00:00:11 Anne
This episode of the Omni Talk Retail Fast Five is brought to you by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group. The A&M Consumer and Retail Group is a management consulting firm that tackles the most complex challenges and advances its clients, people and communities towards their maximum potential circumstances. CRG brings the experience, tools and operator like pragmatism to help retailers and consumer products companies be on the right side of disruption and Mirakl, the catalyst of Commerce. Over 450 retailers are opening new revenue streams with marketplaces, dropship and retail media and succeeding. With Miracle, you can unlock more products, more partners and more profits without the heavy lifting. What’s holding you back? Visit mirakl.com to learn more. That’s mirakl.com and course your stores are full of data, but are your teams acting on it? Corso turns retail data into personalised daily to dos that drive sales, reduce waste and improve execution. No fluff, just action. Help your managers focus on what matters most. Visit corso.com to see Intelligent management in motion and Infios. At Infios, they unite warehousing, transportation and order management into a seamless, adaptable network. Infios helps you stay ahead from promise to delivery and every step in between.
To learn more, visit infios.com and finally, Ocampo Capital Ocampo Capital is a venture capital firm founded by retail executives with the aim of helping early stage consumer businesses succeed through investment and operational support. Learn more@ocampo capital.com hello, you are listening to Omnitalk’s Retail Fast Five, ranked in the top 10% of all podcasts globally and currently the only retail podcast ranked in the top 100 of all business podcasts on Apple Podcasts. The Retail Fast five is the podcast that we hope makes you feel a little smarter, but most importantly, a little happier each week too. And the Fast 5 is just one of the many great podcasts you can find from the Omnitalk Retail Podcast Network alongside our Retail Daily Minute which brings you a curated selection of the most important headlines every morning and our Retail Technology Spotlight series which goes deep each week on the latest retail technology Trends. Today is October 8, 2025. I’m one of your hosts, Anne Mezzenga.
00:02:30 Chris Walton
And I’m the other host, Chris Walton.
00:02:32 Anne
And we are here once again to discuss all the top headlines from the past week making waves in the world of omnichannel retailing. But before we get to the headlines, I just want to take a moment, Chris, to make a quick programming note because we put out a few things of content last week. Just a couple. Couple things.
00:02:49 Chris Walton
Just a few. Just a Schmidt mattering.
00:02:51 Anne
Just a few. But if you have not already, make sure to go back either on YouTube, on LinkedIn, on our podcast platforms, wherever you get your podcast to catch all of the content that we did from Grocery Shop last week. There were some tremendous interviews and also one of our favourites was the Grocery Shop takeaway podcast that we just put out late last week. But it’s a great recap for everybody who was or was in that grocery shop to get a good taste of what was covered at that show. And Chris, one of the interviews that we captured last week is extra special because it’s this month’s Omnistar. So Chris, take it away.
00:03:31 Chris Walton
Oh, yes, and yes it is. It’s time to give out this month’s Omnistar. And for those new to the podcast, our Omnistar award is the award we give out each month in partnership with our good friends at Corso to recognise the top omnichannel operators out there. Not the pundits, not the so called experts, but the real life retail operators making a difference in their organisations. Corso’s AI co pilot coaches retail leaders to optimise store performance at every level, transform retail operations from data overload into data powered with Corso. And this month we are excited to give the award to Prabhash Khaswati, the Chief Operating Officer at Heritage Grocers. Prabhash is winning this month’s award because we love the true omnichannel bend he is bringing to his role as CEO and the complexities involved in running and which is really in essence a grocery chain across four distinct and different banners. So kudos to Prabhash. Congratulations on him being named this month’s Omnistar.
00:04:29 Anne
Yes, for sure. An interview to go back and listen to. Really impressive what he’s doing. Like you said, Chris, across four different banners that are highly specialised retailers. So definitely one to, to listen to and to hear kind of his advice for how he’s approaching 20, 26 and the year ahead. So congrats.
