Unprecedented Easter Egg Mix-Up on Remote Orkney Islands
London — In a surprising turn of events, shopkeeper Dan ap Dafydd of the Sinclair General Stores on Scotland's remote Orkney Islands found himself in a sticky situation after a routine order for chocolate eggs went awry. Anticipating the upcoming Easter holiday rush, Dan placed an order for what he thought was 80 individual eggs six months in advance. However, upon delivery, he realized that he had mistakenly ordered 80 cases, totaling a whopping 720 eggs.
"I certainly felt a little hot under the collar — a little bit embarrassed, maybe a little bit ashamed as well," Dan shared with reporters. Despite his efforts to rectify the error, the company's strict no-returns policy left him with an egg predicament, especially considering that the island's population is only around 500 people.
Now dubbed the "Egg Man of Orkney," the father of seven has garnered attention for his egg-centric blunder. Fortunately, his family has been understanding and supportive throughout the ordeal.
"My wife was sympathetic. She was like, 'It's okay, we all make mistakes,'" Dan recounted. "I could see the glee in the kids' eyes, that it was going to be a good Easter this year."
The Orkneys sit off the northern tip of the Scottish mainland, in the Atlantic Ocean. To get to ap Dafydd's island, you must first fly to the main island and then take a ferry.
He said people have asked how he failed to notice that he'd made the mistakenly large order in the first place. Once it was made, he didn't have to pay until the eggs were delivered, he explained. By then it was too late to send them back.
So, ap Dafydd leaned into his mistake.
"I think you've just got to embrace it," he told CBS News. "Nobody likes somebody who can't take a joke."
Now he has turned his delicious disaster into an egg-xcellent opportunity: He's raffling off 100 eggs to support the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. The charity, which just celebrated its 200th birthday, provides a 24/7 coastal rescue service across the U.K. and Ireland.
With all the egg-citement and global attention, the Egg Man of Orkney said people from all over were helping out by buying some of his eggs.
"I think we're down to our last 50 now," he said. "I'm gonna have to sweet-talk the wholesalers to get a few more."
