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☆ With booze, furniture and candles, Dungeons & Dragons makes itself at home
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

In this article ETSYHAS Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTInside the storefront of Cantrip Candles in Hollywood, CA. An avid Dungeons & Dragons fan, Visscher was hosting a game when a beer got knocked over during a rowdy tavern interaction. Inspired by fantasy games and settings like those seen in Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder and other popular tabletop role-playing games, Cantrip Candles has created its own lore to pair with its scents. Cantrip Candles also partners with other small businesses to sell wick trimmers, matches, notebooks, plush and apparel. Hasbro , which owns the Dungeons & Dragons brand through its subsidiary Wizards of the Coast, has boasted that the game has more than 50 million active players.

Persons: Sarah Whitten, CNBC It's, Christoff Visscher, Visscher, Sellers, Ed Maranville, Harry Potter, Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson, Kidults, Matthew Lillard, Lillard, Justin Ware, Beadle, Wyrmwood's Maranville, Maranville Organizations: CNBC, Pathfinder, Marvel, Star, Hasbro, &, Wizards, NPD, Grimm's, Wyrmwood Locations: Hollywood , CA, Hollywood, Rhode, Indiana, Kentucky

☆ Costco says its 1-ounce gold bars are real and have been selling out in hours
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Costco has been selling one-ounce gold bars. Rand Refinery gold bars cost $1,950 each, while PAMP Suisse bars cost $1,980. AdvertisementAdvertisementCostco has been selling one-ounce gold bars that it says get snapped up in hours. "I've gotten a couple of calls that people have seen online that we've been selling one-ounce gold bars," CFO Richard Galanti told investors Tuesday at the retailer's fourth-quarter earnings call. AdvertisementAdvertisement"It's heavier than I thought," one TikToker said in a video unboxing two bars of gold she bought from Costco."

Persons: —, I've, Richard Galanti, Galanti Organizations: Costco, Rand, Service, Africa's Rand Refinery, PAMP Suisse, UPS Locations: Suisse, Africa's, Swiss

☆ How a college track athlete gained 40,000 Instagram followers and an Under Armour deal by posting banana bread recipes
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Margaret Fleming | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

For Makenzie Steele, landing NIL deals with big companies like Under Armour and Lululemon required two things: posting consistently and putting her business email in her Instagram bio. The 20-year-old Clemson track and cross-country runner has secured nearly 20 brand deals through her Instagram and TikTok account, @goodfoodgoodrun. Steele started posting cooking and running content in late summer 2020 and has grown her platform to 42,000 Instagram followers and 23,000 TikTok followers. She's posted one-pan Caprese baked pasta, snickerdoodle granola, mini apple pancake bites, and lots of banana bread variations. "When someone first sees my account, they're like, 'it's just banana bread and oats,'" Steele said.

Persons: Makenzie Steele, Steele, Instagram Steele, Ben, She's, Joe's, Armour, she's, Christian Addison Organizations: Clemson, Armour

☆ The Best Juicers and Juice Machines for More Refreshing Mornings
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Grace Elkus | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +19 min

The orange juice was also a little pulpy and separated overnight—a common occurrence with both centrifugal juicers we tested. Others you should know aboutGreat multiuse juicerKuvings’s 4-in-1 masticating juicer comes with attachments to make smoothies, sorbets and nut milks, too. Masticating juicers use a rotating, screw-shaped augur to crush and press fresh produce to extract juice, while centrifugal juicers rely on a high-speed spinning metal blade to pulverize produce into a mesh filter. Masticating juicers are slower and cost more, but often have higher yields and are therefore less wasteful (which we found to be true in our testing). Centrifugal juicers are faster and more powerful, but create foamier juice that’s more likely to separate.

Persons: Grace Elkus, you’re, Ariane Resnick, C.N.C, ”, Nama, it’s, we’re, juicer, Savory, It’s, I’ve, Amelia Rampe, Alexandra Shytsman, destemming, Masticating, “, Shytsman Organizations: Cold Press, Hurom, Hamilton, Food Network Locations: Brooklyn, New York City

☆ HGTV's Galey Alix wants to be a star. Will the spotlight crush her — or set her free?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Anna Peele | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

Alix is the creator and star of the HGTV show "Home in a Heartbeat With Galey Alix," which premiered in April and streams on Max. Galey Alix Gravenstein comes from a family of overachievers. Alix got to work with Jay Delgado, remaking Calloway's blank white box into a Galey Alix take on a rich person's beach house. In April 2021, Parker, who had no renovation experience, offered to help Alix with an install. He and Lauren Parker insist Alix is OK because she's able to ask people like them for help without fear.