00:04:50 Chris Walton
Yeah, I think if memory serves right. And he even, he even runs a tortilla factory, right? Like that’s part of his job descript, running, running the operations of a tortilla factory. So yes. So for all those CEOs out there in retail, like put that one in your cap, you know, that’s a tough, that’s a tough ask. All right. But in this week’s Fast5, we’ve got news on PayPal offering cash back with BNPL purchases, Bed Bath, launching a nationwide franchise system, Ship’s new chat to cart feature and Shein’s plans to enter bricks and mortar retailing. But we begin today with big private label news out of Amazon and yes.
00:05:24 Anne
Chris, headline number one is that Amazon has launched a price conscious grocery brand with Most products under $5. According to CNBC, the brand is called Amazon Grocery and includes more than 1,000 items ranging from dairy, fresh produce, meat and seafood to snacks and baking essentials, the company said in a press release. Amazon said that the new offering unites its Happy Belly and Amazon Fresh brands all under one label. This is not the first time that Amazon has experimented with budget friendly grocery brand also launched a similar offering last September called Amazon Saver that was also quote focused on value. End quote. Chris, what do you make of Amazon’s latest private label push?
00:06:08 Chris Walton
Honestly, nothing. You know, to me this is, this is really a nothing story. At the end of the day it’s a soundbite. The fact that Amazon has to go back to the well in a private brand for value items after being in business for almost 30 years when you think about it. And that, that says to me, and I’m paraphrasing here, wow, how lost is Amazon’s grocery strategy right now? I mean that is, that is what comes to mind for me, I guess, I guess, you know, if I step back, don’t I try to look glass half full? You know, it’s somewhat a continuation of the theme of resetting the table. I think that’s what we’ve seen from Jason Beechle, the new head of Amazon’s grocery strategy here over the last probably six months, probably not even that long really. It’s probably been like three or four months, I don’t remember exactly. But that’s what this is. It’s a reset of the table. But this move with the enticing brand name, which I actually kind of chuckled when you read it of Amazon Grocery, that that’s the private label’s brand name that doesn’t set my hair on fire. Not, not in one way, shape or form and I don’t think it does for the average shopper either. But I don’t know. What do you think?
00:07:11 Anne
Have you tried any of those? Like I haven’t tried any of the Amazon, the Happy Belly products. I have not been an Amazon grocery shopper enough to, to know like quality wise or you know, like that’s the, that’s again like the number one thing that I question is like what was wrong with the previous lines that they have to reconfigure this and very overt.
00:07:34 Chris Walton
You have to make the very overt call out that it’s like associated with grocery. That’s what you’re saying?
00:07:38 Anne
Yeah, well, I, Yeah, I guess I’m just curious like what was, what was not working about the previous one. And I still think that they’re going to have to work harder to make this a recognisable game. Like it or brand. I wonder like with Jason be like they had the, the 365 brand in some of the Amazon Fresh stores. Like, why wouldn’t you just like pull that in to be the brand that already has a brand reputation? It’s associated with good quality. Like something to me seems off that they wouldn’t just like try to, I don’t know, bring these things together a little bit more versus starting something all over again. Especially because yes, your shoppers are going to be trained to look for an off brand or a private label brand for value, which we know is happening at a multitude of other retailers. But I just, I’m curious, like it’s not going to work the same way as it does in hardware and electronics and even clothing with like Amazon Essentials. I think you have to go with a brand that means something and that has quality. And starting from scratch doesn’t seem like the right move.
00:08:39 Chris Walton
Yeah, no, and I can answer your one question. I mean, the reason you can’t go 365 is because that’s Whole Foods brands and Whole Foods private label brands are positioned upmarket and this is deliberately a soundbite to get the under $5 in there. So that’s, that’s why, that’s why you can’t go that way. But I guess, like, how is this different than what came before? Which I think is what I was saying too, essentially, which is like, what’s the real news here? That you just created a new name for it and you’re trying to get people to re.
00:09:05 Anne
Re.
00:09:05 Chris Walton
Engage with something that you’ve probably been doing for quite a long time. You know, for the most part.
00:09:11 Anne
Yeah. It just seems weird that they’re like the whole message from Whole Foods at Grocery Shop was like, we’re going down market because we want to try to offer value. We’re going to push private label. Like they’re two companies. Like they’re, they’re merging in some areas but not in others. And it’s just like it, it’s confusing to me as a consumer and as somebody who does this for a living.
