It’s Friday. To be more precise, it’s the first summer Friday of the year—for some and, well, the last day of a mercifully short week for others. So we want to know where you fall in the debate apparently taking shape around the tradition: essential perk of the modern workplace, or outdated remnant in a post-pandemic, increasingly hybrid office environment? Drop us a line…and take the rest of the day off.
In today’s edition:
—Andrew Adam Newman, Jeena Sharma
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Andrew Adam Newman
Sometimes it takes a big leap to make a small appliance.
Take, for example, the Dash mini waffle maker, which cooks a single four-inch waffle.
On a recent spring afternoon, Evan Dash, co-founder and CEO of StoreBound, which owns the brand, sat at a conference table in the company’s bustling headquarters in Manhattan’s Financial District. He held one of the waffle makers and explained how it came to be.
Dash and his wife, Rachel, StoreBound’s co-founder and chief strategy officer, were at a trade show in Germany in 2012 when they saw a little pizzelle maker.
“And Rachel said, ‘What about a mini waffle maker?’” he told Retail Brew. “And I said, ‘It’ll never sell.’ Flat out, I just dismissed it.”
But she persisted, and an employee they’d brought along to the trade show sketched what Dash called a “cute, bubbly design,” of the waffle maker they’d ultimately introduce in 2015.
“And lo and behold, it was like gangbusters out of the gate,” Dash said. “People saw it and absolutely flipped.”
- More than 21 million of the devices have been sold.
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The hashtag #dashminiwafflemaker has 23 million views on TikTok.
- It has more than 186,000 five-star reviews on Amazon.
The Evan Dash who acknowledged his initial impulse was wrong and deferred to his team is not the same Evan Dash who previously was SVP of Macy’s home store, he said.
“When I worked at Macy’s, you’d have to open both doors for me to fit through with my head—I had this giant ego,” Dash said.
Keep reading here.—AAN
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Vintage Ad Browser
If you hear the phrase “Skittles ban” going around, don’t panic. Skittles are not being banned—at least not yet.
The phrase was coined by critics to describe a bill passed by the state Assembly in California that would effectively prohibit the use of five chemical additives found in food products—red dye No. 3, titanium dioxide, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, and propyl paraben—including, yes, Skittles, packaged cookies, and frostings.
While consumer advocates supporting the bill have touted the numerous health risks that come with the additives, its critics, which include (shocker!) candy brands, argue that the federal and state approval systems for the food additives have found them to be safe. Either way, the debate is only getting more heated by the day.
Real impact: Then there are others who say the ban would change the way a lot of the products taste. But is that really true?
Keep reading here.—JS
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Today’s top retail reads.
A new dawn: Chick-fil-A, which has maintained a steady reputation for its conservative values, is drawing criticism for being too “woke” as it pursues policies focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. (the New York Times)
Wasteland: Secondhand clothing dealers from Ghana are lobbying to stop the fast fashion industry from dumping enormous amounts of clothing in the country, calling it an “environmental catastrophe.” (The Guardian)
Tread lightly: Corporations from Target to Anheuser Busch InBev are under intense pressure from consumers as Pride month kicks off. (Axios)
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Apple is looking at opening several new stores across China, the UK, and the US.
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Patagonia reached a settlement with Gap after accusing it of copying Patagonia’s “iconic” snap pocket design.
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Lululemon saw its shares jump after reporting stronger sales in the last quarter.
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Walmart is testing new packaging to cut down on waste.
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Three of the stories below are real...and one is most definitely not. Can you spot the fake?
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Panda Express is funding an Asian American studies fellowship at an Ivy League university.
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In honor of National Jerky Day, Jack Link is hosting a “meat retreat” that starts at $2,700 and will be held at a limited-time dude ranch resort.
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A Panama-based speakeasy makes cocktail recommendations after doing a tarot card reading of the customer.
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Two Florida women are suing a local burger joint for misleading customers by not using enough mustard on its burgers.
Keep reading for the answer.
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Catch up on the Retail Brew stories you may have missed.
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Alright, whatever your feelings are on putting mustard on a burger, we’re not sure it’s worth suing a place over.
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Written by
Andrew Adam Newman and Jeena Sharma
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