Thursday Dec.05, 2019

It's 10 degrees & snowing inside Canada Goose

_Canada Goose trying to make "Snow Fetch" happen_
_Canada Goose trying to make "Snow Fetch" happen_

Hey Snackers,

Job Posting: "Coder needed. Hours flexible. Work from home (Pay tbd)."

24 years after launching, Craigslist is finally getting its own official app.

The Dow rebounded from Tuesday's trade war-induced drop by climbing back up about a half percent.

Restart

Nintendo Switch had its best week of sales even though it's almost 3 years old now

Yoshi, you impress us... Founded 130 years ago in Kyoto, Japan, as a playing card company, Nintendo is still having fun. Its latest video game console "Switch" (which doubles as a Game Boy-type portable device and game played on your home TV) had its best week of sales ever in the USA.

  • 830K Switch and Switch Lite units were sold in the US in the 7 days around Thanksgiving.
  • That brings the total number of Switches sold to 41M globally — that's just short of Super Nintendo's record of 49M (back when eating Gushers was a thing).

Nintendo is like a fine Cabernet... It's weird that sales jumped to their highest level after almost 3 years since Switch went on the market. Most tech products lose popularity over time, but Nintendo's Switch vintage seems to get better with age. The latest models from the three-opoly of gaming help explain why:

  • Sony's PlayStation 4 debuted in 2013.
  • Microsoft's XBox One also debuted in 2013.
  • Nintendo Switch's greatest strength is its relative newness: it debuted in 2017.

This Christmas is easy for Nintendo. Next Christmas will be hard... Playstation 5 will be ready in time for the next holiday season, and the new XBox will be Santa-ready in 2020, too. Meanwhile, Nintendo's playing against 2 game controllers with nobody holding them. Next year, it'll face 2 fresh, young, gaming phenoms to battle against.

Chill

Canada Goose opens a store that will freeze your cash off

Surviving the quasi-cold of an Upper East Side autumn... requires Canada Goose's $1,000 coyote fur-lined jackets. The Canadian coat-maker's stock has doubled since its 2017 IPO, but the next three months — which make up 40% of its sales — are critical. Cue: "The Journey."

Sounds like a Christian Bale movie... "The Journey" is actually a new Canada Goose store in Toronto that's more Disney ride than fancy mall shop. Here's how the location's multisensory experience goes down:

  • "The Crevasse" (that's what the Goose calls it): You enter a narrow hallway surrounded by rock walls, hear Arctic sounds, and see images of ice cracking under your feet.
  • "The Elements Room": The only lame room — you watch nature videos and see some Canada Goose coats that cost more than your rent.
  • "The Gear Room": Modeled after Norway's apocalyptic vault housing all the world's seeds, The Gear Room is where you actually put on a Canada Goose coat.
  • "The Cold Room": Test-drive that Goose parka in a 10-degree room that actually snows, enjoying Arctic conditions while tucked within a thousand-dollar, down-stuffed coat.

Sensational is the new experiential... This new Canada Goose spot doesn't even carry the product in-store — that's how focused it is on the experience. It's an Arctic theme park meant to awe.

  • Experiential retail: The NYC Allbirds store includes a human hamster wheel (so you can try the shoes), while Casper's "The Dreamery" lounge sells $25 naps on its mattresses in futuristic sleeping pods.
  • Sensational retail: Canada Goose puts you in a near-death situation, burning I need this jacket to survive into your psyche. Not to mention the Insta stories you'll tell.

PS: If you order a parka by 2pm on the day of your visit, they'll mail it to you by the next day. Hopefully you'll have warmed up by then.

What else we’re Snackin’

  • Double-Ex: Expedia's CEO and CFO both resigned because they're not on board with the Board's turnaround plan for the travel-booking company
  • Elevated: United Technologies is spinning off its ancient/legendary elevator business Otis into its own company with its own stock
  • Record: GoPro stock rises a tad after "crushing" Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales
  • Upvote: Reddit decided to share its year-end retrospective — turns out its userbase grew 30% to 430M last year (that's bigger than Twitter)
  • Planted: Costco is the newest big-time retailer to start selling Nestle's plant-based meat

Thursday

Disclosure: Authors of this Snacks own shares of Sony.

