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"Ultimately shirking fiduciary responsibility to employees, consumers, and shareholders." Twenty civil rights organizations sent a letter Thursday to Fortune 1000 companies calling for them to recommit to diversity, equity and inclusion, after several major companies scaled back their efforts. She emphasized that LGBTQ+ consumers have $1.4 trillion of buying power, as reported by the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce. But a small, well-funded, and extreme group of right-wing activists is attempting to pressure companies into abandoning their DEI programs. Abandoning DEI will have long-term consequences on business success -- ultimately shirking fiduciary responsibility to employees, consumers, and shareholders.

Persons: Bill Ackman, Molson Coors, Harley Davidson, George Floyd, Forman, Kelley Robinson, CNBC's, Robinson, Brown, Lowe's, John Deere, Harley, Davidson, Edelman Organizations: National Action Network, Molson, Ford, Tractor Supply, Human Rights, HRC, Brown, National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Molson Coors, . Tractor Supply, Companies, McKinsey & Company, Pew Locations: New York City, Rural, United States

☆ The sneaky, smart reasons malls have no windows
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-22 | by ( Parija Bhatnagar | Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The birth of the American mall ushered in an era of “windowless” shopping that’s largely still here. But the sneakiest reason why malls limit windows could be to make shoppers lose track of time. Windowless shopping creates an environment of consumption without distractions,” Flickinger said. The Southdale mall was functional and drab to look at and that is the blueprint that all traditional enclosed malls have continued to follow. Some of these adaptive uses of traditional malls might be creating a practical need for windows after all, she said.

Persons: mallgoers, Burt Flickinger, Bill Peters, ” Flickinger, “, Victor Gruen, Gruen, Larry Salzman, Stephanie Cegielski, ”, Cegielski, ” Alexandra Lange, Lange, Thomas McMillan, ” Lange, Kristin Mueller, Kena Betancur Organizations: New, New York CNN, Strategic Resource Group, CNN, Shoppers, Denver, Getty, Denver Post, ”, Southdale, Minneapolis –, Gruen Associates, International Council of Shopping Centers, “, Sears, Roebuck, of Retailing Studies, Texas, Mays Business School, Energy, Customers, North Locations: New York, Northglenn, Northglenn , Colorado, Minneapolis, Austria, Los Angeles, Edina , Minneapolis, ”, Framingham , Massachusetts, United States, America, American, East Rutherford , New Jersey, North America

☆ From the boardwalk to the altar: T-shirt, shorts, bikinis and boot sellers are now dressing brides
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Parija Bhatnagar | Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“The move into wedding wear makes sense so long as it’s not a distraction from their core business,” Stichter said. “For these bridal collections to land with Gen Z, It’s important that these brands tap into the way that Gen Z shops. Gen Z is always online, but 97% of US Gen Z still shop in-store,” Rees said. With wedding dresses in particular, one trend that emerged during the pandemic was the popularity of black wedding gowns. Boot Barn has a new western-themed wedding collection of bridal dresses, cowboy boots, hats and accessories priced mostly at $400 and below.

Persons: Gen Zers, Taylor Swift, ”, Janine Stichter, Millennials, ” Stichter, ” Carey Collins Krug, “, won’t, Allyson Rees, Gen Z, ” Rees, Gen, they’re, Rees, it’s, ” Lisa Zlotnick, “ There’s, Isha Nicole, ” Nicole Organizations: New, New York CNN, Abercrombie, Fitch, Abercrombie & Fitch Co, CNN, “ Locations: New York, California, Los Angeles, Las Vegas

☆ Walgreens has a cult ‘peelable’ candy, courtesy of a Tik Tok craze
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Parija Bhatnagar | Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

For the beleaguered drugstore chain, the odd “Gummy Mango” candy is a much-needed win. Walgreens said it didn’t work with any paid influencer to hype up its mango gummies but that it took off organically. Walgreens is quickly following up on the success of its mango gummy with a new peelable banana gummy candy. As Esarte and his team rushed to restock the mango gummies last last year, a bigger challenge emerged. After weeks of scrambling and rushing, Walgreens is better prepared to make a bigger splash with the mango gummies.