Persons: Galey Alix, Nancy Meyers, Dale Moss, Alix, semiprivate, fiancé, Goldman Sachs, Joanna Gaines, Drew Scott, Alix gravitates, Jay Delgado, PJ Fetscher, Instagram, she's, she'll, Sonya Revell, —, It's, Goldman, I'm, Galey Alix Gravenstein, she'd, Alix didn't, Alix's fiancé, Carrie Calloway, who'd, Mac, Calloway, I'd, Lauren Parker, Parker, Delgado, Fetscher, Kay Marryshow, she's fallible, Phil, Alix's Instagram, it's, She's, Moss, of Moss, he's, Rebecca Zisser, Crystal, Anna Ruiz, Agency Gerard, Ester Gattuso, Susana Betancourt Organizations: grays, Goods, Fort, HGTV, Goldman, Target, University of Florida, Home Depot, Parker, Netflix, Crystal Cox, Agency, Agency Gerard Artists Locations: Italian, Fort Lauderdale, Max, Florida, overachievers, New York, Connecticut, fiancé's Connecticut, Westport , Connecticut, Target, Instagram, Australia, London, India , Puerto Rico, Wyoming, Orlando, peeking

Though the 6-Series name might be retired, its legacy lives on in TCL's brand-new Q7 4K TV. It's not perfect, but the Q7 is easily one of the best 4K TVs you can buy for under $1,000. TCL 65-inch Q7 QLED 4K TV TCL’s Q7 is an excellent midrange QLED 4K TV, delivering better picture quality than similarly priced competitors. The Google TV interface is intuitiveThe Google TV interface offers easy access to popular apps and handy integration with other Google services. The TCL Q7 is easily one of the top midrange 4K TVs you can buy this year.

Persons: TCL, Ryan Waniata, It's, you'd, Harry Potter, you've, Roku, You've, Dolby Organizations: LG, Sony, Samsung, ", Google, YouTube, AMD, Dolby, Smart

☆ For Gen Z, Playing an Influencer on TikTok Comes Naturally
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Sapna Maheshwari | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Rachel Aaron, a 24-year-old who works in public relations in New York, recently dressed up for a work event at Bloomingdale’s. In the era of “get ready with me” videos on TikTok, it was a golden opportunity to create content. Ms. Aaron, who has just 3,300 followers on TikTok, filmed herself chatting to the camera while selecting a black Skims dress, a blazer and a belt. Her post garnered a few hundred views and some favorable comments like “Slay mamas.”Ms. Aaron is not a major social media star, nor is she a celebrity. Among the links is her Poshmark page, where she resells her clothing.

☆ How to become an Amazon influencer and how much the program pays
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Amanda Perelli | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Here's a breakdown of how to become an Amazon influencer and how much creators earn from the program. "We are looking to [influencers] to tell us what they want and what they need," Katie Scott, director of the Amazon Influencer Program, said of the program. Amazon's Influencer Program operates as an extension of its online Associates Program, the company's affiliate-marketing program for creators, publishers, and bloggers. Read more about becoming an Amazon influencer:How much does it pay to become an Amazon influencer? The Amazon Influencer Program will occasionally run limited time incentives around new projects, the company previously told Insider.

☆ Gen Alpha loves eating McDonald's, watching YouTube and Disney+, and telling their parents what to buy at the store
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Generation Alpha is the most plugged-in generation of children yet, and they are developing strong brand awareness by age 9. 37% of Gen Alpha parents said their kids' favorite restaurant was McDonald's, handily besting second-place Chick-fil-A's 6%. Fifty-four percent of Gen Alpha kids own tablets – and they watch a lot of streaming video content, mostly on YouTube, Disney+, and Netflix, the survey found. Still, digital influence is a distant follower to the top driver of Gen Alpha brand and product selection: seeing stuff on store shelves. "When seeking to connect with Gen Alpha, brands can look to established leaders like McDonald's and Disney," the Morning Consult researchers conclude.

☆ Take a look at the gift that Apple gives employees after 10 years — a slab of aluminum along with a signed note from Tim Cook
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

At Apple, staff who've stayed 10 years get a gift commemorating the rare milestone. Take a look at Apple's 10-year employee gift, a hefty slab of aluminum with a signed note from Tim Cook. At Apple, employees who've stayed at least 10 years get a square slab of aluminum, a polishing cloth, and a signed note from CEO Tim Cook, according to a recent video from YouTuber DongleBookPro showing an unboxing of the award. The gift is a hefty square hunk of aluminum with a huge stainless steel Apple logo on it. A note from Apple in the package says the gift is made from the same 6000 series aluminum that's used to make the company's products.

