Humans make errors. Fact. But, OUCH!, The Pottery Barn Kids holiday catalog has a pretty glaring error on page 47 (see image) that made it all the way through to print and distribution. You might guess that somebody would be in deep trouble for this embarrassing mistake but, by my experienced estimate, I'd say that "somebody" is in good company with about 12 other people.
Let's examine the chain of production here to see just how spectacular this is (and of which I know, as I spent dozens of years in prepress):
First, at the company or their creative agency, there was a copywriter, an art director, perhaps a creative director, and a designer or production person. There was probably a prep or prepress company (who would likely have provided high-end ink-jet proofs or contract proofs such as a Kodak Approval for final sign-off). Then, of course, a printing company (who may have also provided proofs of some sort) with a press operator and there likely was a press-check (with creative staff attending) to ensure the quality of the print job, and then some bindery personnel to assemble the pages into the catalog. Just at the prepress company alone there were probably four or more people (CSR, production, proofing, Sales) who touched these page files or proofs, there were a few at the printing company (CSR, production, plate-maker, etc) and , to go back to the start, there were all the people at the company or its agency.
Apparently you can skimp a little on the QA process when you get paid almost $500 for a pretend oven and refrigerator for little Brittany's playroom.