00:09:33 Chris Walton
Like, I’m just not clear 100%, right? Like, yeah, you’re right. Like, if you said to me, like, hey, we’re taking 365 down market and we’re putting a lot of under $5 products in whole Foods, sure, that’s at least. That’s one strategy I can get behind. It makes or not maybe get behind, but I think it makes sense. It’s like more clear. But when you’re doing this, it’s just like you’re half pregnant on everything and it’s just like you’re meandering about and you don’t know which way your arms are flailing. Whatever, Whatever. Anachronism. Anachronism is not the right word, but whatever, you know, analogy I want to draw here. Right? All right, well, let’s keep moving. Headline number two, PayPal is tying buy Now Pay later to Cash back. According to payments dive. PayPal holdings said Monday it’s giving consumers a 5% cash credit on Buy Now Pay later purchases online and in physical stores through year end as the company looks to expand its quote Omnichannel strategy. I love that we have to still quote Omnichannel and, and expand instalment lending to more bricks and mortar mortar merchants. PayPal have used its first BNPL cashback promotion as a way to entice more shoppers to try the loans and to reduce card abandonment for retailers during the holiday shopping period. Michelle Gill, PayPal’s general manager of small business and financial services, said earlier this week. And you are all aflutter coming out of Grocery Shop about bnpl. Why was that, first of all? And second of all, why do you think PayPal’s cash back? What do you think? I’m sorry, what do you think PayPal’s cash back incentives say about shopping for the holidays?
00:11:03 Anne
Yeah, I, I think one of my. We said this in the Takeaways podcast, but for those who weren’t there to catch that, one of the most surprising stats or data points from Grocery Shop for me was when I was sitting at a dinner with a mass retailer and this individual told me that, you know, they created a BNPL programme for their customers that they thought was going to be for the things that, that PayPal’s talking about here for the holiday shop for the investment in a patio set, you know, come the summertime. But what they were seeing the most sales from this BNPL platform were in areas like fresh products, essentials, things that people need to spend money on day to day, not these big purchases. So I think that was a very telling stat for me about the future of BNPL and about the current state of the consumer. And I think on one hand, what PayPal is doing is great because it’s allowing individuals who can’t get access to a credit card, they don’t have the credit, they are living month to month and they need some way to make their, their paycheck stretch. It is allowing them to be able to afford to feed families. And I think that the cashback thing is an interesting incentive here because typically that’s something we see from a credit card. That’s something that we see, you know, that’s a reason to get a Chase card over an American except Express. So I think this is going to make PayPal’s buy now pay later very sticky because consumers are going to get some of those same benefits that they would get toward a credit card. But now with Buy Now Pay later and makes them much more loyal to using PayPal’s version of buy Now Pay later over anything else because they get that money back in their pocket and that’s where, that’s the situation that they’re in right now. But Chris, you’ve long been talking about this as a Buy now, pay later opportunity. What do you think of this?
00:12:56 Chris Walton
Yeah, I mean, I’m not, I’m not surprised that we’re, you know, at this point at all. I mean, Adobe just out their numbers for buying BNPL in total for the industry yesterday in terms of what they’re expecting online. And it’s, you know, at record, record paces too. So, you know, this is actually probably one of the best shots I ever called. You know, when I first heard about BNPL back in 2017, the first article I ever wrote for Retail Dive was talking about how I predicted a world in which you just described with that mass merchant, that people would start using it for everything, especially for the items that take up the majority of your monthly budget. So, yeah, the 5%. The other point I’d make too, this is, this is a really compelling deal. 5% cash back. That’s incredibly compelling. That’s an incredible rate of return on your holiday shopping and you get the ability to defer your payments too. So, yeah, so, I mean, it just shows you that it’s here, it’s coming. You know, we called it eight years ago and yeah, not surprised one bit.