ID: 1028590

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Do you want to run the State Department of McDonald’s?

A couple of days ago, a tweet making fun at McDonald’s hiring a “Manager for Diplomatic Relations” went viral.

At first glance, the idea that McDonald’s, a burger franchise known for its double quarter pounders and perfectly salted fries, is expanding its diplomatic influence with policy makers in Foggy Bottom and the world at large sounds comical. But it’s actually crucial.

There are more than 40,000 McDonald’s locations spread across 115 countries around the world, and 90% of these stores are independently owned and operated franchises that pay royalties to the parent organization to operate. Tens of thousands of franchises operated by different owners with different beliefs, priorities, and values can get complicated, fast.

As we noted in Snacks in February, McDonald’s received heavy backlash from franchisees in countries including Saudi Arabia, Oman, Jordan, Kuwait, and Pakistan after McDonald’s Israel donated thousands of free meals to IDF personnel. But it wasn’t McDonald’s, as an entity, that made the donations. It was the owner of the company’s Israel franchises, who was acting under his own volition.

There are more than 40,000 McDonald’s locations spread across 115 countries around the world, and 90% of these stores are independently owned and operated franchises that pay royalties to the parent organization to operate. Tens of thousands of franchises operated by different owners with different beliefs, priorities, and values can get complicated, fast.

As we noted in Snacks in February, McDonald’s received heavy backlash from franchisees in countries including Saudi Arabia, Oman, Jordan, Kuwait, and Pakistan after McDonald’s Israel donated thousands of free meals to IDF personnel. But it wasn’t McDonald’s, as an entity, that made the donations. It was the owner of the company’s Israel franchises, who was acting under his own volition.

Nuke stocks up on AI excitement

For most of humanity, the thought of “nuclear-powered AI” sends a shiver down the spine. But the stock market is all for it! Just check out the list of top performing S&P 500 stocks this year. Just behind established AI plays — Super Micro Computer and Nvidia, you’ll find Constellation Energy, the largest operator of nuclear plants in the U.S. NRG Energy, which also operates nuclear plants, isn’t far behind. Bloomberg reports that CEO of power distributor Exelon — which spun off Constellation in 2022 — says in the Chicago area alone, AI could drive a 900% jump in demand for energy from data centers.

Tech

China makes Apple remove WhatsApp, Threads, Signal and Telegram from app store

In its latest move to restrict foreign tech, Beijing has ordered Apple to remove a number of popular messaging apps from its app store there, including WhatsApp, Threads, Signal and Telegram.

These apps had only been available through VPNs but were popular nonetheless, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Apple said the Chinese government asked them to remove the apps in the iPhone maker’s second biggest market over “national security concerns.” Last week, China told its state-owned telecoms to phase out the use of US chips by 2027.

Apple said the Chinese government asked them to remove the apps in the iPhone maker’s second biggest market over “national security concerns.” Last week, China told its state-owned telecoms to phase out the use of US chips by 2027.

Business

Tesla's recall reveals just how bad Cybertruck delivery numbers have been

Thanks to a recall of Tesla’s Cybertrucks, we now know how many of them have actually been delivered: 3,878 since the EV company began releasing them to customers in November.

In its third and fourth quarter earnings report, Tesla said that its current Cybertruck production capacity was greater than 125,000 a year. Musk had previously said he expected to produce 250,000 Cybertrucks a year by 2025.

Either way, that’s a lot more than the roughly 775 it’s delivered each month so far.

The recall is over an issue with the gas pedal pad that, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says when pressed, “may dislodge, which may cause the pedal to become trapped in the interior trim above the pedal.” The cause of the issue: “unapproved” soap that the manufacturer used to aid in getting the pad on the pedal.

A Cybertruck customer this week posted a TikTok about a terrifying incident in which this happened and “held the accelerator down 100%” in his 6,000+ pound vehicle. Thanks to some quick thinking where he held down the brake and put it in park, he wasn’t injured.