☆ I watched videos for 2 hours on OnlyFans' OFTV — but they didn't make me a fan. YouTube has nothing to worry about.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Insider spent two hours watching OFTV videos to see what's on offer, but was left underwhelmed. Insider spent two hours watching OFTV videos to see whether they're worth your time. Users can either watch OFTV videos on OnlyFans, which displays them in a timeline feed similar to other social-media platforms, or on a separate site, of.tv. The of.tv site displays its videos similarly to how YouTube does, but it doesn't show engagement metrics or tips. Are you an OnlyFans creator or OnlyFans employee with a story?

☆ I settled the gas stove debate with a $69.99 induction cooktop from Ikea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Well, not at Ikea per se, but on the Ikea website — where I purchased the Tillreda, a single-burner induction cooktop, for $69.99. I got a magnet; if it doesn't stick to a pot, the pot won't work on an induction plate. That meant I couldn't do stuff on the Tillreda like boiling soup and pasta, things that require a long time on an inefficient gas flame. "In cases like that, the heat losses for a gas flame really add up," McGee says. I tried one in a cast-iron pan on the induction plate.

☆ Sustainable Packaging Is Sometimes Doubling as Easier-to-Open Packaging
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Katie Deighton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Sarah Ryan Hudson found the Barbie’s Dr. Jane Goodall packaging to be a welcome departure from the hard-to-open versions of her youth. The costs involved in overhauling packaging systems also made them reluctant to change for the benefit of a less-finicky opening experience. To be sure, shifts toward more sustainable materials haven’t made packaging easier to use across the board, and campaigners for widely accessible packaging say companies aren’t moving to provide it quickly enough. The company’s Gillette razor brand in 2021 began selling some razors in cardboard packaging with a pulp tray, rather than in plastic blister packs and trays. Colgate-Palmolive Co. in 2019 introduced a recyclable Colgate toothpaste tube, using a high-density polyethylene material without aluminum, said Greg Corra, Colgate-Palmolive’s worldwide director of global packaging and sustainability.

☆ More beauty brands are ditching plastic packaging — and consumers are buying in
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Korie Wilkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Some beauty companies are ditching plastics in favor of aluminum, glass, or plant-based materials. "Beauty products come in bottles and pots with pumps and lids, and we're noticing the first question a consumer asks is, 'Is this all recyclable?'" Purpose-driven beauty companies are ditching plastics in favor of aluminum, glass, or plant-based materials. If they use plastic, they're trying to ensure that it's designed to be recyclable (mindful of inks and coatings). As a result, shoppers, namely millennials and Gen Z, are skipping the store and ordering their beauty products online.

☆ Tech layoffs strip the facade of TikTok's 'day in the life' videos
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Morgan Sung | Morgan Sung Is A Trends Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Meta, Salesforce, Twitter, Snap and other tech companies have also announced layoffs in recent months. Others are using their platforms to raise awareness of labor rights in wake of recent layoffs. So yeah, I’m unemployed, but I have a hell of a lot of confidence in myself.”Educating viewers about their rights has also gained popularity after recent layoffs. TikTok user alberta.nyc, a Google software engineer and self-described “tech cynic," has made videos about the importance of unions in the tech industry. In a video, creator alejandra_n_h expressed solidarity with former Amazon employees who had been affected by recent layoffs.

☆ Pet owners are applying for their furry friends to be the 'chief toy tester' at PetSmart – a new position that pays $10K
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

PetSmart announced the new Chief Toy Tester role earlier this month. The CTT must have a social media presence, attend PetSmart events, and test new toys and treats. In January, the pet supplies chain announced it was looking for one dog and one cat to become the company's first ever "Chief Toy Testers." Pet parents have until Feb. 17 to submit an application with a 10- to 30-second clip showing off their cat or dog's personality. Since the job announcement, pet parents have been sharing pictures and comments to get their fur babies on the short list.

☆ Gen Z loves the flip phone
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Now, Gen-Z’s latest “vintage” obsession is the flip phone – that mid-1990s era phone that has suddenly become oh so popular with millennials. “I’m team flip phone revolution,” singer Camila Cabello tweeted Thursday, posing with a TCL flip phone, vintage. Maybe I can write the theme song guys 💪💪💪💪 pic.twitter.com/yOJgCdAgNq — camila (@Camila_Cabello) January 13, 2023“I found a little 90s, Matrix-y flip phone,” Cameron said. “At parties people will say, ‘oh my goodness, is that a flip phone?,’” Palazzolo said. And yes, new Nokia flip phones are still available – the Nokia 2760 Flip is sold at Walmart from prepaid brands such as Verizon for $19.99.