00:13:54 Anne
All right, let’s move on to headline number three, Chris. Bed Bath and Beyond plans to launch a nationwide franchise system according to Chain Storage, the company which also owns Overstock, Bye Bye Baby and A blockchain asset portfolio said it plans to launch a national franchise system that will allow Bed, Bath and Beyond to operate a smaller footprint of corporate space stores nationwide, along with a complimentary franchise network. Franchise documentation is expected to be finalised within the next six months and franchise locations will feature turnkey formats of a traditional Bed Bath and Beyond, including home kitchen, living storage and organisation, and a holiday shop, all designed with a neighbourhood feel. Chris, would you advise people to rush out and invest in opening a Bed Bath and Beyond franchise store?
00:14:42 Chris Walton
Candidly and no. I think, I think this is the single. I’m going to go, I’m going to go on a massive rant here. I think this is the single dumbest idea I’ve ever heard of in the history of this show, of eight years of doing this show, I think this is the single dumbest idea I’ve ever heard of. Buyer beware, folks. That’s all I’ve got to say. I wouldn’t touch a Bed Bath and Beyond franchise and with a 10 foot pole for all the reasons I feel like for, if you’ve been with us for a long time, for all the reasons we’ve talked about ad nauseam, you know, I mean, Bed Bath and Beyond just went bankrupt, for crying out loud. I can’t even believe this is an actual story when I get down to things. So, like, what evidence is there that the leadership at Bed Bath and Beyond knows how to rinse and repeat a going concern, Home furnishings, retail operation. There’s zero evidence of that, people. The space is just too competitive. And the reason Bed Bath and Beyond went bankrupt, for those that may not remember, but I’m sure you do because it just happened, is because it doesn’t have a reason for being in the market. It’s too competitive. So no, and I am selling this harder than a thousand thread cat sheets. That’s, that’s, that’s my take here.
00:15:49 Anne
I was trying to find some purpose in this. I was trying to dig and it took me a lot. I was really, really stretching, trying to think like, is there like operational things? Like maybe if I’m an independent firm, you know, home furnishings bedding retailer in a small town like this gives me access to a point of sale system. It gives me access to maybe a marketplace play down the road, I don’t know. However, then I’m like, there’s Shopify, like there’s a lot of other ways that as a retailer, as an independent retailer right now I’m set up to succeed. And then I think about again, like how Much search with a large language model is going to impact where people are shopping. And do you still need a Bed Bath and Beyond plat platform to like help you show up better in search results? I don’t think that is the case. I think like there’s other platforms that are much more accessible to independent retailers to help them be successful, especially from a technology standpoint than buying a franchise on top of all of that. So I, I, I don’t understand Bed Bath and Beyond. I’m really curious to see what kind of adoption they get and who those retailers are. So that’s what I’m going to be watching. Like who, who makes this move and decides to do this and why? Like what, what benefit are they getting from it?
00:17:10 Chris Walton
Yeah, you’re just throwing your money away in my opinion. So I’m curious, and before we move on, like in the history of bad ideas of the show for you, is this like top 10% of all time bad ideas on the show, you know, in the middle of the bell curve? Like am I over exaggerating it or are you kind of on the same page as me?
00:17:28 Anne
I mean people are going to do it. So that’s what, that’s again why I said, I mean they wouldn’t be doing this if they didn’t have a few fish on the line. Like I think, I think that that’s, that’s why I said like that. To me it doesn’t make sense as an independent business owner who has franchised something, like I would not be buying this, I would not be investing in it because there’s not enough return. But some people are going to. And that’s what I want to focus on. Why and what benefit do you see this is going to bring you?
00:17:58 Chris Walton
Yeah, I don’t know. I’m super sceptical that anyone’s going to buy into this. At least I hope not. But anyway. But you know the guy, the guy running Bed Bath and Beyond, he’s a, he’s a slick dealer for sure. All right, headline number four. Shipt has launched a chat to cart feature. Jesus. Shipt and chat to cart in one sentence, that’s really hard. According to progressive grocer, retail tech company Shipt is partnering with software company Perplexity and its new browser in a move that promises to enhance the grocery shopping experience by assisting with same day delivery and encouraging discovery of new and trending products. By leveraging perplexity, Comet C O M E T Shipt aims to assist consumers with cart building and shave additional time from their shopping process. By powering product discovery and cart curation with artificial intelligence. Quote Everything we create at Shipt is in service of blending human warmth with technological innovation, said Katie Stratton, Chief growth Office Chief growth and Strategy Officer at Shipt. And for those curious, also no relation to Ricky Stratton of Silver Spoons. And are you buying or selling ship’s chat to cart functionality with perplexity?
