More Crap English
The big red and yellow signs at the basket only tills that reads "15 items or less".

It's fucking "15 items or fewer". It's not that difficult is it to get it right.

Less is for amount, fewer is for quantity.

For added stupidity, they put the words in cute speech marks probably so they can get away with it.

Oh and don't get me started on the blatant disregard for the apostrophe.

Also, different from, not different to.
( sandettie light vessel automatic New Twitter - @bollocksreally, Fri 2 May 2008, 18:57, 4 replies)

I'm going to disagree with you again.
Sorry.

But according to the OED, less can refer to quantity as well as amount.
(Captain Skippy pooed in a bag and left it on your doorstep, Fri 2 May 2008, 19:04, closed)

And
Correct me if I, wrong (I'm not), but aren't amount and quantity exactly the same thing?

Cheers
( Legless Mister Stabby - shanks for the memory, Sat 3 May 2008, 12:55, closed)

Hmmmm
Isn't it discrete vs continuous values? 5 fewer items, 10 minutes or less. If it's not I may have to kill myself for being incorrectly pedantic for so long.

Also, many well-recognised English Usage guides (Fowler's or Oxford, for example) allow "different to", sometimes in preference to "different from".
(F1Monkey, Wed 7 May 2008, 15:44, closed)

Replying to myself
Less is definitely wrong when used with anything countable. Fowler's is never wrong.
(F1Monkey, Wed 7 May 2008, 15:45, closed)