#based on Halloween merchandise from last year

[chuudako]

(ノ_< )｡ﾟ.

[austinslounge]

I've said this before, but I truly believe Austin and Kaia are not in a good place right now in their relationship. Austin didn't go to the Gerber family wedding in Montana. He didn't go to Canada with the Gerber clan either for their family vacation. Kaia brought her friend Travis instead. I know Austin is prepping for his movie, but he could've taken a weekend off, if he wanted.

It's a huge red flag that Kaia's serious boyfriend of two years misses family events like that. Especially when Presley brought his girlfriend of only 6 months. To me, that seems like Austin is purposely trying to distance himself from her family. By not participating in intimate family events/vacations.

I personally don't think anything will happen on Austin's birthday. His JFK merch walk isn't anything I took seriously in regards to their status. He was doing Kaia a favor by helping promote her merch. It doesn't mean they will stay together.

Thank you Anon for mentioning this.

You know what, I'm going to have to see what happens after Austin is done filming "Caught Stealing", because I get the feeling that once he is in "work mode", he doesn't like to come out of it lol. 😅 Just little things I've picked up on about him based on what he and others have said about him over the years.

So I'll need to see how he behaves with the Gerbers after he's done with all this work he's got going on for this film. 😊

With that said, I totally agree with you that something definitely seems very off about them this year, and we haven't even seen him with her family since Cabo if I'm not mistaken (I'm not counting Presley's post of them together at Kaia's "Palm Royale" premiere), whereas last year, they were seen together with him a lot (family out to lunch, Kaia's fashion show, the Casamigos Halloween party, Rande hugging Austin from a private jet tarmac, the Casamigos event at Kaia's house, etc.)

This year it's been eerily silent. 👀

I've even noticed that Kaia herself must not be calling the paps much on herself or on her and Austin when they're in LA together anymore. We used to get tons of pap photos of them in LA together, but ever since Jan 2024 that stopped cold turkey it seems. 👀 Maybe he told her to tone it down in LA lol 😆

Anyway, yea just because a couple wears each other's merchandise, or even each other's actual clothes, it doesn't mean they can't still break up lol. 😅

[onenettvchannel]

BALITANG ENTERTAINMENT: Indie web-animated cartoon show 'The Amazing Digital Circus' secures licensing deal for Netflix with new episodes starting October 2024

(Written by Star Butterfly / News Reporter of Disney XD News)

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA -- An Australian-based independent animation studio 'Glitch Productions' cooked up something new as 'Gooseworx' (whose real name as Mr. Cooper Smith Goodwin) announces the new and upcoming web-streaming episodes of 'The Amazing Digital Circus' officially expanded for the first time, in securing for a licensing deal with American streaming platform 'Netflix'.

First debuted as previously recalled last year, in the early mid-October 2023… The adult-animated psychological dark comedy was became an international hit, including right here in the Philippines with Tagalog dubbed on a free video-sharing platform 'YouTube' (owned by Google's Alphabet).

It's all about protagonist characters who hate their lives accidentally or in general, and want to leave to this virtual reality world. Pomni and among others, are all trapped from the start, who are then subjected to the whims of an unpredictable A.I. (Artificial Intelligence). Caine is the ringmaster host for moderating, and to instruct individuals during the gaming session.

Netflix greenlighted as a global content distributor in the United States of America (U.S.A.), while Glitch Productions controls licensing rights originally from Australia. There will be expecting 9 new episodes in this web-streaming series, following after the 2nd episode titled 'Candy Carrier Chaos!', in time for an upcoming halloween episode next month that may be potentially unsuitable for some sensitive online viewers.

The episodes produced are independently-funded, because of the products featured in the merchandise like plushies, posters, t-shirts, toys and more, are available to buy online at the Glitch Productions store website.

Clownist fans are ready to serve you with your responsibility of actions in-game for what's in store for the anticipating new episodes. The Amazing Digital Circus is available to stream starting Friday early morning (October 4th, 2024) at 12mn Pacific / 3am Eastern / 3pm in Manila. Only on Netflix and YouTube. Viewer discretion is STRONGLY advised upon releasing Episode(s) 3 thru 9 as an upcoming series finale.

WALLPAPER PHOTO COURTESY: Glitch Productions and Netflix

SOURCE: *https://x.com/glitch_prod/status/1837929867729330444 [Referenced X Network Captioned Poster Art PHOTO via Glitch_Prod] *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glitch_Productions *https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/the-amazing-digital-circus-netflix-date-cast-details [Referenced News Article via Netflix Tudum News Bureau] and *https://glitchproductions.store/collections/the-amazing-digital-circus

-- OneNETnews Online Publication Team

[nageill]

Love or hate the series, but Five Nights at Freddy’s has definitely shaped the indie horror game genre the past several years. The first game was released August 8, 2014, with the newest game having just come out last year in 2021. FNAF has spawned numerous fan games, books, Funko figurines, and just about every other piece of merchandise you can think of.

I wanted to definitely dedicate a night to this series for 31NHV2022, but the only question was how? Watch a playthrough? Fan made animations? Fan theories? Game reviews? Jam out to two hours of FNAF fan-created music?

Then, it hit me. I should review what got me into the franchise in the first place-- Game theories.

I know there are other video game theorists out there aside from MatPat, but it is his videos that got me interested in Five Nights. Currently, he has 50+ videos in his FNAF playlist, so to save my poor wrists and your eyes from writing a review on each and every single one of his posted theories, I’m just going to choose three from his playlists to delve into.

Unfortunately, YouTube has decided when creators do playlists that they should be in reverse-chronological order for some reason? That really bugs me. So, here is a fan made playlist of MatPat’s FNAF theories done in chronological order.

(Also, Game Theory has not posted the specific writers of the scripts or the editors, but MatPat has stated multiple times he does write the scripts on all his channels, just sometimes he has co-writers and sometimes they are solely written by Mat, so I’m just going to label all editor(s) and writer(s) for the videos as The Game Theorists If anyone can give me specific information regarding this (with proof), I’ll be happy to update this.)

Now, let’s get to the theories!

1.) FNAF 1 is based on a true crime.

Season/Episode: [Game] Five Nights at Freddy’s 1. Original Posted Date: October 23, 2014. Directed: [Editor(s)] The Game Theorists. Written: MatPat & The Game Theorists. Summary: A possible explanation behind the inspiration for FNAF, who is the security guard, and why do they keep working at this creepy pizzeria?

Available for Streaming: Yes.

YouTube.

Review: Why not start with the one that first kicked off my love for FNAF and also kicked off poor MatPat into his journey of slowly losing his sanity?

Ah, back when the franchise was so much simpler--there were only two restaurants, two dreaded incidents, and five animontronics...

I don’t think anyone, Scott Cawthon, MatPat, or the Internet at large realized just how much the indie horror game scene was going to change with this one video. This is really the one that kicked it all off.

Yes, some of Mat’s delivery is a bit corny, it was nearly ten years ago on YouTube. Everything was cringe like the 90′s. But he did his research on this theory, lining up all the facts and showing the parallels between the story of this quirky little game and this horrific crime. And there is quite a few parallels.

I appreciate the fact he did handle the facts of the crime with respect, especially to the victims. It’s something I think most people “Well, duh, of course you should be!” And yeah, I think content creators should be, but I’ve sadly seen quite a few that aren’t. And that’s people who are dedicated to true crime content, whereas MatPat’s content is theories on video games. He didn’t have to, but he did, and I’m grateful for it.

Back to the actual theory. Based on what little information we had about the story with the release of only the first game, the theory really does line up. It was a solid theory Mat came up with, and it was enough to pique my interest into the franchise. It’s a classic and one I enjoy re-watching.

Trick-or-Treat: TREAT! Although this theory has been disproven by Scott Cathown with the future games, the similiarities between the FNAF game and this crime are truly uncanny, and MatPat certainly did his research. It is definitely spooky for the Halloween season.

Rating: 10/10 🍕

2.) The Cult of Glitchtrap.

Season/Episode: [Games] Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted VR; Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted VR (Curse of DreadBear DLC); and Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secruity Breach. Original Posted Date: November 16, 2019. Directed: [Editor(s)] The Game Theorists. Written: MatPat & The Game Theorists. Summary: A possible look into Vanessa’s character in the then-upcoming Security Breach game and Glitchtrap.

Available for Streaming: Yes.

YouTube.

Review: The amount of research MatPat pours into his FNAF theories... I know there’s a lot of people in the fandom that get annoyed with these videos, but I really appreciate the amount of research he puts into them, and honestly, more often than not, I agree with his theories.

This theory had the right amount of spooky to it, fit very well into the established lore of the franchise at that time, and it delved deeper than Steel Wool studios did with the concept of Vanny/Vanessa and her ties with Glitchtrap, how it was going to add onto the storyline from FNAF: Help Wanted.

I LOVED THIS CONCEPT! It still bums me out greatly that they didn’t go this route with Security Breach, I think it would have added so much more to the lore of FNAF.

Trick-or-Treat: Although it is not my favorite FNAF theory, I still think this is a treat to watch. And it’s so good for the Halloween season. I mean, you have evil cults, spirits trapped in technology, and child murderers--all the spooky! Personally, I thought this theory was going to turn out to be right, and I am very bummed by the (probable) changes made (I blame Steel Wool) to make it wrong, I still like this story better.

Rating: 9/10 🐰

3.) The FNAF Timeline.