00:19:10 Anne
I think that I’m buying the idea but I still think there’s too much friction from the customer standpoint and I understand the, the tightrope that Shipt is walking. They wanted to be first to market with this and so you have to decide like are you going to be first to market with some hurdles for the customer still or are you going to wait until it’s 100% seamless process and then roll it out to consumers being shipped? I think I would have waited, I think I would have done the latter because they are, they have not historically been a first to market company with their, their concept. Well I think that their, their consumers are going to not use it like if they have to go out to another application they have to you know, comment on their phones like they are in ships because it’s an easy thing for them. They have reliable, you know, pickers for their products and shoppers. So to me I think like this is a great idea down the road because I think it, it benefits everyone. You know, it gets if they did have Comet installed or as part of their go to search engine it gets comment and perplexity, more traffic for other things outside of grocery store. And then for the ship shopper it becomes more simple for them to pick up their goods and not have to put as much work into every single week putting together that grocery list. But I for right now I really think that it’s just going to be too early and too hard for the ship shoppers to ship consumers I should say to grasp right now. So I’m worried it’s going to, it’s going to not have the impact that they want it to. Big PR headline for them for being progressive but not going to have the shopper impact.
00:20:53 Chris Walton
But what do you think? You said it. I 100% agree with you. 100% agree with you. That’s what I wrote in my notes. I said seems like a headline that sounds more innovative than it actually is and it’s because you want the PR from it. And the other point, knowing the Big Red as we do and is, you know, I worry about you know getting a false negative on this because no one’s going to use it potentially. And then, you know, the leadership’s gonna go, well, why do we invest in that? Well, because you did it the wrong way. You know, you probably should have done it inside the Shipt app to make this easier for them, you know, can make those connections happen the way you want to or figure out how to do this in a way that has a better user experience. Because. Because you’re right. No, very few people are going to do this, I think. But despite, you know, all the fervour over perplexity comment this week on social media, I think it’s still, it’s still a big ass to get people to acclimate to this in. In my opinion.
00:21:46 Anne
And they launched this, like, did they launch this at Shop Talk fall or. They announced it and it was like it was just so slow to come out. Which. Yeah, I don’t know. I feel like. I feel like this is just. It’s the right idea. Right idea. Just wrong timing and execution. So.
00:22:03 Chris Walton
Yeah. Yeah. First when I heard about, I was like, oh, this is cool. And then I read about. I’m like, no, it’s not. And so it’s like, I know, I know I want to get on board with something. I just can’t.
00:22:15 Anne
I know, I know. Well, hopefully people will think it’s cool and download the, the. I keep wanting to call. Call it Capstone. It’s Comet. They’ll download Comet and they’ll try it. Yes, right?
00:22:30 Chris Walton
There’s so many new words to everything. Oh my God.
00:22:32 Anne
I know, I know. Okay, Headline number five. Chris Sheehan is making its first permanent move into physical retail. According to Chain Storage, the Asian online fast fashion giant will pilot six shop and shops across France starting at BHV Marais in Paris, followed by five more to be open in Galleries Lafayette stores. Reported by fashion network.com in the opening of the shops, Sheehan has teamed up with Society Day grand magazine. I’m. This is awful. I cannot. I’m sorry. Every friend listening.
00:23:05 Chris Walton
Yeah. For those listening, I purposely put this headline number five instead of number four so Ann would have to read it.
00:23:11 Anne
Oh my gosh. It’s just. I’m. I mean, cover your ears, people. Anyway, the retail property company that operates BHV Marais and several Galleries Lafayette stores following sale and affiliation agreements with the Galleries Lafayette group. The report said, Chris, this is also going to be our A. M. Put you on the spot. And hopefully they are not French speakers. And putting any more French words. Words into this headline.
