Stay-At-Home-Chads

C.A.R.L.Y.’s Big Pimpin. Your favorite consumer psychographic, and ours, C.A.R.L.Y. (Can't Afford Real Life Yet), may be to blame for the continued rise of luxury. Gen Zers who have failed to launch have not failed to acquire copious amounts of high-end goods in the past two-and-a-half years, according to Bloomberg (soft gate). This reduction in living costs equates to more disposable income. 

• Our Take: When we first wrote about C.A.R.L.Y. (Can't Afford Real Life Yet) we were careful to draw a stark comparison to their Millennial counterparts. But like the Great Financial Crisis (GFC) of 2008 before it, the pandemic-inspired economic downturn is creating more stay-at-home-Chads.
  
  This has prolonged the normal lifespan of a C.A.R.L.Y., who no longer needs to actually move to the big city; instead they can stay at home and watch Caleb Simpson visit other people’s apartments for them.
  
  What is a life of luxury, if not living rent-free thanks to a wealthy patron?

Down, But Not Out. The death of eCommerce has been greatly exaggerated. Jason Goldberg, Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis, says that we’ve seen nearly 87% growth in eCom since the pandemic: “the relative growth of e-commerce has slowed, but the absolute growth of e-commerce revenue has actually been accelerating,” says Goldberg. 

More Sights & Sounds. Shop app is sharing “also purchased by” data of what your friends are buying. The Culture Minister of Ukraine is calling for performances of Tchaikovsky’s music to be paused until the war against the country has ended. Oxford has named the 2022 Word of the Year, and it really defines our transition as humans over the past few years: Goblin Mode. And this TechCrunch article dives into the question of whether or not ChatGPT is a “virus that has been released into the wild.”

Eat Your Heart Out, Bane. Virologists depend on filtering technology that extends down to .1 microns; and that’s precisely the technology that Dyson’s Zone headphones rely upon. They provide air-purifying, noise-canceling, comfort, as well as sinister looks from potential Batmen in your vicinity. Looking like a deranged Tom Hardy comes at the low-low cost of $949… but doing the Bane voice “for youuuuu” at unexpecting strangers? Priceless. 

Boxstore Goes Boujee. The fourth horseman of the recession-pocalypse hath reared his head. Costco now carries Le Labo’s Another 13 fragrance. While Le Labo rarely discounts, Executive Members can take comfort in saving $50 off the typical 50ml bottle. Our resident Costco aficionado, Brian Lange, suggests pairing Another 13 with a $5 rotisserie chicken, a $1.50 hot dog, and a churro.

Flavor Alert. Spindrift has released its new flavors for 2023, including a mocktail-inspired Nojito flavor and a Mango Black Tea flavor.

Late Night Crunchies. Hot on the heels of a successful multi-year partnership with Taco Bell, Doritos is running for the border by opening a ghost kitchen called Doritos After Dark, in collaboration with Popchew and PepsiCo’s Foodservice Digital Lab. The delivery service will test in NY and LA markets. Our take on ghost kitchens and consistency of experience? The jury’s still out. MrBeast hasn’t nailed it yet, and it’s not clear if Doritos will, either.

‍“In Defense of IRL Shopping”. Online shopping and algorithmic suggestions dominate most people’s shopping experiences, but neither of these can rival one of the great joys of shopping in a store, browsing random displays and aisles: serendipity.