With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, high street card shops are brimming with romantic cards for those we adore, both openly and in secret.
Naturally, Card Factory is one retailer eager to profit on all that February 14 brings, and their card offering has sparked a debate after a photo was shared on Reddit.
The store’s range includes cards for partners, spouses, and even pets – nothing out of the ordinary there -but this year, they’ve introduced a card for a new kind of loved one: the ‘Work Husband’.
“Card Factory really do have a card for everyone,” remarked a user on the Casual UK subreddit upon discovering the card at their local store. The concept, seen as “risky” by many, has left Brits reeling, with some suggesting that sending such a card is simply “asking for trouble”.
One woman quipped in response: “If somebody gave this card to my husband I would be going to jail.” Another person shared their discomfort, meanwhile: “I would be deeply unhappy to receive (or learn that my partner had received) a Valentine’s Day card from their ‘work-spouse’. The whole concept is odd.”
A third chimed in: “If I received this I think I would quit, walk the whole way home, then crawl up in a ball of cringe and hibernate till autumn.” Whilst a fourth Reddit user expressed their disgust, saying: “The whole work wife/work husband thing is so gross, unbelievably disrespectful to the real partners as well.”
On the other hand, however, one Reddit user justified such a relationship under certain circumstances. “The only time I could see this being ok would be if the person receiving it was attracted to whichever sex wasn’t the one of the person giving said card,” they explained. “My husband has a work husband. They’ve definitely found ‘the one’ in terms of work friends who just really ‘click’. They’ve even taken our kids out on geeky daddy day trips to places they both love. It’s such a joy.”
Additionally, a Redditor spoke about the innocence that can in fact exist in such a term: “I have actually had someone jokingly declare themselves my ‘work spouse’, but it was totally platonic,” they recounted.
“That was actually the first time I heard the term. I have always interpreted it as being like an old married couple, where you’re just comfortable and can talk about anything. I’m still good friends with my ‘work spouse’ thirty-something years later, and nothing romantic has ever come of it, nor do either of us want it to. So I have to say, unless the wording inside makes it clear it’s a joke, this seems less like a ‘work husband’ thing and more like a ‘side piece’ thing.”
A spokesperson for Card Factory said: “Our customers love our wide range of captions to help them recognise different people in their lives in a heartfelt or light-hearted way, such as this. Today, Valentine’s Day is more than just a celebration of romantic love which is why we have a growing range of cards to and from friends, pets, sons, daughters and more… many of which are among of our best sellers every year.”
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