Season/Episode: Five Nights at Freddy’s- the entire video game series, the YA books, and the novels. Original Posted Date: July 29, 2018 / August 5, 2018. Directed: [Editor(s)] The Game Theorists. Written: MatPat & The Game Theorists. Summary: MatPat tries to solve the FNAF timeline-- take 4!

Available for Streaming: Yes.

YouTube: 1 & 2.

Review: Now, yes, I realize this is technically FOUR videos, but this timeline was split up into two videos. It made no sense to me to just only post one and not the other. And yes, I realize at the time of posting this, MatPat has done another updated timeline. However, at the time I originally was going to post this, October 2022, the two I posted were the latest proposed FNAF timeline, so I’m sticking with that.

MatPat always pours his heart and soul into these timeline videos. The amount of media he consumes for just the research, the insane amount of details he combs over... He always put so much work into these videos, while making them coherent and entertaining.

This iteration of the FNAF timeline is very concise while covering all the games up to that point, the books, everything. It is very comprehensive, and while the newest one does detail and have all the things from Security Breach and the newest games, this still holds up very well.

Trick-or-Treat: TREAT! Honestly, MatPat’s timeline videos are always some of my favorite of his FNAF videos. He puts so much research and work into these videos, it clearly shows, and I think it’s a lovely passion project for FNAF fans and for the Game Theory community as well. And to me, FNAF just screams Halloween so much for me. It’s almost as much of a tradition to me when it comes to Halloween as much as The Corpse Bride. This timeline series is just a treat, and it is one you should definitely check out.

Rating: 10/10 🐻

[aggressive-positivity-network]

IM SORRY I WAS CAUGHT OFF GAURD WHEN YOU SAID YOU ACCEPTED S&M HCS BUT NOW I WANNA SEE WHAT HCS YOU HAVE FOR THEM

Sorry for caps btw.

Ooooh, general headcanons! I haven’t done one of those babies in a hot minute. I’m sorry if these don’t sound great…I’ve just watched an ungodly amount of YouTube compilations of them, not the actual show.

****************

Sam and Max General Headcanons:

Sam would propose to Max by asking a mad scientist to genetically engineer a monster for them to blow up, then put the ring deep inside its intestines so when Max dug through its organs, he would find it.

Max is autistic - this is most prominently featured when their favorite food, Glazed MacGuffins, gets taken off the shelves. Sam is disappointed, but Max almost has a mental breakdown. Not only is a routine broken, but one of their obvious safe foods is gone.

Sam can speak fluent Spanish, and while Max can speak quite a bit of Japanese, because he got it from anime, he constantly uses it in the wrong context.

Sam has a special place in his heart for children, and used to volunteer as a service dog for disabled/anxious kids before he became a detective.

They have a solemn vow to never play Monopoly again - the last time they did, the pair almost broke the Geneva convention.

Max is only truly afraid of one thing: plush rabbits, especially his own merchandise. He was once left at a toy store for days because everyone confused him for a toy, which led to many sleepless nights watched over by dead, plastic eyes. While not a mundane or every day fear, it has still led to a lot of breakdowns that end in a blanket pile and twenty boxes of Glazed MacGuffins.

Sam has a mental dictionary of Max’s screams and what they mean - almost like when a mother can tell what their baby wants based on their cry alone. Victorious, bloodthirsty, dramatic, scared, hurt…there are hundreds of them, according to him.

Max’s favorite place to go besides the shooting range is the children’s museum. Since he can usually pass as an eight-year-old, he gets to play in the giant replica of a human body while Sam peruses the archeology exhibits.

On Friday nights, Sam and Max call random numbers and eat pizza. Max is usually the one who answers due to his affinity for impressions.

Sam has a fear of wasps. When he was young, he accidentally ate a few, and his snout swelled to the size of a basketball. However, Max seems to consume them with no problem, so he always snaps them up if they get near Sam.

Max’s favorite cuddling position is on Sam’s chest, with his head on the dog’s shoulder, and his ears loosely wrapped around his neck. According to Max, “it makes me feel safe knowin’ I could strangle you at the first sign of betrayal.” This was answered with the famous, “You crack me up, little buddy.”

On their first Halloween together, they dressed up as Skipper and Gilligan from Gilligan’s Island - this is where Max’s nickname of “little buddy” came from.

If Max could have one superpower, it would be to have corrosive saliva he could spit at enemies.

The pair usually get sick at the same time, either catching it minutes of each other or getting it from each other. However, Sam usually has it worse due to his sensitive dog nose and average immune system. Either that, or Max is just better at hiding it.

They have had several long conversations about who would wear the dress and who would wear the suit at their wedding. Both are willing to wear a dress, but Max hates suits.

Max is considered part of the intersex community due to his ambiguous anatomy, but has no preference on what he is addressed as. He and Sam have a very popular float at their local pride parade.

At their first cosplay event, Sam was dressed as Marmaduke, and Max was a Chain Chomp.

*****************

(Request from this post! Feel free to send any headcanon requests from this list of fandoms!)

[bunkershotgolf]

Strategic Leadership, Investment, Marketing Events Catapult Circling Raven to New Heights - Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s Brand Re-Invigoration Program Begun in 2018 Continues to Pay Dividends

After the last putt was holed on the last day of the 2021 season (Halloween), the staff members at Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel and Circling Raven Golf Club were finally able to take a deep breath. They had just completed the most ambitious year in club history. And despite running hard virtually non-stop from February through October, plus staging a professional tour event that challenged the operation with countless additional tasks, record business numbers were achieved along with other goals set.

These include:

Surpassing $1 million in golf shop merchandise sales for the first time

Increasing the number of rounds played and revenue while maintaining superb playing conditions

Undertaking some course and supporting facility improvements

Regaining the No. 1 public course ranking in Idaho and climbing in Top 20 Casino Courses list nationally

Garnering praise from the professional tour players who competed in the augural Circling Raven Championship

Promoting cultural tourism activities offered by the casino resort and mesh them with golf package messaging

Leveraging golf to empower youth and Native Americans while operating in a manner that honors Tribal values

The high-water marks accomplished this season originated from strategic plans begun in 2018. Led by Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel executive team and the industry leading Coeur d’Alene Tribe that owns and operates the resort and golf club, it was determined that as Circling Raven approached its 15th anniversary at the time, a revitalization program would benefit the business enterprise and position it well for the next 15 years.

Mission accomplished.

Named for a seminal Tribal Chief, Circling Raven flexes its mighty wings greater than ever. The casino resort and golf club led the state and region, and in some cases the nation, in crucial areas. It was the first casino in America to reopen safely after the pandemic hit in 2020. It invested millions in a casino resort renovation completed in 2019. It was named Tribal Destination of the Year for its cultural tourism offerings that carry on Tribal tradition and give guests and visitors unique, inspiring experiences. It rewards drive-market consumers and generates tremendous repeat business through reward programs (both for the casino and golf club). It also appeals to visitors outside the drive market through its national reputation, unique value propositions, and the cultural themes and DNA that are the lifeblood of casino resort and golf club.

The substantial investment to reinvigorate the golf brand is the Circling Raven Championship presented by KXLY News 4 Now. A Symetra “Road to the LPGA” Tour event, it brought in top professional women golfers from around the globe. They competed for shares of a $200,000 prize purse over three days last August. The spend was a risk, albeit a calculated bet based on a proven entity with 15-plus years of successful track record.

Yet and still, a wager is a wager, not a guarantee. The course, casino resort and their staffs had to execute against it, all while shouldering many more demands on staffing and other resources. Director of Golf Dave Christenson and Superintendent Brian Woster and their teammates, countless casino resort staff, hundreds of volunteers, and Symetra TOUR staff worked Herculean hours before and during the championship.

Not only did the event shine an international spotlight on Circling Raven (designed by course architect Gene Bates) spurring demand, but the TOUR and its players heaped praise on the golf layout, conditions, casino resort, and Coeur d’Alene Tribe – unbiased credibility worth its weight in sale and marketing gold.

Eight players who competed at Circling Raven went on to secure their LPGA TOUR memberships for 2022, the highest level of women’s golf in the world. Everyday golfers love playing courses where the pros play, particularly when professionals – experts in their field – express appreciation for them. This has driven more demand to play Circling Raven than ever before.

There are two years to come in the 3-year agreement with the “Road to the LPGA” pro golf tournament. There are more capital improvement plans for outlined for the golf course. These began last year with enhancements to the course’s practice putting green, the expansive driving range and instruction area, 10th hole tee boxes. An aggressive public relations and marketing program fans the flames of national and international interest, as well as brand awareness. And the Advantage Card program for regular players at Circling Raven grows with each passing year, generating more pre-sold revenue whilst adding benefits year over year.

“We know there was a great opportunity to grow our casino resort and golf club businesses,” said Laura Penney, CEO, an avid golfer and tribe member who has been working for the CDA Casino Resort Hotel for more than 25 years. “We just had to ensure that we made smart decisions and then did the necessary work to make them succeed. We look forward to building on our reinforced foundation.”

The exceptional business performance stands out given that it is being accomplished during a pandemic, a time when Circling Raven froze playing fees at below peak season rates. This management decision was designed to lessen the burden for patrons who are seeking a safe, healthy recreational outlet amid the course’s 620 acres, ideal for social distancing.

