Philadelphia Cream Cheese Plans to Pay $360,000 to Customers to Not Buy Its Product

The company is trying to end the cream cheese shortage.

Vladislav Noseek/Shutterstock
Vladislav Noseek/Shutterstock

Earlier this month, tragedy struck the greater New York City area & it involves our precious bagel schmear. NYC-based shops reported a cream cheese shortage as the latest consequence of the nation's continued supply chain woes. Now, with added pressure to supply, Philadelphia Cream Cheese is begging consumers to skip the cheesecake this holiday season. 

With simply not enough to go around, the cream cheese producer is getting creative in its approach to stay stocked. The company is offering $20 to folks who nix the cheesecake from their dessert table.

"Unprecedented demand has left cream cheese shelves in grocery stores noticeably empty as people continue to use cream cheese as an ingredient in easy desserts and recipes—and at breakfast time," Philadelphia Cream Cheese said in a statement, according to Food & Wine. "So, buy any dessert—cookies, brownies, cupcakes—and Philadelphia will reimburse the cost to replace your homemade cheesecake up to $20."

Now, there are some terms and conditions to get your cash. You can hit up the website at noon EST on either December 17 or December 18 to snag your digital reward. It'll be a first-come, first-serve basis with the initial 10,000 slots offered Friday and an additional 8,000 on the 18th. If you're among the selected, purchase a non-cheesecake dessert between December 17 and December 24, provide proof of that receipt, and you'll get that $20. 

"For the past 150 years, Philadelphia cream cheese has been a staple in American households, especially around the holidays," Director of Marketing for Philadelphia Cream Cheese Basak Oguz said in the statement. "As we continue to see elevated and sustained demand, we want to want to ensure that there's enough cream cheese for bagels, cheesecakes, and everything in-between. We're excited to share that we're investing millions of dollars so Philadelphia cream cheese will be available to anyone that wants it, wherever they like to shop, for the next 150 years and beyond."

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Megan Schaltegger is a staff writer at Thrillist.