00:23:41 Chris Walton
Actually more. I could have put in here than I did. And actually.
00:23:44 Anne
Oh, I know there were a lot of them in there. There were a lot of them in there when this headline came across. All right, Chris, A and M wants to know, in the age of digital first shopping, what will it take for Shein and other retailers looking to follow suit to reimagine brick and mortar as a strategic extension of fast fashion and consumer immediacy?
00:24:03 Chris Walton
That’s.
00:24:04 Anne
Go ahead.
00:24:06 Chris Walton
Yeah, that’s a really interesting question. It’s a different angle than I expected to take on it. You know, I, I actually, I like this move from Sheehan and I think, you know, on a scale of one to ten, I think I’d probably put it at six and a half. I think this, I think the headline’s a little misleading because it’s saying they’re opening up a bricks and mortar operation permanently. Which, based on what I’m reading in the tea leaves, it sounds like they’re just, you know, being placed inside a department store more. So would you agree? Like a shop and shop inside a traditional department store.
00:24:36 Anne
So it’s probably more very. Yeah, very common in France. I mean, there is lots of shop and shops from, you know, boutiques for fragrance to independent designers. Like, that’s a very common thing where you would have a permanent setup in all these French department stores. So yes, that makes complete sense. But I wouldn’t call it a pop up necessarily or like temporary at all.
00:24:59 Chris Walton
Yeah, no, it sounds like it’s a permanent. I mean their emphasis was on it’s a permanent location. Now that was a key thing. So like the, you know, so. But the point I don’t know is like, is it a wholesale relationship with the department store or is it like they’re buying the inventory and running the shop in shop, so to speak. But here’s the thing, here’s the thing. I, I don’t think it actually matters. And so that’s what I like about this is it’s showing. Sheen is saying, look, we’ve got this really unique capability with our technology and our manufacturing infrastructure to understand potentially better than other people what items people are going to want for the upcoming season. And then we’re going to take a position on them, either with you via wholesale or on our own via the shop and shop to understand how much value we can extract from the marketplace. I think that’s the lesson here to be learned that is really intriguing to me. And, and that’s, I think what inherently gets at A M’s question is there’s a lot to there’s a lot to think about within this headline and I think that’s really important when you think about, okay, what does she inhabit its disposal, what is it doing and where can it go? And so that, that’s my take here.
00:26:08 Anne
I think this is a brilliant idea for more reasons than that. I mean, I think it gets you traffic. I mean there’s a certain customer that can go into these French department stores and when your, your other galleries or your other shop and shops like I was talking about earlier are Cezanne or Louis Vay or Diptyque, like that’s a high price point. I think what you’re able to do now is you’re getting those aspirational shoppers in there with Sheehan and you’re giving them something that they can take away from this very luxurious, high end shopping experience that’s not going to break the bank. I mean, we started to see this when you and I were in Paris a couple of years ago and they started bringing resale into some of these stores and like Samaritan had like a whole area of resale on one of the floors and so that you could start to get people starting to enjoy some of these products and that shopping experience and then maybe coming in for like a gifting thing or for the holidays and shopping at the other stores that are available. But I think this is a brilliant thing. It gives Shein so much more data about how shoppers and where their shoppers are shopping in person in physical retail. Not to mention there is also the sustainability angle of this, Chris. And I think that this could be an interesting play that they didn’t really touch on in the article. But she is under so much, well, she is under so much pressure for the textiles waste that they’re putting out into the world because of their rapid manufacturing. If people get the products at home, it’s not easy to exchange that or not worth the money to exchange it. So they just end up becoming waste. And so I’m curious to see that if they have these shop and shops, will they start to see people coming in for a scenario where they might be able to bring in their Shein product that they didn’t like or, or was the wrong size or didn’t fit as they expected and then that could be recycled and they get a credit to shop the Shein in the store or something like that. Like, I still think that France especially is going to be very tight on Sheehan and watching the waste that they, they put out from being in physical retail there. So I think that could be an interesting play for them too, to start to test and see, like what kinds of things can we do in store that reduce our, our, our sustainability footprint.
