Man shares hilarious story of how his dad accidentally ordered 60 pairs of reading glasses

Editor's note: This article was originally published on March 28, 2023. It has since been updated.

Online shopping has become increasingly popular in recent years and for good reasons. It is convenient, easy and often cheaper than buying from brick-and-mortar stores. However, sometimes even the savviest online shoppers can fall victim to accidental purchases. Such was the case when Twitter user Chris Arnold's dad, Tom, bought 60 pairs of reading glasses off the internet after misreading the quantity of his order.

Speaking to BBC's Anita Rani sits in, Tom recounted his hilarious blunder. "I managed to accidentally buy 60 pairs of reading glasses over the weekend. I meant to buy 10. My wife and I often lose our reading glasses so we buy a few and leave them around the house," he explained. "I thought I bought ten or twelve and I accidentally clicked on 12 sets... so ended up with 60."

Rani then asked Tom what we've all been thinking. "When you were ordering your ten pairs, did you have your glasses on?" she asked. Tom sheepishly replied: "Umm... Well, I thought I did. Trying to remember back, I might not have had them on." When asked what he'd do with the 60 pairs of reading glasses, he admitted that he is now trying to return 50 of them.

Arnold shared this hilarious incident on Twitter with a photo of his dad with the caption, "My Dad has accidentally bought 60 pairs of reading glasses off the internet after misreading the quantity of his order."

Many people were amused by the post. @pictureladyjan said, "My dad, long ago and far away, was a post office counter clerk. A colleague once ordered, instead of 144 pencils, 144 gross of pencils (144 X 144 = 20,736). They were sent, without question."

"I think my dad bought about 50 reading glasses once, and it was not by mistake. He placed them at all spots he could come up with, so if he ever were looking for a pair they would lay there. To this day, if I open the hood to a motor of one of the vehicles he used (boats, snowmobiles etc), more often than not there is a pair of glasses there neatly striped to a tube or something like that," shared @SwedishRumble. 

@mise_aine wrote: "Thank you so much for sharing... this gave me a good belly laugh... No doubt he can have a pair in every room, and you will all get a pair for birthdays and Christmas."

"I did my parents’ online shop during the lockdown. The shop before Christmas I somehow ordered 4 bottles of vodka instead of 1. Mum said the driver's face was a picture when he put the clinking, heavy bags through the open front door of 2 allegedly self-isolating OAPs," revealed @Khaddrell1. 

Well, it seems like Arnold's dad really went all out with his online shopping! Who needs six pairs of reading glasses when you can have sixty? He could open up his own optical shop with that kind of stock. And let's be real, he probably won't have to worry about losing a pair anytime soon.

It is not just Arnold's dad though, it seems like accidental purchases are a common theme among online shoppers. Who has not accidentally ordered four bottles of vodka instead of one? That's just a Tuesday night for some people. In any case, it is always important to double-check your online orders before hitting that checkout button. Unless of course, you want to end up with enough reading glasses to last you a lifetime.