September 22, 2017
With Chicago weather in the 80s and up all week, and more in the forecast, it’s hard to believe we are celebrating the first official day of fall. Yet as many of us can’t wait for cooler temperatures, change is already in the air for these finds this week:
- Rolling Stone Up for Grabs – Jann Wenner, found and owner of Rolling Stone for the last 50 years, has put his controlling stake of the magazine up for sale. The era of print advertising and circulation is changing, and this landscape can be seen as other magazine editors have stepped down as well. To name a few editors: Graydon Carter of Vanity Fair, Robbie Myers of Elle, Nancy Gibbs of TIME magazine and Cindi Leive of Glamour have announced they are stepping down.
- Amazon Baby Registry – A large number of Amazon customers this week experienced confusion and panic after receiving emails that customers had purchased gifts from their baby registry – which they had not created – some did not even have a baby. This technical glitch has since been corrected, but if you’d like to check out some of the many responses on Twitter, you can check them out here.
- Toys ‘R’ Bust – What used to be a mecca for children in the ‘80s and early ‘90s has now become barren, as this week Toys ‘R’ Us filed for bankruptcy. Experts say the company’s failure to focus on its online presence led to its downfall. With brands such as Amazon, Walmart and Target dominating the online space, it is easy for toy shoppers to navigate online. Researchers estimate 41 percent of toys and games in America to be purchased online this year, twice the proportion from 2009. The future of Toys ‘R’ Us still remains to be seen, but it in the meantime it may have great deals for holiday shopping?
- The Upside Down – Movie and television themed pop-up cafés have become trendy, with a Game of Thrones pop-up in Washington D.C., a Star Wars themed cantina in Hollywood and a Stranger Things bar here in Chicago. “The Upside Down” has been gaining popularity until this week, when Netflix provided them a very ‘80s themed cease-and-desist letter. While you only have one more week to visit the establishment, you have to admit Netflix handled this legal situation with the right amount of flairto keep fans happy.
- Pinterest Sections – There are now more than 100 billion Pins on Pinterest, which has also reached 200 million users. This week Pinterest announced new “Sections” in Beta testing, which will allow users to create sub-boards. For example, users could have a recipe board with sub-boards broken down by categories, so you don’t have to search through all your food pins to find desserts.
