**Card Factory Till Error Spoils Mum’s Special Gender Reveal Moment**
A family‘s anticipation and excitement were undone in an unexpected retail blunder, after a Norfolk mum saw her baby‘s gender revealed on a shop till screen rather than at the surprise party she had carefully planned. Jess Gildenhuys, aged 33, described the experience as “the worst way ever” to find out such personal news, after the slip-up at Card Factory’s King’s Lynn branch.
Jess, who runs the business Hello Moon Crystals, had attended her 20-week scan on the morning of 16 April. To preserve the sense of occasion for her third child, she explained, medical staff placed the baby‘s gender in a sealed envelope, to be revealed later at a family party alongside her husband Josh, also 33, and their two daughters, Jupiter (6) and Athena (3). A visit to Card Factory to buy her mother a birthday card seemed a harmless diversion – until the family noticed that the store sold gender reveal confetti cannons and accessories.
Seeking to preserve the surprise, Jess discreetly asked a staff member if Card Factory could ensure that neither she nor her husband would see the colour (pink or blue) of the confetti until the planned party. The employee reportedly reassured her that this could be achieved by removing any identifying labels on the products. Reassured, Jess proceeded to the till, not expecting any trouble.
However, at the point of purchase, the surprise was unintentionally shattered. As the items were scanned, the till’s customer-facing display plainly stated ‘coastal blue’, giving away that the cannon contained blue confetti – an immediate giveaway that their expected baby would be a boy. The information was also visible on the till receipt, compounding the disappointment.
Jess recounted the experience with a mix of disbelief and reluctant amusement, telling the press: “You absolutely do not expect your gender reveal to be inside a Card Factory. It’s hard to keep your composure when you’re so shocked, especially in public.” She added, “I had convinced myself I’d be having another girl – I’d even bought some girls’ clothes. It was disappointing to miss sharing that moment as a family, but all you can do is laugh about it, really.”
Despite the unfortunate revelation, Jess and her family went ahead with their planned party, using the cannon and balloon in the company of loved ones. While daughters Jupiter and Athena got to enjoy the moment, for Jess and Josh the element of surprise was sadly missing. “Because this is our last baby, we wanted to do something really special with the girls,” Jess shared, voicing her frustration at how an anticipated family highlight had been undercut by a technical blunder.
When Jess later contacted Card Factory to raise the issue, the company responded with apologies and asked for more details. In public statements, a Card Factory spokesperson explained: “We’ve spoken to Jessica to offer our sincere apologies. Our teams are being reminded to advise customers that these products display their colour on screens and receipts. We would like Jessica and her family to reach out to our customer service so we can help to make amends.”
Jess took to social media to share her experience, with a TikTok video wryly captioned “@CardFactoryUK ruining our gender surprise”. Response online proved mixed. Some viewers suggested that shop staff could hardly be expected to anticipate the till giving away the secret, while others offered sympathy for the unexpected turn of events. Suggestions included having a friend or relative collect the items in future to avoid similar mishaps.
Despite the mix-up, Jess has managed to maintain an optimistic outlook. “At least it’s a funny story now, and I was with my husband at the time so I wasn’t alone in it. And who knows – maybe being a ‘boy mum’ will be exciting in its own way.”
Retailers increasingly cater to expectant parents with gender reveal products, but Jess’s predicament may serve as a reminder that surprises can sometimes be upended by something as ordinary as a till receipt. Card Factory says it plans to review procedures to prevent similar incidents from spoiling other families’ special moments.