“This has been a win-win for the golf club, the casino resort, and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe,” said Circling Raven Director of Golf Dave Christenson, PGA, who along with wife, Jennifer Christenson, spearheaded the record retail shop revenue in 2021. “It wasn’t easy – an incredible amount of effort and resources went into reaching our goals – but the saying is true – anything worth accomplishing is worth working hard for. None of this would have happened without the vision, strategy, and leadership of the Tribal Council and executive team at Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort. They saw the opportunities and they pursued them beautifully. And it’s only the tip of the iceberg.”

Visit www.cdacasino.com/golf for more information on golf and other resort options.

About Circling Raven Golf Club and Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel

Owned and operated by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, Circling Raven is in the scenic Idaho panhandle approximately 55 minutes from Spokane International Airport (GEG). Measuring 7,189 yards from the rear tees, the 18-hole layout sprawls magnificently through 620 acres of woodlands, wetlands, and Palouse grasses. Its gleaming white sand bunkers are large and strategically placed and its hole variety ingenious. The course will host the Circling Raven Championship in August, a Symetra “Road to the LPGA” Tour event.

Other Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel amenities and activities include the full-service Spa Ssakwa’q’n (pronounced Sock-wock-en); 300 hotel rooms; bars, restaurants, lounges, and eateries; cultural immersion options; and more. The casino completed a $15 million renovation of its gaming floor and Events Center in 2019. Circling Raven has garnered numerous best-in-kind honors since opening, including being rated a Top 100 Resort Course, Best in State, and a Top U.S. Casino Course. Its golf shop has won national and regional awards for its excellence and its variety of products, displays, and performance.

[twentiethcenturymoviesandtv]

A Creepy Christmas Cultural Conundrum: The Lasting Legacy of The Nightmare Before Christmas

A request by @lcvcdbyhim.

If you traveled back in time to the year 1993 and told someone that Tim Burton’s new stop-motion animated film, The Nightmare Before Christmas, was going to be the biggest holiday movie in for the next twenty years, they wouldn’t believe me.  They just wouldn’t.

Of all of the holiday films of the 90s, Christmas or Halloween, nothing comes close to the cultural giant that is The Nightmare Before Christmas.  Even family favorites like The Santa Clause or Home Alone don’t get nearly the attention and praise that this film has.  Every year, from Halloween through Christmas, stores are packed with shirts, wallets, keychains, sneakers, backpacks, banks, toys, clocks, jewelry, decorations and more, all covered with images of Jack Skellington, Sally, Oogie Boogie, Zero, and other characters and images from the film.  Even outside of the holiday months, the more merchandise-driven stores still dedicate an entire section to The Nightmare Before Christmas, putting it on the same level as franchises like Star Wars or the various superhero films.

The question is, why?

Why has The Nightmare Before Christmas’s imagery become nearly as recognizable as images of classic monsters like Dracula and the Frankenstein monster?  How is this oddball little movie fast approaching How The Grinch Stole Christmas and other classic Christmas specials in terms of popularity?

There has to be a larger reason that simply being available to be marketed for two holidays instead of one.  

Today, we’re going to be taking a look at The Nightmare Before Christmas in an attempt to figure out where all the hype came from, and more specifically, why it’s still so popular.

But first, we need a little background.

When The Nightmare Before Christmas was first released in 1993, it received modest critical acclaim and a decent opening.  Right in the middle of Disney’s Renaissance period, a throwback to stop-motion wasn’t really thought of as being quite on the same level as animated films like Aladdin and The Lion King.  As a result, the movie did okay, but just….okay.

So what happened?

Very simply, The Nightmare Before Christmas gained a cult following.  Very quickly.

In the years that followed, The Nightmare Before Christmas started being praised as one of the greats in the animated film category.  People started watching it for part of their holiday tradition, around both Halloween and Christmas, and the further we are away from that mediocre opening, it seems the more people laud it as a work of art.  Stores like Hot Topic started selling so much Nightmare merchandise that now the imagery from The Nightmare Before Christmas seems to be the face of a new goth/emo trend.  In fact, since the film’s release, the movie has been put on a rather bizarre pedestal, with some fans lavishing enormous amounts of praise on this movie.  In a way, it seems like disliking it is unheard of.

To return to our earlier question, why?  It doesn’t seem like anything special.  There have been other ‘weird’ stop-motion films, such as Corpse Bride or Coraline.  The characters and story are simplistic, almost childish at times.  The music is good, sure, but with all the hype around it, the movie can very much seem….overrated.

Once again: Why?

It all boils down to uniqueness.

In 1993, Tim Burton was still relatively new to audiences.  Directing since 1985, his biggest hits had been the likes of horror-comedy Beetlejuice, superhero blockbuster Batman, and drama flick Edward Scissorhands.  In other words, the world was still being introduced to the styles that we are currently familiar with: use of Johnny Depp, score by Danny Elfman, stripes, German Expressionism, and pale-skinned, dark haired, sunken-eyed outcast protagonists.  Thanks to the sheer number of Signature Style Burton-esque films, The Nightmare Before Christmas no longer seems like anything all that special in terms of style of film, but at the time, it was something very new, distinct, and different.

The same goes for the stop-motion aspect.

The stop-motion ‘weird’ films that we are the most familiar with: (Corpse Bride, James and the Giant Peach, Frankenweenie, ParaNorman) have all come after The Nightmare Before Christmas.  Before Nightmare, stop-motion’s biggest claim to fame were the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials.  The Nightmare Before Christmas revolutionized and reawakened the style of filmmaking and started a new form of animation that is being used since.  Once again, it all comes down to that uniqueness of the time, especially when it applies to the story.

The story of The Nightmare Before Christmas, despite its aforementioned simplicity, is a rather unique one.  The idea came to Burton while watching Halloween decorations come down at the same time Christmas decorations were being put up, and the movie is really all about the juxtaposition between the holidays.  Jack Skellington, the king of Halloweentown, is dissatisfied with the ‘same old thing’ and decides to try something new.  The ‘new thing’ that captivates his interest turns out to be another huge holiday: Christmas.  Full of excitement at this strange new holiday, Jack decides to get the person in charge of Christmas out of the way (Santa Claus) and take Christmas for himself, assigning the denizens of Halloweentown the tasks necessary to bring about the festive holiday.

Being from Halloweentown, of course, Jack doesn’t fully understand Christmas, despite his frantic attempts to do so, and in the end, Christmas is a disaster, thanks to his botched interpretation of what makes the holiday.  In the end, Jack learns not to meddle with things he doesn’t understand, and the movie ends at around 75 minutes.

As basic as it is, the idea of one holiday trying to do another is pretty creative, as is the way it is done.  The concept of holiday worlds, based on the special day is extremely interesting, and it’s executed well.  In fact, when looking at the film for what and when it was, The Nightmare Before Christmas was actually very creative in everything, characters, the visual look, the way it was done, story, even the music by Danny Elfman is very fitting to the story and characters, and it’s all very catchy.

When contextualized into the time period it was made in, The Nightmare Before Christmas, for all it may seem stale and overdone now, was fresh and unique, noteworthy for being something audiences haven’t seen before.  

There’s more to the intense popularity of this film than quirkiness, though.

What I said earlier about the film being basic?  That is actually a point in its favor.

One of the remarkable things about The Nightmare Before Christmas is that, for having a reasonably complex concept, it’s execution is very simple.  The story never makes itself more complicated than it has to be.  It’s very straightforward, with no plot twists or surprises for the audience.  The direction the story takes is predictable, but that’s by no means bad.  Not only is the story uncomplicated, but the meaning is as well.

It isn’t hard for people to understand Jack’s predicament, nor is it difficult for even the youngest kid to know that his endeavors to make Christmas are doomed to failure, because they pick up that Jack does not understand what he is trying to do.  He has the feeling right, but he has no constructive direction to take it, and with a lack of understanding, ends up creating a mess.

Jack’s enthusiasm is for the holiday spirit, and it’s contagious, no matter which holiday you consider.  By never trying to ‘explain’ the good feelings of the holidays and just letting them be, The Nightmare Before Christmas actually continues a trend that one wouldn’t think it has much to do with at all.

In my opinion, the hype behind The Nightmare Before Christmas, especially in the up-and-coming generations, is much the same reason that Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is still talked about by the older generations.  The holiday feeling.

Jack experiences the joy of Christmas without knowing why.  Despite his best efforts, he cannot decipher the whys and wherefores of it, he just accepts that ‘just because I cannot see it doesn’t mean I can’t believe it!’.  This tone, this viewpoint towards the holiday of simply enjoying it, is reminiscent of Christmas specials like How the Grinch Stole Christmas or the Rankin/Bass stop-motion productions.  It evokes nostalgic feelings for the holiday.  The Nightmare Before Christmas is to the post 90s generation what the other animated Christmas specials were to the ones before it: the traditional, good-feelings, familiar celebration of the holiday.

Most importantly though, it’s a film that people enjoy watching.

With a unique concept, design, and execution, nostalgic feelings and holiday warmth, and it just being a generally fun, charming movie, it’s not really a true wonder why The Nightmare Before Christmas got as popular as it did.

Is it overhyped?  Yes.  

Does that make the movie itself any worse?  No.  It just means that audience expectations are affected by the culture around it, some for the better, some for the worse.

Of course, it’s not a movie for everybody.  Some will like it more than others.  Some might love it, some might hate it, and some might just be okay with it.  But that goes for any film.

The Nightmare Before Christmas is a cultural juggernaut, that’s for certain, and I doubt we’ll be seeing any fewer Oogie Boogie coin banks in the near future, but that’s more a reflection on the commercialism of film since 1977 (Thanks, George Lucas!) and how much people are willing to buy to reflect their tastes in film.  My point is, the movie is still popular enough that people buy stuff connected to it because they like it.

