The difference between "less" and "few"

[crazylegs]

But then you get folks that have only a very few items in their cart complaining. And before you say, "Well they should have grabbed a basket instead of a cart," think about the (little old) lady that needs the cart because she cannot carry a basket.

We have very shallow carts, that are essentially baskets on wheels so they'd be using those, I can't see many people objecting to that.

[jedimaster91]

The less/fewer mix-ups bother me a heck of a lot less than people who mix up there/they're/their, you're/your, and to/two/too.

"Your stupid"
"My stupid what?"

*grammar Nazi*

[Music Mo-Gal]

You have touched upon one of my pet peeves. I blame that beer commercial years ago that said "30% less calories than regular beer".

How about, "12 items Max".

Then sooner or later, some idiot will walk up to the register and ask who Max is and why he gets his own lane!

[SpyOne]

It seems that English (or at least Dictionary.com) is not on your side in this one:

—Usage note Even though less has been used before plural nouns (less words; less men) since the time of King Alfred, many modern usage guides say that only fewer can be used in such contexts. Less, they say, should modify singular mass nouns (less sugar; less money) and singular abstract nouns (less honesty; less love). It should modify plural nouns only when they suggest combination into a unit, group, or aggregation: less than $50 (a sum of money); less than three miles (a unit of distance). With plural nouns specifying individuals or readily distinguishable units, the guides say that fewer is the only proper choice: fewer words; fewer men; no fewer than 31 of the 50 states.
Modern standard English practice does not reflect this distinction. When followed by than, less occurs at least as often as fewer in modifying plural nouns that are not units or groups, and the use of less in this construction is increasing in all varieties of English: less than eight million people; no less than 31 of the 50 states. When not followed by than, fewer is more frequent only in formal written English, and in this construction also the use of less is increasing: This year we have had less crimes, less accidents, and less fires than in any of the last five years.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

(emphasis added)

[wolfie]

To my mind, it's simple. You're dealing with a bunch of sucky customers. You give some of them the treatment. You have fewer sucky customers (since in this case you're dealing with individuals, or as Dilbert would say, induhviduals).

Time to feed the pigs. Afteward, you have less sucky customers (since the chipper output is a bulk commodity).