While some brands are gearing up for Cyber Monday and Black Friday, others are preparing for Green Wednesday. "Weed Wednesday," as it is sometimes called, is "the perfect confluence of people wanting weed," Weedmaps culture editor Nicolas Juarez told Cheddar.
Green Wednesday makes sense, he said, because it's "the day before Thanksgiving, where it's travel-filled, shopping-filled, stress-filled — you're going home to Thanksgiving, where it can be tense."
Weedmaps, founded in 2008, is a technology company that allows users to review cannabis strains, locations, and especially on Green Wednesday, deals.
Juarez said the app sees a 53 percent increase for in-store pickups and a 30 percent increase in users looking at dispensaries on the shopping day. He said there are a myriad of deals offered, ranging from 50 percent off to buy two get one free, which may be especially appealing for California users ahead of the tax increase on Jan. 1, 2020.
Weedmaps is not alone in seeing a jump in the activity on the cannabis-inspired shopping day. Sales on 2018's Green Wednesday was reportedly 63 percent higher than the average Wednesday.
"It's an opportunity to target a new customer, who hopefully will become a returning customer," he said.
While marijuana and CBD gifts may become more popular this holiday season, there still is risk involved. Federal law still prohibits THC, and CBD in food and drink is still illegal. However, more states than ever have legalized cannabis products, leaving gift-givers and recipients in limbo.
But with availability rising, and growing support for legalization, Juarez says the holidays will be "a great time to try a new product."
A rare magnum of Dom Pérignon Vintage 1961 champagne that was specially produced for the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana has failed to sell during an auction. Danish auction house Bruun Rasmussen handled the bidding Thursday. The auction's house website lists the bottle as not sold. It was expected to fetch up to around $93,000. It is one of 12 bottles made to celebrate the royal wedding. Little was revealed about the seller. The auction house says the bids did not receive the desired minimum price.
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
OpenAI has appointed Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its first chief of revenue. Dresser will oversee global revenue strategy and help businesses integrate AI into daily operations. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently emphasized improving ChatGPT, which now has over 800 million weekly users. Despite its success, OpenAI faces competition from companies like Google and concerns about profitability. The company earns money from premium ChatGPT subscriptions but hasn't ventured into advertising. Altman had recently announced delays in developing new products like AI agents and a personal assistant.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