And that’s not a bad thing.  It’s a good movie, remarkably simple, but smart enough to hold up years later and continue to emotionally resonate with audiences.  It was something that no one had ever seen before at the time, and is packed full of enough distinctive style and imagery that it is still instantly recognizable as being from The Nightmare Before Christmas.  It’s an immensely popular film for a reason, and it’s not going away anytime soon.

Thank you all so much for reading!  If you have any thoughts, questions, comments, suggestions, or just want to say hi, feel free to leave them in the ask box, I’d love to hear from you.  I hope you guys enjoyed this article, and I hope to see you in the next one.

[outoftheframework]

the batfamily and their ever-growing collection of superhero merchandise

Gotham City is filled to the brim with street vendors peddling everything from Batgirl lunchboxes to Robin themed light-up sneakers. Jason knows this because he owns both. Us comic readers know about the canon gift of BatBurger, a Gotham hero (and villain!) themed fast-food joint that the kids somehow manage to drag Bruce into. But what other businesses and products have cropped up out of corporate Gotham in order to cash in on the hero trend? Well, lucky for you, I happen to have made a fanon list of just about everything in the Wayne collection of merchandise with their or the friends’ faces on them, plus the many places of businesses and services offered. 

PLACES OF BUSINESS / SERVICES

When discussing businesses that crop up in response to superhero activity, one must bring up insurance companies that offer “hero and villain related destruction and/or trauma” coverage

Gothamites try to place claims all the time (real or otherwise) and these companies have literally heard everything

‘Red Hood smashed through my window then destroyed my teacup collection as he used them as projectiles against Black Mask.”

“Spontaneous Poison Ivy plant growth removal”

“Reimbursement for therapy sessions after getting kidnapped for the fourth time”

A Rollar Derby rink with two main competing teams: The Bane Bashers and The Babe-azons

“The Puzzle-Solving Hotline” or 1800-RIDDLE-ME-THIS

A number that you can call in case you see a riddle sky-written above your place of business, or come home to see that your locks have been replaced with a series of rubix cubes

(It literally goes straight to a rotary phone set up in the batcave for the closet batfamily member to answer)

Tim: “JAY! THE RIDDLE PHONE IS RINGING!”

Jason: “I’M LITERALLY ALREADY UP THE STAIRS! STEPH WAS CLOSEST; SHE ANSWERS IT! I DON’T MAKE THE RULES!”

Tim: SHE’S NOT ALLOWED ANYMORE AFTER THE LAST MONTH’S FIASCO!”

Steph: “Okay, first of all, rude, and secondly, how many explosions render something a ‘fiasco?’-”

A service that gives you and your immediate family new identities after being kidnapped, targeted, or in any way noticed by a villain

Tour companies in every major city that bring people around in double decker buses and point out the major battles that have been fought there

T-shirts that read “SuperFAN” and “Sidekick in Training” are top-sellers among tourists

Comic Con is still a thing and the Waynes attend every year

They have worn their own costumes, other heroes’ real costumes, home sown versions of robin costumes, and of course, they’ve dressed up as the Umbrella Academy as well as the Incredibles

MERCHANDISE

Specialty plant pots that have a kill switch in case your house plant is looking a little possessed and/or venomous

Harley Quinn halloween costumes because that’s a universal constant

Fake postcards at giftshops that read “Greetings from the Wonderous Themyscira!” or “Wish You Were Here in The Lost City of Atlantis!”

Tim literally has piles of ones that read “Missing you from Planet Krypton!” that he sends to Kon almost every week

Lego sets mimicking The Hall of Justice, The Teen Titans Tower, etc.

Damian and Dick spent an entire day crafting every single set in a drawing room. They carefully constructed the familiar buildings, added their friends, changed the inaccuracies of the toys, and even built their own versions of more secret locations. The expansive set lies untouched to this day. 

A luxury makeup brand that makes palettes based off of heroes

“Red Robin” eyeshadow palette featuring a spectrum of red shades, including a deep burgundy named “heart-throb” and a metallic maroon named “bo staff”

“Brightest Day” and “Blackest Night” eyeshadow quads featuring both day and night look shades

The highly sought-after “Wonder” highlighter palette

The “nightlife” contour palette including the “batsy” bronzer and “spoiler!” highlight

The brand is named “Vigilante Cosmetics”

Stylish and trendy every-day gas masks

THINGS THAT ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE SOLD

Scarecrows of any kind within a 50 mile radius of Gotham City

Clown halloween costumes

(you have a 100% chance to be mugged by regular Gothamites if you wear a clown costume on Halloween)

Booty shorts with the bat symbol printed on the back 

Bruce literally bought the clothing company that made these and stopped production on them after Dick bought a pair and wore them around the manor

Thanks for reading! - I can expand on any of these in their own posts if you want - feel free to add on! - check me out on youtube: https://youtu.be/OSkkMWdQo9A

[lethal-liability]

Info Dump Time!

So it has come to my attention that the slasher fandom has recently been introduced to Ice Nine Kills, my favorite band (aside from Rammstein, of course). So if you are really wanting to get into them but have no clue where to start, look no further! As I am about to impart my knowledge onto all of you lovely people!

So Ice Nine Kills is an American Rock band from Boston, Massachusetts (but they like to say they’re from Salem). The band was formed in 2002 by high school friends Spencer Charnas and Jeremy Schwartz, though today the only surviving member of the original band is Spencer.

(more under the cut)

The current members are:

Spencer Charnas - lead vocals (main stage character: Freddy Kruger, Jason Vorhees)

Ricky Armellino - rhythm guitar, co-vocals (the extra screaming voice in most songs lol) (main stage character: Georgie)

Patrick Galante - drums (main stage character: Jigsaw)

Joe Occhiuti - bass, keyboard (Main stage character: Eric Draven)

Dan Sugarman - lead guitar, backing vocals (Main stage character: Leatherface)

Justin “JD” DeBlieck is also technically a current member but he's been on hiatus from the band since Warped Tour 2018. His role in the band has been filled in by Ricky since then.

Their original sound was more ska-punk but have, since their first official album, have changed their sound to metalcore, or as Spencer calls it, theatricore.

Their discography is as follows:

Last Chance To Make Amends - 2006 (not currently on spotify and the only one I haven’t heard)

The Burning - 2007

2 Song Acoustic - 2009

Safe Is Just A Shadow - 2010

The Predator - 2013

The Predator Becomes The Prey - 2014

Every Trick In The Book - 2015

The Silver Scream - 2018

Other notable releases:

They’ve been featured on Punk Goes Pop three times and Punk Goes 90s once. They covered Adele’s Someone Like You on Vol. 5, Maroon 5’s Animals on Vol. 6, Taylor Swift’s I Don’t Want To Live Forever on Vol. 7, and Green Day’s Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) on Punk Goes 90’s Vol. 2 (also, side note, Motionless In White covered Rammstein’s Du Hast on that record and it is *chef kiss* horrible. Awful. Listen to it if you wanna ruin your ears. Chris Motionless does not know a lick of German and it shows)

In 2017 they released a re-recorded version of Safe Is Just A Shadow which I personally prefer over the original because it is a much cleaner record. I also like that it only features Spencer’s vocals which I find sounds much better than the mix of his and former bassist Shane Bisnett’s vocals.

Last year, they released a deluxe version of The Silver Scream which includes the new track Your Number’s Up, a cover of Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and acoustic versions of A Grave Mistake, Stabbing In The Dark, SAVAGES, and Thank God It’s Friday (personally I only really like the acoustic of A Grave Mistake)

Their two most recent albums, Every Trick In The Book and The Silver Scream follow a similar format where every song on them follows a similar theme, ETITB being all based on classic novels and TSS being all based on slasher movies (with the exception of Thriller).

The songs and what they’re based on are as follows:

The Nature Of The Beast - Animal Farm by George Orwell

Communion Of The Cursed - The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

Bloodbath & Beyond - Dracula by Bram Stoker

The Plot Sickens - Alive: The Story of The Andes Survivors by Piers Paul Read

Star-Crossed Enemies - Romeo And Juliet by William Shakespeare (the analyst in me really loves this song because it implies that Romeo and Juliet knew that they were only characters in a play but died together anyway because they knew they couldn’t escape their fate)

Me, Myself, & Hyde - The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Alice - Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks

The People In The Attic - The Diary Of A Young Girl by Anne Frank (this song features Spencer doing a very unconvincing German accent which, outside of the context of the song, is very funny)

Tess-Timony - Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

Hell In The Hallways - Carrie by Stephen King

The American Nightmare - A Nightmare On Elm Street

Thank God It’s Friday - Friday The 13th

Stabbing In The Dark - Halloween

SAVAGES - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

The Jig Is Up - Saw

A Grave Mistake - The Crow

Rocking The Boat - Jaws (fun fact! This song features Jeremy Schwartz, the other founding member of the band and the lyrics contain the names of 5 of their 6 albums, excluding The Silver Scream)

Enjoy Your Slay - The Shining (another fun fact! In 2016 they put a vote to their fans to pick what piece of media the song they were working on would be based on, either The Shining or Psycho, I voted for Psycho because they already had a song based on a Stephen King story)

Freak Flag - The Devil’s Rejects

The World In My Hands - Edward Scissor-Hands

Merry Axe-Mas - Silent Night, Deadly Night

Love Bites - An American Werewolf In London

IT Is The End - It (including this one they have 3 songs based on Stephen King stories! His influence, ugh)

Your Number’s Up - Scream

More fun facts!

