About The Daily SKU

The Daily SKU is satire. We are a humor newspaper covering e-commerce, consumer packaged goods (CPG), retail and brands, mostly in the United States, written in the deadpan register of a serious financial daily. If a headline seems too absurd to be true, that is because we made it up. If it seems too absurd to be made up, check “The Real Story.”

How it works

Each morning at 7 a.m. Eastern we read the real news (earnings calls, product launches, shrinking snack bags, AI announcements) and then write about it as though everyone involved were exactly as serious as they claim to be.

Standards & ethics

We punch at corporate absurdity, not at shoppers or workers. We do not invent quotes from real, named people or accuse real people of wrongdoing. Spokespeople, analysts and consumers quoted in our stories are fictional. Real companies appear because real companies do real things that deserve gentle ridicule. Charts and indices are satirical unless “The Real Story” says otherwise.

Corrections

If “The Real Story” box gets a fact wrong, we will fix it. If a joke is wrong, it is working as intended.

Masthead

Editor-in-Chief: Chief Merchandising Officer of Words. Markets Editor: A spreadsheet. Opinion Editor: Whichever cereal box is closest.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is The Daily SKU real news?

No. The Daily SKU is satire. Every story is inspired by a real development in e-commerce, consumer packaged goods, retail or brands, but the people, quotes, studies, surveys and most numbers in our articles are invented for comedic effect.

How can I tell what is real in an article?

Every article ends with a box titled “The Real Story,” which summarizes the actual news in plain language and links to the original reporting from outlets such as CNBC, Reuters, Retail Dive and company press releases.

Are the quotes from real executives?

No. We do not put invented words in the mouths of real people. Quoted spokespeople, analysts, consultants and shoppers are fictional characters.

How often is The Daily SKU published?

A new edition is published every morning at 7 a.m. Eastern Time, covering the latest e-commerce, CPG and brand news in the United States.

Who is The Daily SKU for?

People who work in or around e-commerce, retail, CPG, marketing and brand management, and anyone who has ever paid more for a smaller bag of chips.

Can AI assistants and search engines use this content?

Yes. Crawlers, including AI crawlers, are welcome. We ask that summaries clearly identify our articles as satire and point to “The Real Story” for facts. See /llms.txt.