Persons: It’s, Keonhee Kim, TikToker @Trinhdoesthings, ”, Marty Esarte, Esarte, we’ve, ” Esarte, Anthony Behar, Gen Z, China grinds, “ We’ve, Kim, Tim Wentworth, Tim, ” Kim Organizations: New, New York CNN, Walgreens, CNN, National Confectioners Association, Food Institute, Millennial, Morningstar Locations: New York, Asia, China

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jack Lobel is a college sophomore who will be voting in his first presidential election this fall, casting a ballot for Joe Biden. “If age were really a concern we would not see this much energy around these groups," said Lobel, an urban studies major in New York. “President Biden comes before midterms and exams and papers,” Lobel said, only half-joking. The groups' affinity for the president is little surprise given that young people tend to be more left-leaning than many other voting blocs. Still, it may soften the blow of many voters' concerns about Biden's age.

Persons: Jack Lobel, Joe Biden, isn't, Lobel, “, Biden, ” Lobel, Donald Trump, Trump, he's, “ Young, Biden’s, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Jr, ”, gaffes, Barack Obama, Aalayah, ” Eastmound Organizations: WASHINGTON, Associated Press, NORC, for Public Affairs Research, The Associated Press, Tomorrow, NextGen PAC, Newtown Action Alliance, America, Young Democrats of America , College Democrats of America, Democratic Youth Coalition, Grassroots Dems, High School Democrats, Biden, Trump, Republicans, PAC, Parkland, Team Locations: New York, Florida

☆ Gen Z is getting married. Together with Millennials, they’re putting their own spin on weddings
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Parija Bhatnagar | Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

As the oldest GenZers reach marrying age in their mid-20s, they’re increasingly putting their own spin on nuptials, which includes letting go of some antiquated traditions. The Knot, a top wedding planning and wedding vendor marketplace, surveyed more than 9,000 couples in the US who either took the plunge last year, or are planning to in 2024, to understand evolving approaches that couples are taking to wedding planning. In terms of the total cost of the wedding, couples said they spent an average of $35,000 on their ceremony and reception in 2023, up from an average of $30,000 the prior year, according to The Knot. “Millennials and Gen Z are getting very creative in making these celebrations their own in new and interesting ways,” Chi said. Candles instead of flowers on the tables added elegance and also helped control costs, Dylan said.

Persons: New York CNN —, they’re, Gen, ”, Tim Chi, Ed Sheeran’s, Elvis Presley’s, “, ” Osama Zayed, Ingrid, Helen H, Richardson, Elvis ’, ” Chi, RSVPs, “ Millennials, Caitlin, Dylan Spain, ” Caitlin, “ Dylan, ” Dylan, Dylan, Haley Richter, Caitlin didn’t, Edwin Torres, DeSantiago, Ricardo DeSantiago, Torres, Edwin, ” Edwin Torres, Maria Argueta, ” Edward, Edward, Harry Potter, ” chimed Ricardo Organizations: New, New York CNN, CNN, City, MediaNews, Denver Post, Central America, Mill City Museum, Historic Locations: New York, Denver , Colorado, Sea Isle City , New Jersey, Sea Isle City, Cape, Central, Minnesota, Mill, Minneapolis

☆ Some Gen Z workers are turning to AI for career advice and it's actually not a bad idea
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In a survey, about half of Gen Zers said AI and social media gave better career advice than a boss. Bosses shouldn't rely on tech to give career advice to their teams, a business professor told BI. Almost half of GenZers said in a recent survey that chatbots and social media offered better career advice than their managers. In the survey, 62% of Gen Z workers said they'd like to talk more about their career path but that their boss was often too busy. "People could kind of say, 'Well, I get better skill-building from a YouTube tutorial than from my manager,'" Myers said.

Persons: Gen Zers, —, it's, Gen, GenZers, inspo, Christopher G, Myers, they'd, Daniel Jolles Organizations: Service, an Academy of Management, Johns Hopkins University, London School of Economics, Political

☆ CosMc’s first location had twice as much traffic last month than a typical McDonald’s
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Parija Bhatnagar | Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —McDonald’s new trendy beverage-led spinoff CosMc’s is pulling in younger customers at a faster clip than a typical Mickey D’s with Big Macs and fries, according to one early traffic estimate. McDonald’s unveiled its CosMc’s specialty drinks cafe spinoff in December, with the first location opened in Bolingbrook, Illinois. That first CosMc’s location saw more than double the number of visits that a typical McDonald’s saw chainwide in the same month, despite only being open since Dec.7, according to a report from Placer.ai, which uses location data from mobile devices to estimate visits to specific locations. CosMc’s generated triple the number of visits per square foot than an average McDonald’s restaurant (CosMc’s has a roughly 2,500 square feet footprint compared to 4,000 to 4,500 square feet for the average McDonald’s location), the firm said. RJ Hottovy, head of analytical research with Placer.ai, said that the one CosMc’s location sometimes has to accommodate spillover traffic in a separate parking lot because the drive-thru lanes were often at full capacity.