Aside from INK, Spencer also has a clothing company, Kleaver Klothing, which if they haven’t moved sites again, is at salem666.com

Last Year on their Summer tour they were supposed to play a show at a venue in Orlando, Florida that is on the grounds of Disney World. At the last minute Disney canceled their show because they’re performance was deemed “too violent” for a family park, despite the show already being 18+. In retaliation, the band released a series of limited edition merchandise featuring classic Disney characters as slasher villains, most notably Mickey Mouse as Freddy Kruger. They literally all sold out. I really should have got one when I had the chance

I own more pieces of Ice Nine Kills merch than literally any other piece of media I have ever consumed, including:

3 t shirts

2 tank tops

1 Letterman jacket

1 CD

2 vinyls

1 Kleaver t shirt (that I’m wearing right now)

1 poster

And a red balloon and paper boat from the IT Is The End music video promotion, (the boat is currently serving as a jewelry dish on my vanity)

I’ve seen them twice, Warped Tour 2016 and Warped Tour 2018, both times I met Spencer after the set and despite the whole scary act the band puts on during the shows, he’s very genuine and always really sweet to his fans. Enjoy these fetus pictures of me meeting him at 14 and 16 y/o

The lyric sheet for The Silver Scream is formatted like a spec script with action lines, scene headings, and inter-scene cuts, which screenwriting student me really, really enjoys

I got distracted while writing this because Patrick went live on Instagram, oops. He was setting up his new kit for the show tonight, it looks really cool, they’re painted to look like popcorn buckets

So that’s about it! Thank you for reading and enjoy the music!

[loogifan715]

Super Mario Christmas Plushies by Banpresto

Super Mario Christmas merchandise isn’t exactly uncommon, there’s actually a decent amount out there. However a lot of it is either not really Christmas themed, overpriced or bootlegs. Some understandably so like if the merchandise is very old but I’m not spending ten quid on wrapping paper. BUT there is something that I think is absolutely worth having if you are a collector of Mario merchandise and want something Christmassy.

From what I could gather about these three little cuties, they were by the company Banpresto. Banpresto has been responsible for several Mario themed merchandise but seemed to be a particularly popular choice for the 90s in Japan. Not only were these Japanese exclusives from the 90s, they were also arcade machine exclusives that were not sold in shops.

For a while these were extremely difficult to find due to the above factors despite them being stuff I really wanted, especially Luigi. Funny story, several years ago I saw Luigi on eBay for 100 quid in a mostly good condition. Unfortunately the person who was selling it couldn’t ship outside of their country. My parents actually contacted him and tried to persuade the seller but he couldn’t do it, though he seemed nice enough.

But now I am very thankful that I didn’t get that one, these plushies were about 25-35 quid each and in mostly good condition. They’re easier to find on eBay as well recently but the state they’re in can vary.

Before we get into the whole thing, there is something else I need to point out. This isn’t the full collection as I’m missing one more, Angel Princess Peach. These photos were from Google images. As of now I haven’t found her and the ones I have found were either way more expensive or were in a more used state yet at the same price. I have heard there are a couple of collectors saying that some Peach merchandise can be more valuable than other characters from the same set due to Peach having a dedicated fan base.

With all of that said, let’s get a closer look at the plushies I do have!

Starting off with Mario in a Santa Claus costume, way before Mario Odyssey! Though it makes sense for Mario to dress as another jolly, fat man with facial hair who wears red. He's got a Santa hat with his emblem on, a big white beard, a belt and even a sack. All of the essentials to dress as Santa. And just look at him, he's absolutely adorable! I love the little waving hand and the smile on his face.

He's also decently well made. Perfection isn't really expected for what are suppose to be cheap arcade plushies but this nice. Parts of it were made of felt like Mario's face, hair, facial hair and belt. Other parts are more velvet-like such as the hat and coat. The bag is more like a cotton-type material. The eyes are plastic and seem to be glued onto the plush. Fortunately most of this has been made by sewing or using really strong superglue... Well all except for the emblem on Mario's hat which is unfortunately iron on or some kind of sticker. I hate when this technique is used, it means these elements are more prone to cracking. But other than that, a really nice Mario plushie. Now onto Santa and Mario's most reliable animal companions, Rudolph being played by-

... Luigi? Yeah, this was an odd choice. You would have thought Yoshi would be dressed as a reindeer, in fact Yoshi does have a reindeer costume in Mario Kart Tour and plenty of promo art.

However this is still really cute! It's like Luigi's got a reindeer power up! After all this was after the frog, tanooki and hammer bro power ups were introduced so the Mario bros wearing animal costumes was nothing new.

I also really like Luigi's pose and face, it's like he's got a scared/surprised expression. Keep in mind this was way before Luigi's Mansion yet this along with many other examples were precursors to Luigi's lovable coward persona.

Yet despite Luigi's distinct expression, pose and overall design, it's still odd that they felt the need to put Luigi's emblem on his tummy. Did they think people wouldn't distinguish it as Luigi?... I guess this was before he was as popular as he is now. Also, yeah, the nose on his reindeer hat has been frayed. Not too surprising and it isn't too much of a downside. He's otherwise intact, including the iron on emblem on his tummy.

Fortunately Luigi does have something that Mario does not have which has been beautifully executed, the tag!

Typically the tags aren't anything special on plushies but not only are these ones connected to the plush with nice, golden strings, they have original art on them depicting the plushies by a log cabin. Such a wonderful attention detail that wasn't needed but very much appreciated. It's surprising that these tags haven't been posted online properly sooner.

Last but not least, we've got Yoshi! There is something distinct and unique about 90s Yoshi merchandise. He's always looking so chill with his eyes half closed, mainly due to the official Mario World promo art. Yet again, very adorable. I love the idea of him making himself warm and cosy in a giant Christmas stocking with the Santa hat emphasising the Christmas aspect of this plush. There's also a nice Christmas-themed print on the fabric used for the stocking, even if it's not necessarily Mario themed. Though between Angel Peach and the fact that the stocking has a church with a cross on top, this is probably the most religious Mario merchandise.

I love any type of merchandise that is unique. Something that seems like it would actually spice up my collection and actually add something different. This is definitely an example of that. For one the fact that the characters have a chibi design definitely makes them stand out compared to more recent Mario plushies that try to keep the characters more on model. In a way these remind me of the Mario and Luigi Nendoroids that came out many years later and I wish we got more stuff like that. But more importantly, the fact that Banpresto were allowed to experiment and create a set that isn't directly based on anything from the games. Santa Mario was never in a Mario game until Mario Odyssey and even Reindeer Luigi or Stocking Yoshi aren't based on anything. I love it! It makes them stand out more! It's a shame we don't get more stuff like this from Nintendo, but I really hope this does change. Game Freak lets Pokemon get recent Christmas and Halloween merchandise, why not stuff for Nintendo's series?

Anyways, if I don’t get the chance to say this later on, I hope everyone has happy holidays no matter what you celebrate!

[wolfliving]

Pop-Up stores, the AirBnB of urban retail

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/11/pop-ups/601936/

by Amanda Mull

During the 1970s and ’80s, perhaps no company in America relied more on branding through architecture than Pizza Hut. The pizza chain’s burgeoning franchise business flooded the country with red-roofed brick buildings, the shape of which was so recognizable that it eventually became the company’s logo. But the design’s physical dominance didn’t last, as Pizza Hut closed scores of its dine-in buffets in favor of smaller pickup-and-delivery storefronts. Now a drive through the American suburbs reveals the challenge of adapting the husks of dead stores to new uses. The buildings might now host Chinese buffets or jewelry stores that want to buy your gold, but their angular, hatlike roofs betray their past.

Pizza Hut is far from alone in its capitulation to America’s changing tastes. Even in prosperous, pedestrian-friendly cities such as New York, retail and restaurant vacancies have recently ticked up; in some neighborhoods, a quarter of local storefronts lack occupants. New York’s most recent casualty is the fabled luxury department store Barneys. After the retailer’s bankruptcy last month, the inventory in the company’s Madison Avenue store is being marked down for liquidation and soon the space will be empty, the usually lively and artistic display windows darkened. By the new year, what’s left will be the Pizza Hut problem: A building everyone knows was intended for a very specific use will have to find a convincing new identity.

The old Barneys won’t be empty for long, though. What’s taking its place isn’t another stately, traditional luxury emporium serving the ladies-who-lunch crowd. Instead, the space will soon host four floors of pop-up shops—a trendy name for short-term stores intended to hype up customers and vanish before everyone gets bored. 

Pop-up shops have sprouted throughout American cities in recent years, and like many of those, the ones inside Barneys will include art installations and entertainment alongside a rotating set of designers who will sell their wares for a few weeks or months at a time. Those masterminding these abrupt appearances are all banking on the same short-term bet: People still want to shop in stores, even if what they want that store to be in six months is completely different.

New York City is expansive and full of rich people, but many of its most famous shopping districts are struggling. The same problems plague otherwise burgeoning urban areas around the country: rising rents, changing tastes, and the omnipresence of online shopping. In suburban American malls, shoppers are bored with longtime tenants such as Sears and Gap, and the same stuff is available everywhere. Businesses close and their storefronts sit vacant. As these businesses evaporate, people have fewer reasons to stroll past the surrounding stores and cafés that survive.

