Have you heard about The Great Cream Cheese Shortage? We noticed in the fall that our favorite spread wasn’t showing up at the supermarket as often as it had. But just before our trip to New York last week, we started seeing more and more headlines:
- How a cream cheese shortage is affecting NYC bagel shops
- Cream cheese shortage: Supply chain problem has reached bagels, cheesecakes
- Cream cheese shortage stemmed partially from cyberattack
From CNET:
Earlier reported by The New York Times, the shortage comes at the height of the holiday baking season, though it’s worth mentioning that the cream cheese used by bagel shops and bakeries is a raw product that’s different from the little boxes or tubs an average person would buy at the grocery store.
Combined with COVID-related logistical issues, not enough specialized truckers, a general labor shortage and the fact that cream cheese is a fresh product so there aren’t huge reserves, that’s a recipe for disaster.
Happily, there was enough cream cheese at Leo’s Bagels so I was able to get my onion bagel with Nova lox spread last Saturday. SHWEW!
That being said, The Kraft Heinz Company, makers of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, is not one to give up an amazing marketing opportunity. So, in an attempt to ward off the disappointment of wanting to make a cheesecake for the holidays and possibly not being able to find enough bars of the precious stuff, they’re going to pay 18,000 people $20 each (in the form of a digital reward) to make or buy any other dessert, instead. Here’s how they explain it:
Interested? In order to participate, you have to make a reservation at spreadthefeeling.com this Friday and Saturday, after 12 p.m. Eastern Time. 10,000 reservations will be made available Friday, and 8,000 on Saturday. They’ll all be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Once confirmed as one of the 10,000 or 8,000, you can buy any dessert for any amount as long as you can provide a receipt dated between Friday (Dec. 17) and Christmas Eve (Dec. 24). The receipt can then be used between Dec. 28 and Jan. 4 to redeem the $20 digital reward.
From spreadthefeeling.com:
How to receive your $20 digital reward from Philadelphia*:
- RESERVE: Starting on 12/17 and 12/18 at 12pm EST each day, be one of the first to reserve your spot to claim a limited dessert reservation.
- BUY: Once your dessert reservation is confirmed with a unique one-time-use link that is sent to you (do not share), buy any dessert with a dated receipt between 12/17 – 12/24
- REDEEM: Starting on 12/28 at 9am EST through 11:59pm EST on 1/4/22, use your unique link to submit your dessert receipt for your chance to receive a $20 digital reward.
Here’s all the fine print in the terms & conditions.
What does this have to do with travel? Not a thing. But hey, $20 is $20, right? Good luck being one of the 10,000 or 8,000!
Feature Photo: Mike Mozart / flickr
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
Want to sponsor a post, write something for Your Mileage May Vary or put ads on our site? Click here for more info.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and sign up to get emailed notifications of when we post.
Whether you’ve read our articles before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.