Nearly two million gifts will hit the airspace today, but unlike the rush of the past few weeks, this time the packages aren't destined for loved ones. That's how many improperly sized, non-working, and generally unwanted packages are expected to be returned to businesses.
UPS told Cheddar that the company expects to ship 1.9 million gifts and items back to retailers and e-commerce sites on "National Returns Day" Thursday, up 26 percent from last year.
The company expects customers had returned one million packages daily during the month of December, with the peak for returns landing on the day after New Year's.
Dawn Wotapka, a spokesperson for UPS, added that for the shipping company, "Anything that involves us processing packages is a good thing."
But businesses on the other side of online shopping may be hit harder than UPS today. The unofficial day of gift-returning will cost retailers in lost sales and shipping costs.
According to a Mastercard report last week, holiday sales increased 3.4 percent this year, particularly online, where sales grew 18.8 percent compared to last year.
OpenAI has announced that ChatGPT will soon engage in "erotica for verified adults." CEO Sam Altman says the company aims to allow more user freedom for adults while setting limits for teens. OpenAI isn't the first to explore sexualized AI, but previous attempts have faced legal and societal challenges. Altman believes OpenAI isn't the "moral police" and wants to differentiate content similar to how Hollywood differentiates R-rated movies. This move could help OpenAI, which is losing money, turn a profit. However, experts express concerns about the impact on real-world relationships and the potential for misuse.
CNN is launching a new “All Access” streaming subscription in the U.S. on October 28th, priced at $6.99 a month, or just $69.99 if you sign up for a full year.