The effect is at its extreme in cities’ most fashionable urban shopping districts, such as New York City’s SoHo and West Village, where stores are often left vacant on purpose. In these areas, many businesses still want footholds and people still want to try on new jeans or eat at new restaurants. But absent rent regulations that prod landlords to work with existing tenants or fill their empty stores, some hold out for top dollar, letting their properties sit fallow until Chase, for instance, decides it needs a new bank of ATMs. This tactic can lead to big payouts for property owners, but the cost is that it boosts rents in the surrounding area and gives mom-and-pop designers, merchandisers, and restaurateurs fewer options to get themselves in front of real-life audiences.

Out of that tension comes the pop-up store. Pop-ups aren’t a totally new concept: Halloween and Christmas-supply stores have been doing seasonal stints in vacant strip-mall spaces across America for decades. But Thomai Serdari, a luxury-marketing strategist and professor at New York University, nods to the 2008 financial collapse as the moment that helped more types of businesses realize that parachuting into a trendy neighborhood often makes more financial sense than committing to hang around for 20 years.

 “No one wants to invest long-term, and brands don’t want to take risks with inventories,” Serdari says. Now landlords court pop-up stores with easy-to-adapt interiors so that they can benefit from a few months of cash flow without having to rule out the Wells Fargo branch of their dreams.

If you live or shop in a major American city, you might have already noticed the trend without realizing what you were looking at. Turn a familiar corner, and a new makeup brand—a name vaguely familiar from Instagram ads—might be offering virtual-reality makeovers. Turn another, and a buzzy young chef might be slinging experimental ice-cream flavors inside a diner you thought had just closed. If you’ve ever walked into what was nominally a clothing store, only to be prompted to acquire the things you want through home delivery by ordering them from a bank of iPads, you’ve almost certainly encountered a pop-up. And if everything goes as planned, something new will be in the same spot by the time the novelty wears off.

When vendors are chosen carefully, pop-ups can bring the mom-and-pop feeling back to neighborhoods that were once known for their unique urban cultures but that now host a retinue of national pharmacies and fast-casual salad joints. But temporary-retail models haven’t just piqued the interest of plucky upstarts. While some pop-ups bring ephemeral art galleries or music venues to neighborhoods, others host Uniqlo stores, exclusive opportunities to lie on Casper mattresses, or long lines for limited-edition Louis Vuitton handbags. In particular, internet-based start-ups such as the clothing retailer Everlane and the luggage brand Away have found the pop-up model convenient. People who have seen their products online get to inspect them in person, often alongside shopper-friendly amenities such as gratis cocktails and personalization services such as monogramming....

[macgyvermedical]

Look at what I purchased, as a 25 year old, with real human money and from an honest-to-goodness mainstream retailer, in the year of our lord 2019:

You’re seeing that correctly, folks: a 1985 MacGyver-themed escape room game.

“Why does this exist??” I’ve asked myself repeatedly since purchasing it. I could see a similar game with Lucas Till’s face on the front of the box, but Richard Dean Anderson’s??? Target can’t exactly be making boatloads of money off this. In fact, it seems to be made specifically for the one person who both does escape rooms exclusively to pretend to be MacGyver and could give you the episode title of any 1985 MacGyver ep based on the injuries the lead character sustains. Which, you know, is me.

Here’s how I came to purchase it:

There I was, on New Years Day evening, minding my own business and worrying about my taxes (there was, at the time, a solid chance I had not actually filed them for 2017, but that’s another story), when my sister sent me this picture:

Before I’d even finished reading “MacGyver: The Escape Roo-” on the package, I realized I needed to own this. Now, overall, I had put a moratorium on spending on anything except food, gas, and insurance until I got a job, but that’s neither here nor there. I decided if it was under $30, I was going to own it.

But, instead of asking where my sister was or how she had come across a gem like this, I decided to glean some extra fun out of it.

Due to the stress of my taxes debacle, I’d been playing a lot of GeoGuessr in my New Years Holiday free time. So I figured, I’m like, the MASTER of context clues now and can DEFINITELY do this without any instruction. I’m gonna real life GeoGuessr the crap out of this game.

Based on the red sign in the background, the holly decoration, and the design of the merchandise tags, this is clearly a Target. I’m like 90% sure my sister was nearby last night, so i drive to the Target by my parent’s house. So the next morning, after settling the taxes debacle (turns out I did file them, just partially for the wrong county) I set out for my hunt.

When I get there, I realize this might not be as easy as this game just casually being in the game section. Because, see, this store was TORN UP in the after-new-years-and-christmas-and-probably-still-halloween season. I’m talking carts of unsold merchandise in the aisles, shelves either awkwardly shoved with products or picked clean, clearance signs, empty boxes everywhere, etc...

Also, based on context clues, this game is being sold as “bag accessor” and it appears to be between an aisle and some women’s clothing. So I zoom right in on the red sign hanging from the ceiling (it says “Girls”) and try to orient myself based on that sign and the long edge of the ceiling lights.

I end up by the greeting cards and office supplies, across the aisle from the girl’s department. And I do see a display that looks similar to the one in the picture with relatively similar clothing behind it. Score. Except, the game isn’t there. So I think to myself: who the actual crap bought not one, but TWO copies of “MacGyver: The Escape Room Game” from Target in the last 17 hours?? What kind of HIT employee would do something like that??? To little ol’ ME??

Of course, something else that’s missing is the decoration. Which could just be because there’s about a million employees desperately trying to redecorate for Valentine’s Day and clean up from end of year clearance hell, and they very well could have removed that particular cardboard cutout of holly last night, but it ends up leading me to the fact that the Target in the picture is a lot... longer than the Target I am currently standing in.

Well shite.

So I finally text my sister to ask her which Target she was at yesterday. She confirms that its the Target I’m at. I’ve used my free hint.

But that does narrow it down. Because if I’m in the right store overall, I’m definitely on the wrong end of it. Which was not something I'd thought of for some reason. So I head on over to the women’s department to find the “bag accessors” (which is, if I’d thought about it, definitely where the “bag accessors” would be located).

And voila, there on a display with scattered Back to the Future DVDs, hair scrunchies, and luggage tags, is the very same two “MacGyver: The Escape Room Game” sets. Naturally. Of course. Who wouldn’t put this in the Women’s Clothing section???

Basically, that’s the tale. And it did end up being $30.

So if anyone’s interested in repeatedly escaping from my apartment some weekend in February, hit me up.

[rtilrtil]

A-kon Artist Alley: Art Theft & Staff Indifference

Last weekend i was at A-Kon, an anime convention in Ft. Worth, Texas. this was my 3rd year tabling at their artist alley and almost certainly my last. while i’m disappointed to say that, what took place over the weekend was unacceptable and disrespectful to every creator that bothered to show up there.

if you are a creator who has ever been to or have considered tabling at an artist alley, please consider reading. thank you.

before i continue, i’d like to say that i don’t blame any one single person for this, and i do believe that there were lots of people trying to do the right thing, but ultimately those who have the responsibility and the power to protect the artists failed to do so. i am making this post because i think it is important for as many artists as possible to know what happened at A-kon 2018 in the hopes that the staff is more aggressive about their own policies in the future - and if not, at least let people know to avoid a convention where important rules that keep thieves OUT of artist alley are ignored.

moving on to the events of the con:

on Thursday evening i set up my table next to an empty corner table. the tables are set up in an island format, so every island has 4 corners which get 2 tables instead of one to form a square shape. when i came in Friday morning - the first day of the con - the corner was still empty. 

about halfway through the day, a few people arrived to start setting up there. at first i thought they were late, but i later found out that they were waitlisted and were offered the table to replace whoever was originally supposed to be there. this will be important later.

a few hours later they ended up setting up this: 

now a setup like this is typically something you see in the vendor’s hall, where actual companies sell licensed products and other merchandise not made by the vendors.

this setup is highly uncommon for artist alley and most certainly violates both clauses of this A-kon artist alley display rule:

not to mention another rule stating you can only take up 4 feet of space behind you, where they had an entire table set up for their merchandise.

you can trust me when i say that at most artist alleys there is not only not enough space for this monstrosity to be set up to begin with, but would be asked by staff to be torn down almost immediately.

but that is really only the tip of the iceberg, because the red flags started going up way before they finished setting up.

although the pictures are a bit blurry, you may notice something strange about the products on display - they all look like they’re from different artists.

and indeed, many of them are - in fact, it seemed apparent as the weekend went on that none of the work for sale at this booth was made by the people running it.

now proxy selling at A-kon and many other cons is allowed, but this is what the rule says:

This is where my earlier point about this table being waitlisted comes in to play. I have to assume the people running it were local, because a staff member implied that they were basically notified during the weekend that a table had opened up and they could come in to take the their place.

When you sign up to most conventions, you are asked to post a portfolio link, and part of doing that is to vet the people coming in to make sure they have.. well, a portfolio. You want to make sure the artists coming in to artist alley will be selling their own work.

and while I have no idea what link they gave the staff, the only website they had on display was an Etsy page where you can order a custom made phone case.

No tumblr, no deviantart, no pixiv, no instagram, no website..nothing. So there’s only two possibilities here:

The vendors set up a fake portfolio site full of some or all of the art on display here claiming it to be their own, and A-kon staff believed it

A-kon didn’t look at their portfolio at all, and just took the $275 from them without bothering to vet them at all

Now some of you may be asking why I would assume they would lie about claiming some of the art to be their own. Here’s where things get a little weird.

