Posted on

If Influencers Ask for Free Food, This Ice Cream Truck Owner Charges Them Double

Business owners have given away free food for many years.

Now, influencers have popped up all over, especially on Instagram, looking to promote products and services. The catch? You know it: in exchange for their promotions, they want free products or services – or cash! Larger influencers with millions of followers can make a lot of money for exposure posts. For example, Kendall Jenner raked in $250,000 for one post promoting the disastrous Fyre Festival.

But are influencers losing their charm? Joe Nicchi, an LA ice cream truck owner, recently took a public stand against them.

He’s constantly being hit up by influencers wanting his delicious soft serve in exchange for a post on their Instagram stories. And when they offer him exposure for his food…

That’s right. Influencers pay double! His cones run about $4 each, so if an influencer asks for a free cone, they pay $8. So what ticked him off? According to VICE:

“Last Thursday, I got an event request to do a party on a weekend for 300 people in exchange for the word they love to use, which is ‘exposure.’ I can’t do that; I can’t work for free.”

300 people!? Unreal. This begs the question: Are influencers taking this “marketing strategy” too far?

View this post on Instagram

The “thank you card” is a nice touch…

A post shared by CVT Soft Serve (@cvtsoftserve) on

Nicci started his company back in 2014 as a way to make side income while working as an actor. You’ll find him on the streets of LA in a 1960s Mister Softee truck offering a simplistic menu ― chocolate, vanilla, or a twist cone. With the constant influx of influencers asking for free food, he had to put a stop to it all. He’s a small business owner and can’t afford to give away his “bread and butter.”

“The first 30 seconds of talking, they say ‘Hey, I don’t know if you follow me or not,’ so they tell me their screen name and say ‘If you want to hook me up with a cone, I’ll post it to my story. I’m like are you out of your mind? This is a $4 ice cream.”

What these Instagrammers seem not to understand (or care about) is the cost involved with swapping exposure for a product. They are asking Nicci, who is looking to sell to costumers, to “pay” for exposure (to who? He doesn’t know…) by giving out free ice cream. There’s just NO guarantee he’ll see any benefit.

So what if someone has 20K followers – are any of them in LA? What are the chances that they will buy his ice cream and how would he know?

“We work a lot of these [food truck] events on the weekends, and I’m not going to sound like a douchebag, but we have really long lines. It’s evident that we’re a popular business, but I’ve had many young Millennials who say things like ‘I’m surprised that you only have 5,000 followers.’ What does it matter? I have a line down the street. If Instagram went away tomorrow, I would still exist.”

Not all influencers take advantage, and the influencer bubble will burst soon, I’m sure. But in the meantime, Nicci can get back to what he been trying to do all along: Sell ice cream.

The post If Influencers Ask for Free Food, This Ice Cream Truck Owner Charges Them Double appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

10+ Memes About Morning and Not-Morning People That Should Look Familiar

Are you a morning person? A snoozer? A coffee addict? Or maybe it depends on the day.

Regardless of where you fall on the sleepy-scale… here are 14 memes to get your day started!

1. We all hate the “Early Riser”

Photo Credit: Pinterest, Mabel Mora

2. Because most of us are “The Snoozer”

Photo Credit: Imgflip

3. And let’s face it… ain’t nobody the “Beauty Queen”

Photo Credit: Saying Images

4. And how many “Coffee Addicts” we got out there?

Photo Credit: Bustle

5. Yes, most of us are “The Walking Dead”

Photo Credit: Pinterest, Angie Alzola

6. And it’s okay to be grumpy. Because mornings SUCK!

Photo Credit: Elite Readers

7. Why do we have problems waking up? Wonder why…

Photo Credit: Somecards

8. The horror!!!

Photo Credit: Somecards

9. I prefer fantasy over reality…

Photo Credit: Shareology

10. Decisions, decisions…

Photo Credit: Shareology

11. Daylight Savings Time is the WORST!

Photo Credit: Somecards

12. Yeah… how?!?!?!?

13. Savage

Photo Credit: Shareology

14. We’re all tired fam…

Photo Credit: Somecards

Have a great day!

The post 10+ Memes About Morning and Not-Morning People That Should Look Familiar appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

These Adorable Cow Photos Just Might Make You Want to Adopt One

I think you’re gonna be with me on this one: these photos of adorable, cuddly cows made me want to run out and adopt one ASAP.

Scroll through these lovely pics and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about.

