It's been another weird week in retail. Candy brand Brach's released Thanksgiving dinner-flavored candy corn, Dunkin' created a branded RV to give away and pet retailer Bark designed dog toys that look like popular Costco food court items.
This, and more, in this week's retail therapy.
Brach's kicks off holiday season with candy inspired by Thanksgiving dinner
Time doesn't exist in the year 2020. While the calendar indicates that it is in fact August, some feel like we haven't moved past March, while others, like candy brand Brach's, are fast forwarding to the holiday season.
The brand, known for its classics like lemon drops, candy corn and peppermints, released a new flavor that combines both savory and sweet: Turkey dinner candy corn.
The product includes a mix of flavors typically found on a Thanksgiving table, like green beans, roasted turkey cranberry sauce, ginger glazed carrot, sweet potato pie and stuffing. If that doesn't make you want to put on your stretchy pants and get to eating, we don't know what will.
You know summer* is coming to an end when you see the turkey dinner candy corn hit the shelves.
— MIKE DENISON - BLACK LIVES MATTER (@mikd33) August 17, 2020
*humanity pic.twitter.com/1HitrGUVW4
The product, which is available now at Walgreens, comes just in time for Halloween and is sure to make your house the most beloved house on the block this year.
While candy corn on its own is already among the more controversial candy choices — right up there with Raisinets and bubblegum — Brach's has taken it upon itself to attempt to improve it. The candy brand has also released pumpkin-shaped and s'mores-flavored candy corn.
America ran on Dunkin'. Now it can vacation in it, too.
Due to the pandemic, many have had to put their travel plans on pause and in some cases, that meant postponing summer vacations. However in its latest campaign, Dunkin' aims to give consumers that time for a much-needed "refresh."
To coincide with the recent release of its new iced beverages, Refreshers, the coffee chain created a branded RV to temporarily give away through a contest.
According to RV Association data cited by Dunkin', 46 million consumers will take an RV trip in the next 12 months. "People who have had their vacation plans cancelled are looking for ways to break out of their familiar four walls and hit the reset button," Drayton Martin, Dunkin' vice president of brand stewardship, said in a statement. "Just like the feeling of sipping our Dunkin' Refreshers, we hope a week away in this one-of-a-kind RV helps provide a much-needed mental and physical refresh."
The outside of the RV features Dunkin's signature colors, pink and orange, along with summer-inspired graphics. The Dunkin' theme is carried through to the interior decor with a Keurig K-Mini Plus coffee maker with Dunkin' K-Cup pods and a gift card for Dunkin' Refreshers.
Interested fans submitted their "refresh plans" as well as who they'd bring on the week-long trip through Dunkin's Instagram Stories page. One winner will be selected on Sept. 20.
Even pets appreciate the wonders of Costco
With its consistently low-priced rotisserie chickens, free samples (which had to be paused in recent months due to the pandemic) and its $1.50 hot dog-soda combo, it's no wonder Costco has such a cult-like following.
But now, thanks to pet retailer Bark, even our furry friends can enjoy the perks of Costco as well. The company made a collection of dog toys inspired by items in the warehouse club's food court, including a soda, hot dog, pizza and, of course, membership card.
HI ???? WE MADE COSTCO TOYS BECAUSE COSTCO AND DOGS ARE OUR SOLE SOURCES OF SEROTONIN NOW pic.twitter.com/HEgCTtIxB7
— BarkBox (@barkbox) August 11, 2020
"No trip to Costco is complete without stopping in the food court. After a long day of shopping, there's something about their classic $1.50 hot dog soda combo or the cheesy smell of pizza that's too good to pass up," Bark said in a blogpost. "So naturally, we found a way to take this sweet sweet reward and share it with our dogs."
The products will be sold at select Costco stores, mostly concentrated in the Midwest. Here's hoping the partnership expands to cater to those fans in other parts of the country.