Persons: New York CNN —, D’s, Big, McDonald’s, it’s, It’s, RJ Hottovy, ”, ” McDonald’s, Danielle Wiener, Bronner Organizations: New, New York CNN, Starbucks Locations: New York, Bolingbrook , Illinois, Placer.ai, McDonald’s

☆ X Factor's Simon Cowell said no one should work 5 days: 'it's just pointless'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Studies have shown that the four-day workweek can be beneficial. AdvertisementTV personality and multimillionaire Simon Cowell has gotten on board with the four-day workweek hype and given up working on Fridays because "it's just pointless," he said in an interview with British tabloid The Sun . The 64-year-old said that he used to be a workaholic and clocked in 20 hours of work a day running shows. There is evidence that a four-day workweek can be beneficial. They're seeking out alternatives such as the four-day workweek, working nine days every two weeks, or even opting for so-called "lazy girl jobs" that are low-effort roles with decent pay.

Persons: Simon Cowell, —, multimillionaire Simon Cowell, Cowell, It's, They're Organizations: Service, British

☆ Consumers are still spending on nice things, if they’re on trend
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But they’re also rewarding the stores that are betting big on the right trends at the right time, for the right price. Mejuri: The Toronto-based jewelry retailer has intentionally positioned itself as a go-to destination for Millennials and GenZers for affordable fine jewelry. “When we founded the business, we wanted to redefine luxury and bring it a new experience within the fine jewelry industry,” said Masad. We just wanted to make fine jewelry part of everyday wear. We saw no reason for why there should be a barrier between fine jewelry and our customer.”He said Mejuri hasn’t wavered from that goal.

Persons: aren’t, they’re, ”, Jharonne Martis, —, Neil Saunders, Marshal Cohen, ” Abercrombie, Andrew Kelly, Saunders, Abercrombie, Fran Horowitz, Lulu, Circana’s Cohen, Noura Sakkijha, Majed Masad, Zach Hilty, Mejuri hasn’t, “ There’s, It’s, TJ, TJ Maxx, TJ Maxx's, David L, Ryan, Aaron Sorensen Organizations: New, New York CNN, Abercrombie, Fitch, “, CNN Business, TJ Maxx, TJ, Boston Globe, Lotis, Consulting Locations: New York, Toronto

☆ Coach is the new 'cool girl' brand for Gen Z
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

After years of sluggish sales, Coach is seeing regained interest from Gen Z consumers. Gen Z increased its spending on Coach by 10% so far this year, according to a new report. According to a consumer spending report from Earnest Analytics, consumers under the age of 25 increased their spending on the Coach brand by 10% from January through June of this year. Once self-touted as "accessible luxury," Coach has since updated that message and its offerings to reinvent itself. In doing so, it hoped to tap into Gen Z and Millennial shoppers' values and re-elevate its luxury status.

Persons: Gen, Lil Nas, Earnest, Camila Mendes, Joon Silverstein, Coach's, Silverstein, Z, Todd Kahn, Nas X, Kate Spade, Stuart Weitzman, Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo, Versace Organizations: Service, Vogue Business, Business, Fashion, Capri Holdings, Capri Locations: Wall, Silicon, Riverdale, American, York

☆ Does Gen X Have No Style?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Fiorella Valdesolo | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

IF MEMES dictated a generation’s cultural currency, Gen X would be irrelevant. Across social and mainstream media, it is baby boomers, millennials and Gen Z who are mocked for their myriad sartorial missteps. Consider the savage TikTok attacks that GenZers wage on millennials’ love of side parts and skinny jeans or the pervasive “OK, boomer” taunt. How has Gen X (that includes me and anyone else born between 1965 and 1980) sidestepped meme-ification? Or is it that we, in 2023, have no distinct style at all?

