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Young soles: Crocs are crushing it with Gen Z

Young soles: Crocs are crushing it with Gen Z

Foam party

Crocs are still in growth mode. The company, known for its foam footwear, capitalized on its recent success earlier this year, acquiring shoe brand Hey Dude for some $2.5bn. Under the Crocs corporate umbrella, Hey Dude is now itself looking to open a new 730,000 sq ft distribution center in Las Vegas.

Although not a mainstream brand, Hey Dude has a quiet legion of fans, and crucially, many of those fans are young. In a biannual survey of US teens, Hey Dude ranked among teens' top 10 favorite shoe brands for the second year running — making them the perfect addition to the original Crocs line-up, which remains a Gen Z favorite. Indeed, Crocs has a 60% approval rating amongst Gen Zers, some 13% above the millennial market rate according to Morning Consult.

A Gen Z shoe empire

As we head into Croctober, when the brand will celebrate its 20th birthday, the sandal sellers are likely planning how to continue to scale Hey Dude — luckily they have a blueprint. Crocs became a veritable fashion statement after collaborations with Bieber, Balenciaga, Bad Bunny and others. Jibbitz gave comfort-seeking clog wearers the ability to customize their Crocs with charms (they also weren't cheap). Crocs, once the butt of many jokes, are quietly building a Gen Z shoe empire.

Related reading: Websites, apps, and tasty snacks — report reveals Gen Z’s favorite brands.

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Starbucks issues apology after viral “Bearista” cup meltdown

Holiday cheer turned into chaos this week for Starbucks after the coffee giant’s new “Bearista” holiday cup sent fans into a frenzy. 

Dropped alongside its 2025 holiday menu, the $30 beanie-wearing glass bear tumbler sparked long lines, sellouts, and even in-store scuffles before Starbucks stepped in with an apology.

“The excitement for our merchandise exceeded even our biggest expectations,” the company said in a statement to People. “Despite shipping more Bearista cups to our coffeehouses than almost any other item this holiday season, the Bearista cup and some other items sold out fast.”

Within hours of launch, frustrated fans flooded Starbucks’ social media pages and even store hotlines. Some customers waited in line before dawn and others said their stores received only a handful of cups. In one Houston location, the craze even turned physical, with police reportedly called to break up a brawl. Meanwhile, the cup is already reselling on sites like eBay, with listings topping $600.

“We understand many customers were excited about the Bearista cup and apologize for the disappointment this may have caused,” Starbucks said. While in-store customers may be upset, investors seem happy about the viral hit, as the stock has risen over 3% on Friday.

If you’re still hoping for a Bearista at market price, that may not be on order: the chain didn’t disclose how many cups were made or whether a restock is planned.

business

Target tells workers to smile, wave, and greet shoppers if they come within 10 feet of them

Target just rolled out a new rule for store employees: smile, make eye contact, and greet or wave when a shopper comes within 10 feet — and if they get closer, within four feet, ask whether they need help or how their day is going, according to a new Bloomberg report.

Dubbed the 10-4 program internally, the rule mirrors rival Walmarts own 10-foot policy, formalizing behavior Target had previously only encouraged.

business

Monster surges on energy drink buzz, while Celsius sinks on distribution concerns

Shares of Monster Beverage climbed 5% after the bell on Thursday, and held most of those gains into early trading on Friday, following strong Q3 results.

The energy drink giant topped market expectations, with quarterly sales up 17% year over year to $2.2 billion and adjusted net profits growing 41% to $524.5 million — 11% ahead of Wall Street’s estimates. In the report, Monster highlighted its zero-sugar line and new product launches, with a stack of novel flavors already released this year, as bright spots.

During a call with analysts, Chief Executive Hilton Schlosberg said that the global energy drink category “remains healthy with robust growth,” The Wall Street Journal reported, adding that demand for more affordable caffeinated drinks is rising as coffee has become “really expensive.”

Meanwhile, rival beverage business Celsius saw shares fall as much as 23% on its Q3 results yesterday — despite beating expectations, with revenue jumping 173% — largely due to concerns about a change in the company’s distribution channel, as its newly acquired Alani Nu brand joins the PepsiCo distribution network.

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