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What are some notable blunders in history that resulted in huge loss? (lemmy.ml)
submitted 3 years ago by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml
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Loss in terms of money or efforts. Could be recent or ancient.

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[โ€“] 32 points 3 years ago (4 children)

Target's failed expansion into Canada. It's taught as a case study on what not to do in business schools now.

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  • [โ€“] 22 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    Walmart's attempt to break into the German market is hilarious

    Burger King tried to open up in France and literally nobody would eat their muck. So when McDonald's tried, they had to completely change their menu and service style. Hence, "McDo's" in France is actually quite good

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  • [โ€“] 6 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    When I was in France this past spring I did see advertisements for Burger King so they must have had some success. I do remember McDonald's having great dessert options.

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  • [โ€“] 4 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    Yes, BK lost a ton of cash, so learned from Maccies and reopened. The way they pronounce "Boorgehr Keeng" in the adverts make you want to cut off your fuckin ears with an angle grinder though

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  • [โ€“] 4 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    Ah I see. The ads I saw were on billboards so thankfully didn't have to hear them. They were advertising some kind of "Louisiana" style chicken sandwich, which was ironic because the French find black pepper spicy. I can only imagine how mild it must actually be.

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  • [โ€“] 5 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    Oh aye, Texmex restaurants are few and far between, and the authentic southern American places have to chill out their recipes and leave a bottle of chilli sauce on the table. The Argentinian place near me is run by an older lady and you can see her die inside a little bit every time a Frenchman starts sweating from eating a tortilla

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  • [โ€“] 2 points 3 years ago

    Haha, yeah we went to an Indian restaurant in Nimes because my friend has a severe gluten allergy. I had a vindaloo there that was milder than any food I've had in North America.

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  • [โ€“] 15 points 3 years ago

    Wendy's tried to get into the Netherlands, but couldn't, because there was already a snackbar (think small fastfood place but greasier) that was registered under the name "Wendy's" at the chamber of commerce. This spawned a lawsuit. You had Wendy's, a local snackbar who claimed rights to the name because they were already established, and Wendy's, a franchise coming from America. They claimed right to the name because they were a franchise, and not just a single fastfood joint.

    To solve this issue, the local snackbar opened up a second location, making local Wendy's a franchise, and winning them the lawsuit

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  • [โ€“] 9 points 3 years ago

    It was so weird when Target opened in my city. Everyone was pumped for the great deals Americans are always on about. The grand opening comes, and it was basically just a super expensive Walmart with half the products out of stock. Then they closed without notice like a month later. Employees came in the morning to open up and there were chains on the doors.

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  • [โ€“] 4 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    Iโ€™m not familiar with this story, could you give some details?

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