1. OMG

View this post on Instagram

#Cody looks like a giant #teddybear

A post shared by Happy Hens & Highlands (@happyhensandhighlands) on

2. Just look at it!

3. Friends

Cows will be your friend if you treat them nicely from aww

4. Snuggles

Cow Snuggles from aww

5. He’s a fan

So I was out walking my mini cow when Howie Mandel stopped for a picture… from aww

6. Awwwww

Cows are very affectionate from aww

7. Happy guy

Little cow looks so happy from aww

8. Snoozin’

9. Lovable

Cows make great companions from aww

10. Smile!

Funny cow giving a smile from aww

11. Belly rubs

Posted by Beryl The Brahman on Wednesday, April 13, 2016

12. Gentle giants

Posted by Ashley Gilley Photography on Friday, May 12, 2017

13. A fan of whipped cream

14. A beauty

15. New BFF

I need one of those as a pet IMMEDIATELY!

The post These Adorable Cow Photos Just Might Make You Want to Adopt One appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

During WWII, the British…

During WWII, the British launched nearly 100,000 weather balloons trailing long metal wires toward occupied Europe, causing power outages when they shorted out power lines and causing at least one German power station to burn down. The US military “rediscovered” this during training operations in the San Diego area a few decades ago when metallic […]

Posted on

An increasing number of schools…

An increasing number of schools and companies in Japan encourage their students and employees to cry as a way of relieving stress and improving mental health. There are also people who are called “namida sensei” meaning “tears teacher”.

Posted on

A man in Vermont, upset…

A man in Vermont, upset with local officials for denying a building permit for his proposed business, paid $4,000 to build a giant illuminated middle finger statue on his property. “If you don’t want to look at the building, look at this.” He said to the Development Review Board.

Posted on

15 Movies People Saw Too Young That Scarred Them for Life

Did you have a childhood movie that scared the hell out of you and you were WAY too young to watch at the time?

Mine? The original version of The Evil Dead from 1981. Gave me major nightmares.

But these 15 below are pretty brutal tiny soul-killers, too.

#15. I didn’t sleep for the entire summer.

“I snuck in to see The Exorcist when I was 12. I didn’t sleep for an entire summer. One morning, about 6am, a woodpecker or some bird got into our attic and was pecking and flying back and forth. I woke up my younger brother and sister, made them come with me to the attic door. I made them hold hands with me and say the Our Father. I was out of my mind.

EDIT: my first gold! Thank you so much!”

#14. That’s what older brothers are for.

“Jeepers Creepers. But I think it’s mostly due to the fact that my older brother convinced me it was based on true events.”

#13. That movie messed me up.

“The Hills Have Eyes (•-•). That movie messed me up for a long time.”

#12. Never seen one in real life.

“My brother made me watch the first scene of Twister when I was 7.

Didn’t watch any of the rest of the movie after seeing the dad get ripped from the doorway in front of his family. I’m still terrified of tornadoes 20 years later, even though I live in a place that never gets them and have never seen one in real life.

Edit: For all of you commenting that you became amateur weathermen due to your fear of tornadoes, I feel you, that was also my first career choice as a kid.”

#11. Weeks and weeks of nightmares.

“Poltergiest.

Weeks and weeks of nightmares centered around that thing that honestly looks like it was made from paper mache, and the skeletons. I was goddamned terrified of skeletons as a child.”

#10. Father knows best.

“My dad thought it would be a good idea for me to watch The shining when I was 6.”

#9. Fears in real life.

“I forget which one but it was one of the Final Destination movies, it was the one where there was a guy who died to a pool drain and someone died because their shoelace got stuck in an escalator, that gave me a fear of escalators for a while.”

#8. In the middle of the night.

“Pet semetary. I still get a little freaked when getting out of bed in the middle of night for fear a crazy undead child will slice my Achilles with a knife”

#7. My little heart couldn’t take anymore.

“E.T. My dad had to take me out of the theater. I was screaming and crying and my little heart couldn’t take anymore. That’s a rough one.”

#6. I will never be old enough.

“I will never be old enough to rewatch Requiem for a Dream

Edit: Thanks for the gold! Also these comments are depressing me at work lol”

#5. Was not ready.

“The Fly (1986)

My young mind was not ready for that movie.”

#4. The melting dude.

“RoboCop.

The melting dude got me bad.”

#3. Buggy fruit.

“James and the Giant Peach gave me my irrational fear of insects and insects inside fruits.”

#2. Not-so-tongue-in-cheek.

“Mars Attacks! I had seen violence in movies before but the ray guns turning people into skeletons freaked me out for some reason.”

#1. I had never watched a scary movie before.

“The ring. I was around 7 or 8 at the time and had never watched a scary movie before. Anyways made it to the end of the movie completely shitting myself. Used to sleep in my clothes, pee in jars and hide them in a drawer to avoid going to the bathroom late at night, if I was brave enough to make it to the bathroom I would sleep on the floor. Had an old tv in my room at the time that I would cover at night with a blanket lol this went on for easily a year then I started to get over the fear decided I was gonna watch tv one night flicking through the channels and what do i see? The ring 2 ?