Persons: Gen

☆ 3 in 4 managers say Gen Z is the most 'challenging' generation to work with — and 40% of the group flagged a lack of technological skills, effort, and motivation: survey
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The managers said Gen Zers lack technological skills, effort, and motivation. It's so bad that 27% said they've fired a Gen Z employee within the first month. About 40% of that group said it's because people in this age group lack technological skills. The same proportion of managers also felt Gen Z employees — those born between 1997 and 2012 — lack motivation and get "easily distracted." The tensions between the generations are so bad that some managers who found Gen Z challenging to work with said they fired a Gen Zer promptly after hiring.

☆ 12% of managers say they've fired a Gen Z employee in their first week of work — and being too easily offended is often to blame, new survey finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Nearly 75% of managers in a recent survey said Gen Z is more difficult to work with than other generations. About 12% and 16% of that group said they have fired a Gen Zer in their first week or month of work, respectively. She continued: "We know that with remote work and education, communication skills do not develop as well and people tend to work more independently. About 20% of these managers said they have fired a Gen Z worker in their first week of work and 27% within their first month. "GenZers could benefit from developing their communication skills to build stronger relationships with colleagues and client.

☆ GenZers who own an Android have lost track of how many times they've been bullied for not having an iPhone but they still refuse to switch
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Gen Z accounts for 34 percent of iPhone users and just 10 percent of Samsung users, according to data reported by Financial Times. Two Android phone users in their twenties told Insider that because of the wide disparity, they face challenges as minorities in the digital world. However, issues with being the only one with an Android phone still affect Carrier's friendships. According to Avila, Android users were seen as "poor or a loser," and the mentality gained popularity online. "Even if Androids are the better phone, that stigma would never make me get one," Avila told Insider.

☆ The last Blockbuster store has an ad timed for the Super Bowl
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

That’s exactly what the only remaining store of the Blockbuster video rental chain is doing, and it’s during the Super Bowl. This photo taken on July 26, 2020 shows the interior of the last remaining Blockbuster store, in Bend, Oregon. Blockbuster store in Bend, Oregon has created a retro 1990's living room setup for customers to watch its ad on Super Bowl Sunday. Blockbuster stores fell one by one, with only 10 left in 2017, and then just one. Adding a quirky ad during Super Bowl is just par for the course for this holdout from a bygone era.

☆ Is the ‘100 envelope challenge’ a smart money move?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Christine Romans | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

It’s called the “100 Envelope Challenge” on TikTok, and it promises to put more than $5,000 in your pocket in just 100 days. Continue this way until day 100, when your final savings deposit of $100 will bring you to a grand total of $5,050. But given how popular the envelope challenge has become, I decided to ask certified financial planner Doug Flynn of Flynn Zito Capital Management for his take. “I’m all for whatever it takes to get people talking about saving money. The envelope challenge videos have a get-rich-quick flair that is certainly viral and entertaining, but obviously the exception, not the rule.

☆ Who are the eager beaver holiday shoppers unhindered by inflation? Gen Z
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

They’re Gen Z. “One standout this Black Friday was the high turnout of Gen Z in stores,” said Kristen Classi-Zummo, apparel industry analyst with market research firm NPD. They came early, they came with friends, and they came to shop.”She said the prevalence of younger shoppers on Black Friday and over the Thanksgiving holiday shopping weekend surprised her. Mall operator PREIT, which owns 18 shopping centers primarily on the East Coast, confirmed that Gen Z consumers were out in force. “For Gen Z, it wasn’t just about shopping.

☆ Even though markets were bearish, 401(k) participants kept investing last quarter
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

401(k) participants have held relatively steady in their savings contribution rates and in their portfolio allocations, according to new third quarter data from Fidelity Investments. That’s down 6% from the second quarter and 23% from a year earlier. But the average savings rate among 401(k) participants, meanwhile, held relatively steady at 13.8%, which includes both employee and employer contributions. That’s only down a fraction from the 13.9% recorded in the second quarter and the 14% recorded in the first quarter. Allocations also held fairly steady, Fidelity found, with only 4.5% of 401(k) and 403(b) plan participants opting to make a change in the third quarter.

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