On Saturday, I was able to find one of the artists who made the art on one of the pillows they were selling. They were an artist in a foreign country thousands of miles away not attending the convention. The artist told me that the vendors had permission to use their art, but the story the vendors told was a little..different.

When the staff confronted the vendors about concerns of stolen art, the vendors claimed that the artist was their sister, but that she was currently on vacation and couldn’t attend. In fact, they claimed that all the art they had for sale was made by their family.

now why would you tell a bizarre lie like this if you had permission from every single one of your proxy artists? the only answer is that they clearly didn’t, and needed a blanket excuse to cover all their bases.

to make matters worse, they also refused to give any contact information to the staff for all the artists in their “family” that were not attending the convention.

the staff didn’t really seem to care about this at all? i found that a little bizarre. this kind of behavior is beyond suspicious and i can’t imagine how naive you’d have to be to think nothing fishy was going on with sketchy “proxy” vendors who have no problem lying straight to your face. if your one job is to enforce the rules of Artist Alley and you can’t do it, why are you even there?

anyway, it gets worse.

take a look at some of these phone cases they had for sale.

what you’re seeing here is not just a mix of fanart from various artists, but also copyrighted photos of the K-pop group BTS and officially licensed art and stitches from anime like Himouto! Umaru-chan, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Free!, Diabolik Lovers, Ouran High School Host Club and probably many others I don’t recognize.

Just to point out a few easy-to-find examples: here’s a stitch from the anime Himouto! Umaru-chan, ripped directly from the anime and printed out in a phone case.

How about that Halloween-themed FMA:Brotherhood phone case in the first image? Well, just type “fullmetal alchemist halloween” into Google Images and it’s the first result!

This is a scan of official promotional art for FMA that there are hundreds of results for.

How about that one of Free! Iwatobi Swim Club? Turns out it’s official art from the Free! Eternal Summer 2015 Calendar - sold, created, owned and licensed by none other than Kyoto Animation, the studio that made it.

I can’t speak for all the fanart on display here as it’s very difficult to find just through google searching, but even if I could, I wouldn’t want to drag them in to this - because at least one of them was aware this was going on, even though the vendors lied about who they were. all I can tell you is that many attendees and artists in my island recognized many art pieces on their products and knew the artists were not present and not aware their art was being sold.

so while these vendors may have had permission to proxy sell some of the stuff they had, it’s fairly obvious that this wasn’t the case for everything, and they lied to the staff to try and cover it up.

as I said earlier, on Saturday I expressed my concerns about the items on sale to the Artist Alley control booth. I even went through the trouble of showing them how to find the art through reverse image search to prove that it was stolen while trying to run my table solo. funnily enough - as i was talking to a staffer at the control booth, an attendee was also complaining about the same booth to another staffer with pictures of art on pillows from artists he recognized who were not present at the convention. I thought that was funny.

at the end of the day, a number of staff appeared on-site to question the vendors about their merchandise. statements were taken from me and a few other artists nearby, and it looked like maybe something would be done about this blatant theft on display.

but as i returned to sell on Sunday, the booth was still up and fully operational. when i asked why, the A-kon AA staff replied via twitter that it was “pending review”. another artist was told that they traced all this art (lol) and that tracing was allowed, however this contradicts another one of their rules:

by this point, the con was almost over - the vendors had gotten away with it, despite numerous voices of concern coming from artists and attendees alike - and indeed, this booth was allowed to sell stolen art all weekend uninhibited to unknowing attendees.

as for what other creative excuses the vendors may have had to tell the staff, if the staff even cared or they were actually duped by their obvious lies i don’t know.

here’s the point: artist alley is supposed to be a space for individual artists to sell their own creations. and while some labor was at least spared on the phone cases, the centerpiece is clearly the art, and the art did not belong to these vendors. none of the art belonged to these vendors.

so let’s break down the facts about what took place here:

a corner table was sold to waitlisted vendors in artist alley at a-kon (this means a-kon made double their money on this corner table..really makes you think 🤔 🤔 🤔 )

the vendors’ products were not vetted as the staff was obviously unaware of what was being sold

the vendors broke multiple display rules and nothing was done

the vendors lied to staffers and were caught lying and nothing was done

the vendors were selling stolen art and nothing was done

the vendors refused to give out contact information they were supposed to have for the artists they were proxying and nothing was done

the a-kon staff either does not take their own rules seriously, enforce them in any way, or are incompetent or otherwise incapable of doing so

at this point, the artist alley at A-Kon may as well be a vendor space where greasy conmen and thieves can just slap art on whatever and make a killing, because that is how i felt after watching what was essentially a dog and pony show of A-Kon staff pussyfooting around an issue that should’ve been dealt with swiftly and sternly.

this shit shouldn’t fly and while the vendors already got off scot-free, i can only hope that shedding light on this will help with stopping this issue from spreading, because you can bet that if other art thieves catch wind of the fact that A-Kon staff don’t give a shit about enforcing their own rules that they’ll tag along for the free ride.

If you’d like to read the A-Kon artist alley rules for yourself, i copied them from the email and put them in this pastebin.

if you’ve read this far, thank you for reading, and if you know anyone who participates in artist alleys in any fashion, please share it with them if you found this concerning.

[itslmdee]

Fic: When Fans Collide

Mira meets a fellow female fan with a secret at a convention.For the allbingo meet-ugly prompt "we have been chatting online for three years and today I learned your profile picture isn't you"

Mira loved going to conventions and meeting other fans, buying merchandise, attending the celebrity panels, and joining in with the amazing cosplay; those who liked to dress up as a favourite character could get very inventive with their costumes.

Mira had chosen to dress as Domino from "Deadpool 2" this year, having previously cosplayed as characters including Wonder Woman, Zoë from "Firefly" and, last year, Valkyrie from "Thor: Ragnarok". She hadn't gone so far as to add a contact lens as another Dominio cosplayer she'd met at the registration desk had, but she'd carefully applied the white makeup around one eye and fluffed up her hair.

She'd hoped to meet her online friend of three years, and fellow fan, Erica, but at the last minute Erica had said she wouldn't be able to make it this time, adding a sad emoji to her instant message. Erica hadn't been to a fan convention before and was anxious about it, so Mira wondered if it was nerves that led her to back out.

"I'll take lots of photos for you," Mira had promised. She already had several of the building and a couple with some fans, including the other Dominio, who had gushed over Mira's elbow-length fingerless leather gloves as more authentic than her own.

Mira browsed some of the stalls full of comics, signed photos, Funko Pops and other figurines, Blu-Ray box sets, and more. She'd got some money saved up especially to splurge on merchandise.

"Sorry," someone said as they bumped into her. Mira looked up at the woman who was wearing a "Burr shot first" T-shirt and a beautiful dragon necklace.

"No problem. I love the shirt," Mira said. "Both "Hamilton" and "Star Wars", what's not to love? My friend Erica has the same one." Erica had proudly photographed the shirt laid out on her bed being admired by a plush Pikachu.

The woman paled a little. "Thanks," she mumbled and walked away.

Mira was surprised by the reaction but didn't take offence. People could get nervous around strangers, especially if they felt intimidated by the crowded halls. She continued browsing.

Several stalls later Mira had only purchased a couple of keyrings though she'd seen a lot of things she'd like. She'd probably buy more things tomorrow once she'd seen everything on offer, and had her eye on a "Stargate: Atlantis" print and a colour-changing "Supernatural" mug.

Stopping for a coffee, Mira spotted the Hamilton fan again, huddled in one corner and glancing at the convention leaflet and then at the room as if lost. She wandered over slowly, giving a wide smile.

"Hi," Mira said. "This your first time here? It's a bit overwhelming when you first get here but most people are really friendly and you'll have a great time."

The woman nodded, one hand moving to fondle her necklace.

"That's a great piece," Mira said, "I'm Mira."

The woman nodded again. "I know."

That was unexpected. Mira glanced down at her ID badge; it was readable close-up but the woman must have good eyesight to have seen it from this distance.

"I'm sorry," the woman said and launched into a ramble. "I'm so ashamed. I kind of hoped I'd see you here, but I said I couldn't come because then you'd know what a liar I am, and so I said I wouldn't come and then I got here, and it's so crowded and you know I don't like crowds, and I regret everything right now and I'm sorry."

Mira blinked a few times, taking all this in. "Erica?" she asked when the woman finally stopped for a much needed breath. It was the only thing that made sense except the woman didn't look like Erica's profile picture. She leaned in and peered at the woman's badge. Erica Staywell. Her friend.

"Yes. You look amazing," Erica said. "Just like the pictures you showed me when you were preparing your costume. And I look…" She gestured vaguely.

"You look a little different to your profile picture," Mira agreed. Her own pic showed her dressed as Princess Tiana from when she and some of her friends had all dressed as Disney Prince and Princesses for a Halloween party.

"That's because that's not me," Erica said miserably. "It's a picture I found on a stock photo website. I was making a vision board to inspire me and I chose her because she's younger, thinner, prettier than me. I put her as my avatar because that's what I wanted to look like, that's how I wanted to feel, happy like she looks in that picture. It makes me feel good to look at her when I post online."

That was understandable, but Erica wasn't finished. Before Mira could ask why she'd never mentioned the photo was inspirational rather than based in reality, Erica explained. "We'd only been talking for a while when you said something nice about me and I didn't want to admit I didn't look like that; I'd just lost my job and was feeling miserable enough without having to show you how I really looked."