So yeah seeing Wells or tv static still sends a chill down my spine

Edit: Wow thanks for all the up-votes and my first gold! It’s crazy seeing how many others were affected by this movie then again I can’t say I am suprised.. got me thinking about another movie that messed me up big time which was the alien movie Signs.. especially the recording where the alien walks passed the kids party I remember just being paralysed with fear.”

I’m so glad now that at least I was in middle school. Yikes!

The post 15 Movies People Saw Too Young That Scarred Them for Life appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

10 Facts About Chernobyl That Will Give You the Creeps

A devastating nuclear disaster took place at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Soviet Union on April 26, 1986. The incident is back in the public consciousness right now due to the success of the HBO show Chernobyl that dramatizes the events surrounding the accident.

Much of what happened before, during, and after the 1986 event is still the cause of much debate due to the secrecy of the Soviet Union. But one thing is for sure: the Chernobyl accident is considered the worst nuclear power plant disaster in history.

Here are 10 facts about the terrifying Chernobyl disaster and its aftermath.

1. Casualty rate: Unknown

View this post on Instagram

It’s sometimes strange how different paths in life come together and suddenly your path takes an unexpected direction. The path towards Chernobyl with @jonadbo. We have been there twice now and it remains such a special place because of its history. We ended up there to photograph abandoned locations and we got fascinated by the history. Ofcourse I have watched the HBO series and it’s made so accurate. It’s very realistic and I recognized so many places. I hope that the ghost town of Prypjat remains protected from mass tourism, that it does not deteriorate even more and that nature can still run its own way. So keep it nice. In the end we all have our reason to visit this city. First picture: @jonadbo #pripyat #chernobylzone #chernobyl #ukrain #decay #abandoned #deserted #netflix #disaster #rooftop #tsjernobyl #urbex #urbexphotography #belgiumphotography #belgiumphotographer #canonbelgium #urbexkings #abandonedafterthedark #urbextopia #urbexbelgie #forgotten #forgottenplace #chernobyltour @urbexchampions @urbex_kings @urbexeurope @urbex_3336 @abandonedafterdark @urbex_utopia @urbex_supreme @deurbex

A post shared by CN Photography (@cn_photography.be) on

The number of victims that can be blamed on the accident ranges anywhere from 4,000 to 90,000. Two people died in the initial blast, 29 people died from radiation sickness in the months after the accident, and there are literally thousands that may die from radiation-related causes in the future.

2. A gruesome death

One of the first firefighters who responded to the accident scene was Vasily Ignatenko. He suffered a terrible two-week death from his exposure to radiation, including excreting blood and mucus 25 times a day and coughing up pieces of his own internal organs.

3. Other ailments

View this post on Instagram

⚠ On April 26, 1986, the fourth block was destroyed, the reactor was completely destroyed. The largest accident of this kind in the history of nuclear energy, the estimated number of dead and wounded and economic damage. ⠀ ⚠ 134 people suffered radiation sickness. More than 115 thousand people from the 30-kilometer zone were evacuated. More than 600 thousand people took part in the aftermath of the accident. During the first three months after the accident, 31 people died, another 19 deaths from 1987 to 2004 can be explained by its direct consequences. ⠀ ⚠ Unlike the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the explosion resembled a very powerful "dirty bomb" – radioactive contamination became the main striking factor.

A post shared by ⚠ CHERNOBYL INSIDER (@chernobyl_insider) on

People in neighboring areas had to flee their homes and complained of such symptoms as “black spots,” bodies getting “fat, like a barrel,” and turning “black, like coal, and shrinking.”

4. Radiophobia

Because women were terrified of possible radiation poisoning, there were an estimated 100,000-200,000 abortions in Europe after the Chernobyl disaster.

5. Dead trees everywhere

The area around the nuclear power plant became known as The Red Forest because the trees died and turned a ginger color after the accident.

6. Lingerers

Although it’s illegal to live in the area around the plant known as the Zone of Alienation, or the Exclusion Zone, it’s estimated that 130-150 people still live there, many of them older women taking care of their family’s land.

7. Poor animals

If you’ve seen the show, you know that people were not allowed to evacuate with their pets. This actually happened and units were sent in to put the animals down.

8. But…there are still hundreds of dogs there

Descendants of the dogs who survived the aftermath of the disaster still live in the Exclusion Zone. There are an estimated 300 stray dogs here. You can help them out by donating HERE.

9. Tourist spot

Tourists can visit the Exclusion Zone, and it’s actually become pretty trendy after the success of the HBO show about the disaster.

10. Ghost town

There is an abandoned amusement park in nearby Pripyat that looks like something out of a horror film.

While it’s truly terrifying what happened at Chernobyl, the strength that the people of Russia have shown in the face of unimaginable devastation should be commended.

The post 10 Facts About Chernobyl That Will Give You the Creeps appeared first on UberFacts.