It's been yet another weird week in retail. A plant-based chicken nugget brand is sponsoring a dinner party on top of Target's red ball, Edie Parker is selling upscale bongs for pot users with expensive taste and Harry Potter New York just opened a Butterbeer Bar.
This, and more, in this week's retail therapy.
Dinner for two at the Target red ball
Some people love Target enough to spend the whole day in the store.
But based on the number of entries plant-based chicken nugget brand Nuggs received for their marketing campaign, it appears that about 14,000 people are interested in dining there too.
Simulate, the company behind Nuggs, launched a giveaway contest where consumers can join to win a dinner for two and a $2,000 shopping spree at Target. Sounds like a typical marketing campaign, right? Here's the fun part: The romantic four-course dinner will be situated outside of a Target store, right where Target's signature red balls stand — literally on top of it.
The company ran this campaign to celebrate its entry into Target's shelves, Nuggs said in an Instagram post. Unfortunately, the entry period ended on Thursday.
A spokesperson for the company confirmed to Retail Dive that the winners are receiving the dinner reward this weekend. Team members from the company will head to any city in the U.S. to make the event happen within 48 hours.
The menu will include items like chicken nugget parm and vanilla maple cake for dessert that is "shaped literally like a NUGG," according to an announcement emailed to Retail Dive.
This isn't the first time the company tried to stir up excitement from consumers. In April, the company held a competition to make the most viral content with #nuggs and #samsclubclub in the caption. The maker of the most amplified video was given a $1,000 shopping spree, a free one-year membership at Sam's Club and granted a party bus to a Sam's Club.
I guess this is one way to make use of those concrete red balls Target has for whatever reason.
Getting that luxury high
Pot users are getting an expensive treat.
New York state just legalized recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older, and more states may soon follow. As the stigma against cannabis diminishes, brands are looking to cater to different demographics of pot users (for some brands, that includes dogs).
For cannabis users with a taste for the finer things in life, Flower by Edie Parker has a selection of fancy bongs, pipes, tamping sticks and rolling paper. But some of the items are gonna cost you.
The Paul Arnhold x Edie Parker hand-blown glass bong costs $795, the Glass Strawberry Pipe in pink costs $115 and the Petal Pipe costs $75, according to the company website.
"Flower products are made of the highest quality materials, elevating and expanding the way we approach the good life," the company wrote on its website. "Here you'll find pieces that will spruce up the joint and spark conversation. So, clear your calendar, call your friends and let the good times roll."
Edie Parker is a New York City-based vintage-inspired brand selling clutches and lifestyle products.
Where Potterheads spend happy hour in NYC
Calling all aspiring witches and wizards in the U.S., the most beloved drink in the Potterverse is coming to New York City.
Harry Potter fans can grab a mug of draft Butterbeer, a bottled Butterbeer and even a cone of Butterbeer-flavored ice cream for the first time at New York City's only Butterbeer Bar starting June 3, according to a press release from Harry Potter New York.
The bottled Butterbeer is made and brewed in the U.K. and comes in a glass bottle — each has an exclusive collectible label designed by the duo behind the graphic props in the Harry Potter and the Fantastic Beasts movies, MinaLima.
The bar itself is designed to bring the wizarding world to life, featuring a cascade of about 1,000 bottles stacked from the floor to the ceiling. Customers can see the Butterbeer flow through the copper pipes in the ceiling, and the menu at the bar appears to be floating, as shown on the store's Instagram post.
So grab your wands and brooms and wind down with other magical creatures at the Butterbeer bar.