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☆ I plan parties for the ultrawealthy. We get multimillion-dollar budgets to source real reindeer, fire-breathing dragons, and gift bags filled with Dior jewelry.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Claire Turrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

But we're also asked to organize their holiday parties. We take our holiday parties to the next levelIt's not unusual for us to be given a multimillion-dollar budget to arrange a festive party. Our holiday parties take place all year roundAs we have offices across the globe, we organize holiday parties all year round. A private client event around Chinese New Year featuring a smoke-breathing dragon. Party guests could board the train and walk through the carriages.

☆ This couple paid $7,150 for items people returned to Amazon, Walmart and Target—and made $19,500 reselling them
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Megan Sauer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In December 2020, Jamie and Sarah McCauley stumbled into their strangest side hustle yet: Buying pallets of items people returned to Target, Walmart and Amazon. The process seemed simple: Interested parties visited a local warehouse and paid $550, on average, for a pallet of returns. Since then, Jamie, 33, and Sarah, 32, estimate they've spent about $7,150 on pallets from Amazon, Walmart and Target. They've made about $19,500 in profit by reselling the items in those boxes on eBay and Facebook Marketplace, they say. Even the lucrative Amazon pallet contained 19 pieces of inventory that still haven't sold, including some items too damaged to list at all.

☆ Reselling brand gifts can be easy money influencers, but it comes with big risks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But other influencers, when they find themselves flooded with gifted products, turn to reselling them online. One particular brand Campbell worked with in the past would even vet influencers by checking if they were reselling gifted products on third-party websites before partnering with them. Brands and audiences may lose trust in influencers who resellFor many brands, seeing an influencer reselling a gifted product is a definite red flag. Influencers who consider reselling gifted products should also be careful about their taxes, said Qianna Smith Bruneteau, founder of the American Influencer Council. Reselling is most common in niches like fashionThe practice of reselling gifted products on second-hand websites like Depop or Poshmark is most common in the fashion space, industry insiders say.

☆ I ranked all 24 spreads in the viral $40 Bonne Maman Advent calendar. Here's why I think it's a gift worth the 600% price markup.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Rosa Pyo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The jam-and-spread brand Bonne Maman released its 2022 Advent calendar, whose 2021 version sold out. The calendar has 24 spreads to try and retails at $40 — a 600% price markup per 100 grams of jam. Google searches for "advent calendar" have more than doubled in the US since 2018, according to Google's trending data. The Bonne Maman Advent calendar 2022 edition comes with 23 limited-edition fruit spreads and one honey. The Advent-calendar jams cost $6.20 per 100 grams, versus the average Bonne Maman jam that costs about $1 per 100 grams — about a 600% markup.

☆ Brand gifting to influencers has gotten 'excessive and gluttonous.' But reselling products is a big risk for creators.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

☆ Philadelphia mayor 'disappointed' court ordered removal of box covering Christopher Columbus statue
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Tj Swigart | Minyvonne Burke | Minyvonne Burke Is A Senior Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Philadelphia's mayor said he is "disappointed" that a court ordered the city to remove a plywood box covering a statue of Christopher Columbus. A spokesperson for Jim Kenney said the office believes the statue should be removed from Marconi Plaza, noting that it "has been a source of controversy" in the city. A pedestrian walks by an encased statue of Christopher Columbus at Marconi Plaza in Philadelphia on Oct. 11, 2021. Matt Rourke / AP file"More to the point, the City accepted the donation of the Columbus statue in 1876. "The Columbus statue is not City property as is, for example, a City snowblower.

☆ How influencers use Amazon to earn money, from affiliate links to livestreaming
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Amanda Perelli | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Amazon Live: A livestreaming platform where creators earn a commission from every sale. Anyone who is a part of the Amazon Influencers Program can join by downloading the Amazon Live Creator app. Read more:Why Amazon Live has struggled to win over content creatorsThe main problem influencers said they have had with Amazon Live has been driving traffic to the platform. Amazon doesn't have a portal where users can see all of the Amazon influencers that they follow, unlike TikTok or YouTube. Read more:How influencers are earning money on Amazon by reviewing productsTo make money reviewing products on Amazon, creators must upload at least three videos to their individual profile page.

☆ Warehouse Packing Help Wanted, Excellent Penmanship Required
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Paul Berger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

At a warehouse in northern New Jersey one recent weekday, a trainee wearing a pair of blue gloves hesitantly tied a ribbon around one luxury brand’s box as a supervisor looked on. Newsletter Sign-up The Logistics Report Top news and in-depth analysis on the world of logistics, from supply chain to transport and technology. Workers also personalize items with engraving and hot-stamping, compile individual items into gift sets and add handwritten notes. Luxury brands, however, are willing to pay a premium for the extra workers needed to provide additional services, Mr. Scattergood said. Workers at its Munich warehouse fold clothes in tissue paper, close the paper with a sticker and tie a ribbon into a bow.

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