graeme disclosed to Metro that it involved several encounters with store personnel.
“The Christmas tree project was surprisingly stressful! I hadn’t realized you can scan items at self-checkout and then cancel the transaction,” he admitted.
“I would scan everything, realize it wasn’t quite right, but still complete the purchase, then approach the customer service desk for a refund.”
“After repeating this process a couple of times, I explained to them, ‘I apologize for wasting your time. I am working on a rather silly art project.’”
“That aspect was challenging. I might even attempt a refined version next year.”
Future Receipt Art Projects
Graeme has conceived further receipt art projects for the future, including one featuring numbers, from one to ten.
Another project commenced on Valentine’s Day, planned for completion approximately nine months later, leaving the specific theme to the audience’s imagination.
Beyond Receipt Art: Chocolate Bricks and Advertising
This receipt art is not the sole unconventional undertaking from the imaginative advertiser.
He operates a business selling substantial 1.6kg chocolate bricks, which even received a mention on the popular ‘Off Menu’ podcast.
“My wife finds it all slightly perplexing,” he shared with Metro.
“Another motivation for these projects stems from my advertising profession.”
“My daily work involves endeavoring to capture people’s attention for the products I promote, typically for brands.”
“This personal project adds to my professional portfolio. Creative directors appreciate seeing extracurricular initiatives,” he concluded.