đ Dream job alert: Oscar Mayer is accepting applications for its next class of Wienermobile drivers. The Hotdogger program, launched in 1988, admits 12 candidates each year to drive the companyâs hot-dog-shaped vehicle across the country. The one-year, full-time job is hard to get: Less than 1% of applicants are selected. Best of luck.
đ§ On the pod:How Guinness became so popular, it has pubs scrambling to restock.
NEWS FLASH
Wing
đ DoorDash orders take flight in Dallas: Alphabet-owned Wing is bringing its drone deliveries to DoorDash customers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, slinging orders from 50 merchants across two malls through the app. The drones, which complete deliveries in as little as 15 minutes, can fly at up to 65 mph at a cruising altitude of ~150 feet. If youâre in Dallas, keep your eyes on the sky: Wing already has partnerships with Walgreens and Walmart stores in the area.
𧷠No intermission: Liquid Death and Depend have partnered on Pit Diaper, a $75 black pleather diaper that lets music fans remain in the mosh pit without taking restroom breaks. Of all of Liquid Deathâs marketing stunts, this might seem the most absurd, and yet Pit Diaper sold out within 24 hours of its debut. Whether fans intend to use it or gift it at their white elephant parties is unclear, but The San Francisco Chronicle pointed out that a woman was caught, uh, relieving herself on the floor during a Sabrina Carpenter concert, so⊠maybe thereâs a real need?
MORE NEWS TO KNOW
Nima Momeni, 40, was convicted of fatally stabbing Cash App founder Bob Lee last year in San Francisco after accusing Lee of introducing his sister to drug dealers. He faces a sentence of 16 years to life.
The two NASA astronauts stuck on the International Space Station since June are facing yet another delay. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were due back after just one week, but after technical issues and a delayed launch, will now be aboard the ISS until late March or April.
Poland is selling 1.1k tons of its frozen butter reserves to curb soaring prices attributed to a milk shortage. While reserves donât always include food, some countries maintain reserves of items key to local diets. Canada, for example, has maple syrup reserves.
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Guinness kegs across the UK are running dry, while Guinness owner Diageo has issued an âallocation limitâ on how many kegs of the Irish stout pubs in England, Wales, and Scotland can receive.
As the hospitality industry enters the holidays â its busiest time of year â some pubs are even rationing Guinness to their customers. The Old Ivy House in London handed out cards requiring guests to purchase two other beverages first â though it wasnât especially strict about it.
The problem? Demand. Between July and October, UK beer sales were down 0.5%, but Guinness sales rose 21%. Itâs now the top-selling beer by volume in the UK, and the fastest-growing imported beer in the US.
But why?
Guinness is a longtime pub staple, notable for its foamy head and that it takes a bartender 119.5 seconds to complete a supposedly perfect pour.
Pat Logue, owner of Londonâs Sheephaven Bay pub, told CNN that it was once considered an older manâs drink, but ânow itâs a cool drink.â
Thatâs due to:
âGuinnfluencersâ promoting the stout on social media â even Kim Kardashian was spotted with a pint.
An ad campaign starring Jason Momoa that launched in March.
An interest in Irish culture thanks to public figures like actor Paul Mescal and author Sally Rooney.
âSplitting the G,â a now-viral tradition where drinkers try to measure their first sip so that the liquid and foam âsplitâ the G on the branded pint glass.
Women, a customer base that increased 24% in 2023.
Plus, itâs an easy beer to drink
Itâs low calorie, low ABV, and one customer told CNN itâs âless gassy.â Thatâs because itâs carbonated with a nitrogen-CO2 blend â not just CO2 â making it less bubbly than other beers.
Even people who donât drink seem to enjoy it: Diageo reported sales of the nonalcoholic version doubled in fiscal year 2024.
For its part, Diageo simply said itâs âmaximizedâ its supply and is working to efficiently distribute it among customers.
BTW: Hereâs a tourist moved to tears by splitting the G on her final pint in Dublin.
This CEO thinks marketing has hit peak white noise. His prescription? Think less about marketing and more about entertainment.
Earn more, work less: Seems too good to be true, right? Not if you learn how to buy back your time.
DATA POINT
The best things in life are free⊠is what you should remind your true love of this holiday season: The total cost for one set of each gift from the holiday classic âThe Twelve Days of Christmasâ hit ~$49.3k this year, according to the PNC Christmas Price Index.
Thatâs up 5.4% YoY and 146% from the ~$20k it cost in 1984, when PNC began calculating the fabled gift list.
Over the last 41 years, the price of goods has slowed while those of services have accelerated â the most expensive gift this year was the 10 leaping lords at $15.6k, up 7.2%, and drummers and pipers saw some of the highest price hikes, up 15.8%.
Other factors affecting price fluctuations: volatile fuel costs and the internet, which PNC says has made sourcing the gifts easier but also more expensive given additional fees like shipping and handling.
AROUND THE WEB
đ On this day: In 1732, Benjamin Franklinâs book of proverbs, Poor Richardâs Almanack, was published.
đ Thatâs cool: If you love horrifying your friends, perhaps you would like to reproduce Roman Emperor Domitianâs legendarily grim Black Banquet?
đ§âđ Thatâs interesting: What happens to childrenâs letters to Santa?
đ Opportunity: The 29th Annual Webby Awards has new categories and expanded honors, including Brand of the Year recognition. Enter by Dec 20.
