Adulting? There's an App for That. NewsWire

NewsWire: 5/8/21

• It’s here: an app to help young people navigate adulthood. It’s called Realworld and comes with dozens of step-by-step “playbooks” covering topics like moving, budgeting, and finding an apartment. (TechCrunch)
• NH: On college campuses, Millennials have always flocked to Adulting 101 courses. (See “Adulting 101.”) But do they really need to pay a university thousands of dollars to learn how to balance a budget? Thanks to Realworld, they can get all the same information in a free app.
• Realworld is targeted at 20-somethings transitioning into adulthood. The app offers 90 “playbooks” that teach users about everything from taxes to negotiating a salary to staying healthy. It’s designed to be a one-stop shop for all your grown-up questions. It is, the app claims, “the Mary Poppins of adulting.”
• IMO, Millennials will appreciate this service. The step-by-step “playbooks'' fit well into their menu-ridden and optimization-driven world view. It also plays well into their risk aversion by eliminating (or just covering up) the unknown. God forbid that 20-somethings would experience the unexpected.
• While many Boomers might roll their eyes at an adulting app, Millennials are just looking for guidance. And Realworld gives that to them judgment-free  

Did You Know?

• Where’s the Chicken? Hungry for chicken? Be ready to wait or pay up. The introduction of popular chicken sandwiches at KFC, Popeye’s, Wendy’s, and McDonald’s, combined with the labor pressures on the industry due to Covid-19, have added up to a chicken shortage. The fast food chains, along with other chicken-centric restaurants like Wingstop, are struggling to keep up with the demand for America’s favorite bird. A study from TOP, a network of marketing agencies, found that fried chicken restaurant chains have fared much better than fast food restaurants overall during the pandemic. Wholesale prices for chicken have doubled since last year: Boneless skinless chicken breast has gone from an average of $1 a pound to $2.04, forcing independent eateries and bars to raise prices. This has created an opening for fake meat companies that are hoping to capitalize on the chicken craze. This summer, Beyond Meat plans to introduce a plant-based chicken product.