Mira stared at her, aghast. They'd still been getting to know each other then but she remembered Erica getting made redundant and how it had in fact brought them closer with Mira sending her gifs to cheer her up when she was low, letting Erica vent about the struggle of hunting for a job, and being thrilled when Erica got her new job which turned out to be better in every respect than her old one. They'd even talked a bit about the vision board which had at first seemed to fail Erica by letting redundancy occur before delivering the better pay and flexible hours she'd been asking the Universe for.

Now she understood why none of the photos Erica had shared in the last three years had shown her face.

"Oh, Erica," Mira said with sympathy. She was still reconciling this woman with her friend – and since they'd only ever communicated via text, no doubt Erica was getting used to hearing Mira's voice too. Meeting someone in person was always an interesting experience. "I would have understood."

Erica shook her head. "The longer it went on it just seemed like this huge thing that I'd have to tell you and I was embarrassed."

"Enough that you'd come to the convention alone?" Mira had already planned her trip and booked a single room since it was a longer distance for her to travel and she wanted to attend both days, Erica only initially agreeing to come for one day because she could get the train from her hometown to the hotel where she could meet up with Mira.

"I almost didn't come but I'd paid for the ticket," Erica said, blinking away tears. "I'm an idiot."

"Yes," Mira said because they'd become close enough for her to tease. "You're an idiot for thinking I'd care what you looked like. Which is amazing by the way."

Erica shook her head again and Mira pulled her into a hug.

"Look, of all the people here we found each other," Mira said, releasing Erica. "We have the rest of the day to enjoy the convention together. It's going to be so much fun."

"Okay," Erica said, summoning up a smile and wiping her eyes. "I'd like that."

"And I got you something so this will save me mailing it," Mira said, rummaging in her bag. She held out one of the keyrings.

Erica took the Lego Loki keyring, eyes wide with surprise. "Oh, thank you!"

"I've got Lego Wonder Woman," Mira said with a grin. "So, do you fancy the "Lord of the Rings" panel? It starts in ten minutes."

Erica clipped Loki to her handbag. "I'd love that."

They walked, arm in arm, to find a seat.

[righteousfag]

fuck Spirit Halloween and its lack of care for its retail workers/managers

hi guys! so i wanted to make a pretty in-depth post talking about the shit we dealt with at Spirit Halloween this year. this was my second year working the halloween season at this store, and unfortunately, things have gotten so bad.

preface: Spirit Halloween has gotten in hot water for a lot of its racist/sexist/ableist/queerphobic merchandise over the years, for good reason. this post is not about that, but i don't want that aspect to be ignored.

anyway, here we go!

last year at Spirit Halloween (i worked the whole month of October 2021), things were pretty good. it was a typical retail job, but my coworkers and assistant/store managers were incredible people who all knew how to work together really well. several of them had been working for at least three years in a row at that point, and considering we did a pretty good job of gathering donations for the local Children's Hospital, i felt that i was doing good work. i also loved helping customers put together their costumes with different pieces we had in the store - it genuinely was a lot of fun.

this year (October 2022), we were not able to open a location in the same city, so i went to work across the river at the closest location to my home. this location opened in September (most locations across the US open in mid-August) and had a hard time getting people to apply until October rolled around. i got a message from my manager last year about coming to help out, so i decided to join.

i'll put most of this stuff in organized sections from hereon out, because it's all important to recognize when it came to this particular location and how corporate & our customers treated us.

customer issues

our location was the most successful (i.e. the busiest) location in the state of Nebraska. we were meeting our sales goals every single day until about mid-October, and the only reason we stopped was because we weren't getting anymore merchandise shipments and were selling out of fucking EVERYTHING.

our store wasn't big, but we easily had at least 250 people in the store 8 out of the 12 hours a day we were open

we had a LOT of issues with rude customers on a very regular basis, which, like... yeah, it's retail. but as we started selling out of merchandise, the customers multiplied still, and none were happy about how little we had in stock

for context on how bad the customers were (though i could easily go on with different rude customer anecdotes): i had at least three customers just in the past week take things out of my hands as i was restocking returns on the floor

corporate issues

unfortunately, the way corporate was handling our store was unacceptable.

corporate fucked up from the beginning by not opening a location for us until September of this year and then immediately sending out the same amount of merchandise, leaving our back room full from floor to ceiling with boxes of merch until october, when we finally started getting more associates working. still, wasn't until after my first week that we finally got through all those boxes.

my store manager (who had been working for Spirit for six years) was pulling 60-hour weeks to keep on top of our scheduling minimum. because of this, she had about four days off the entire two months we were open, two of which were because she got incredibly sick with the flu. not to mention, she took a lunch break maybe once a week.

speaking of the flu, ALL BUT TWO ASSOCIATES & MANAGERS GOT SICK DURING THIS SEASON. i was on intense antibiotics while i was working because we didn't have enough people.

one of our associates, a 19-year-old with another job and severe anxiety, had daily panic attacks, yet was also the one associate with the most hours because she needed the money.

Spirit offered an extra $3/hour on top of our normal base hourly pay for store building (before the store officially opened for business), shifts worked from October 27th to November 2nd, and store takedown (shifts worked after the store officially closed, taking down shelving & doing inventory). everyone i'd heard from who helped build the store at the beginning of the season still hasn't seen that extra $3/hour on their paychecks.

most of our remaining staff by mid-October were returning associates/managers who were working their asses off getting merchandise back on the floor, running through as many transactions in as little time as possible to get through our customer lines, not taking breaks just to keep the store running, etc.

and yet, despite us being the most successful store in the state in terms of both sales and donations, my store manager is likely not getting her bonus this year due to arbitrary requirements such as new employee retainment and minimum total scheduled hours for the store.

and honestly, if my wonderful, incredible, baddest bitch in the world store manager doesn't come back next year, i'm not coming back either.

anyway, fuck Spirit Halloween for how they treated us this year. we deserved better.

[extreme-investor-network]

Walmart sticks with second-half outlook after earnings beat expectations

Walmart on Tuesday said sales grew more than 8%, but profits tightened in the fiscal second quarter, as consumers turned to the discounter for groceries and essentials. Shares rose more than 4% in premarket trading. The retailer’s results surpassed analysts’ expectations but echoed its profit warning last month when Walmart said inflation-pinched shoppers were buying less high-margin discretionary merchandise like apparel as they spent more on necessities. Walmart reiterated its forecast for the back half of the year, even as it sells through a glut of inventory. It expects same-store sales for Walmart U.S. to grow by about 3%, excluding fuel, for the second half of the year, or about 4% for the full year. It anticipates adjusted earnings per share will decline between 9% and 11% for the full year. Some of Walmart’s sales gains came from inflation, which is driving up the prices of food and other items. The retailer’s reputation as a discounter is also attracting more middle- and high-income shoppers, Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey told CNBC. About three-quarters of Walmart’s market share gains in food came from customers with annual household incomes of $100,000 or more.  Walmart also sees signs of a budget-strapped consumer who is trading down “in terms of quality and quantity,” he said. For example, he said, shoppers are increasingly using credit more than debit, he said. They are opting for smaller packages of food and buying items like canned tuna and beans instead of deli meats and beef.  “Clearly, they’re stressed from higher gas prices, higher food prices, and even housing,” he said. Here’s what Walmart reported for the fiscal second quarter ended July 31, compared with Refinitiv consensus estimates: - Earnings per share: $1.77 adjusted vs. $1.62 expected - Revenue: $152.86 billion reported vs. $150.81 billion expected Walmart’s net income for the quarter rose to $5.15 billion, or $1.88 per share, compared with $4.28 billion, or $1.52 per share a year earlier.  Same-store sales for Walmart U.S. grew 6.5% in the second quarter, excluding fuel, compared with the year-ago period. That was higher than the 5.9% growth that analysts expected, according to StreetAccount. E-commerce sales rose 12% compared with the year-ago period and 18% on a two-year basis. The company reported low double-digit comparable sales growth in grocery and high single-digit gains in health and wellness. Sales of general merchandise fell mid-single-digits, due to softness in electronics, apparel, and home products, the company said. Walmart’s news sent shares of retail rival Target about 3% higher in premarket trading, too. Target is set to report its latest quarterly results on Wednesday morning. Both Walmart and Target issued warnings in recent months that they needed to discount some items to try to get them off of shelves and out of store backrooms before the all-important holiday season, which would hit profits in the near term. Selling through excess inventory Chief Executive Officer Doug McMillon told analysts on a conference call that Walmart has made “good progress” selling through excess inventory, and it has also found other areas in the business to cut costs. For example, he said Walmart reduced the number of shipping containers in its system by more than half from first-quarter levels to bring them much closer to historical averages, he said. Walmart’s inventory levels in the U.S. were up 25.6% in the second quarter compared with a year ago, which the company said was mainly due to the increased cost of goods and higher levels of general merchandise. McMillon said Wednesday that Walmart will have a cleaner inventory position by the time Halloween rolls around. “I expect a strong finish to the back-to-school season and we will quickly transition to the holidays,” he told analysts. Walmart’s membership-based warehouse club, Sam’s Club, has also attracted new customers amid inflation. Membership hit an all-time high in the quarter. Same-store sales for the club grew 9.5%, excluding fuel, slightly below the 10.1% expected, according to StreetAccount. As of Monday’s close, Walmart shares are down about 8% so far this year. Shares closed on Monday at $132.60, bringing the company’s market value to $363.48 billion. Original Article Here: Read the full article