This is the long-awaited Cybertruck’s second recall since it came out five months ago.

Either way, that’s a lot more than the roughly 775 it’s delivered each month so far.

The recall is over an issue with the gas pedal pad that, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says when pressed, “may dislodge, which may cause the pedal to become trapped in the interior trim above the pedal.” The cause of the issue: “unapproved” soap that the manufacturer used to aid in getting the pad on the pedal.

A Cybertruck customer this week posted a TikTok about a terrifying incident in which this happened and “held the accelerator down 100%” in his 6,000+ pound vehicle. Thanks to some quick thinking where he held down the brake and put it in park, he wasn’t injured.

This is the long-awaited Cybertruck’s second recall since it came out five months ago.

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Markets

Cocoa hits $11,000

Cocoa prices are breaking records on an almost daily basis — with cocoa futures closing at (another) all-time high of $11,020 per metric ton yesterday.

That’s up 158% since the start of the year, and over 4x on the typical prices seen in 2022 — as crop production continues to fall short of demand.

Major cocoa-producing nations like the Ivory Coast and Ghana, which between them grow about two-thirds of the world’s cocoa, have seen excessive tree failure due to disease, changing weather patterns, and hot, dry conditions causing devastating droughts.

As such, consumers are starting to see the effects of the largest cocoa supply deficit in over 60 years: “shrinkflation” and reduced-cocoa recipes might soon hit your favorite chocolate bars, and Hershey stock was recently downgraded. Unfortunately, the worst may still be yet to come: the International Cocoa Organization expects production to lag behind demand by 374,000 tons for the 2023-24 season.

Cocoa prices

Major cocoa-producing nations like the Ivory Coast and Ghana, which between them grow about two-thirds of the world’s cocoa, have seen excessive tree failure due to disease, changing weather patterns, and hot, dry conditions causing devastating droughts.

As such, consumers are starting to see the effects of the largest cocoa supply deficit in over 60 years: “shrinkflation” and reduced-cocoa recipes might soon hit your favorite chocolate bars, and Hershey stock was recently downgraded. Unfortunately, the worst may still be yet to come: the International Cocoa Organization expects production to lag behind demand by 374,000 tons for the 2023-24 season.

Cocoa prices
Power

World out of balance: It costs the US 3¢ to make 1 penny

The cost of producing a US penny rose 13% in fiscal 2023 to 3.07 cents. Yes, it means that Uncle Sam loses more than 2 cents for every cent it produces. (And no, you can’t make it up on volume.)

For the record, that’s the 18th straight year the penny’s face value has been below production costs, fueling calls for abolishing the lowest value denomination coin. Canada started to phase out the penny in 2013, joining Australia, Brazil, Finland, New Zealand, Norway, and Israel, according to Smithsonian Magazine.

3.07¢
Business
Rani Molla
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Netflix is going to stop sharing subscriber numbers

After posting subscriber numbers that beat expectations today, Netflix says it’s no longer going to share those numbers starting in the first quarter of 2025. That’s a big deal since subscriber numbers have long been one of the main metrics that investors have looked at.

“In our early days, when we had little revenue or profit, membership growth was a strong indicator of our future potential,” its shareholders letter read. “But now we’re generating very substantial profit and free cash flow.” The company said that it will focus on revenue and operating margin as its main financial metrics, while it will look at time spent on the platform to gauge customer satisfaction.

Another way to read this? They’ve hit market saturation and just aren’t going to be growing that much anymore, and they thought they’d end on a good note. Going forward they’re focusing on how to get more money out of the customers they do have.

They’re doing so by cracking down on password sharing and charging for extra members. They’re also pushing people to ad tiers, which are more profitable than non-ad tiers.

“Scaling ads to become a more meaningful contributor to our business in ‘25 and beyond,” Netflix said.

Netflix’s ads membership grew another 65% in Q1 over the previous one, after rising 70% the quarter before, and 40% of signups in ad markets continue to be for those ad plans.