00:28:21 Chris Walton
So that’s another thing you had me up until, sustainability. I think putting fast fashion into more stores and more units through that fast fashion process has me a little sceptical of that argument. But I 100% agree with everything you said up until that point.
00:28:34 Anne
Okay, well, let’s go on to the lightning round then. All right, question number one. Chris Ninja has been working alongside Baby List to get their products like espresso and coffee machines added to baby registries. What unconventional product would you have added to your baby registry?
00:28:53 Chris Walton
Oh man, this is where I’m like feel like I’m giving away my merchandise savvy for free and like actually came up with this idea and, and I think I, I mean, I don’t know why this hasn’t been done. If I was, if I was a baby registry, I’d call up fanatics and get a partnership with them. Because every dad wants to buy his kid, you know, some onesie.
00:29:11 Anne
And mom, whatever. And mom.
00:29:12 Chris Walton
And mom. And mom. Yes. And their kid could be a boy, whatever, you know, whatever. I’m not gonna go that down that road. But, you know, everyone wants to buy. Not everyone, but actually I shouldn’t say everyone. Large majority of parents will buy their kids a Wednesday onesie to support their local favourite team or whatever.
00:29:31 Anne
Yes.
00:29:32 Chris Walton
Sports team or college team that they happen to root for. So that would be what I would do. So target, if you’re listening, go do, do a deal with fanatics to get fanatics to get baby gear on your registry.
00:29:43 Anne
Awesome.
00:29:44 Chris Walton
All right. And in the dating world, people. Are zip coding a practise that involves dating only people within a particular zip code? Is this a practise you have ever used in the past? I’m curious. And would you advise it now or do you think it limits love?
00:30:00 Anne
No, I think this is a great idea. I think really? Back in the. Yeah, of course back in the day when I was doing Tinder when I was single, like I definitely put like a 20 mile ra radius. I don’t want to be driving an hour like that. It’s too much. If, I mean, maybe if you were trying for years and you couldn’t find the right person, then sure. But I think zip coding feels like, especially in this day, in this day and age and if you are a single parent with kids, which I was like, no way. I do not have time to drive Two hours away to find love. Sorry.
00:30:33 Chris Walton
Wow. Well, I got. I got two Omnitok juniors that would totally disagree with that. Because if I had taken that approach, I would not have met my wife. For those that know, you know, I married, I dated and married my wife long distance. So zip coding. If I had practised it, my life would be very, very different. So I don’t know. I feel like it limits love. That’s my take.
00:30:52 Anne
Okay. All right, Chris, question number three. Frank’s Red Hot just released a line of gummy bears. Will you try them, yes or no?
00:31:02 Chris Walton
Absolutely not. I hate gummy bears.
00:31:03 Anne
Oh, no. Cinnamon bears.
00:31:06 Chris Walton
Nope. I hate them. I hate them. I. I love Frank’s Red Hot too. Like, I’m all in on Frank’s Red Hot, but the, the, the fact that the gummy bear supersedes that. My distaste for it. No, absolutely not. I take it you would.
00:31:17 Anne
You.
00:31:17 Chris Walton
You would try these.
00:31:18 Anne
I mean, this. I love a cinnamon bear and I feel like they wouldn’t be too far off from a cinnamon bear. So, yes, I would try them. Or like those, those Tajin covered, like, mango slices. Those are really good too. So, yes, I’m all for this. The spicy. The spicy and sweet together. I’ll do it.
00:31:36 Chris Walton
Frank’s Red Hot isn’t at all cinnamony, though. It’s more vinegary.
00:31:39 Anne
No. Yeah, but I think I could do it, like. Oh, I’d try it. I’d give it a shot.
00:31:47 Chris Walton
Try it.
00:31:47 Anne
Oh, my God.
00:31:48 Chris Walton
I don’t. No. Not, not. Not touching my palette and. All right, last one. Kroger had to recall two varieties of deli pasta salads because of possible listeria contamination. Rank the following salads you would eat in order of preference at a summer barbecue. Pasta salad, egg salad, and potato salad, 1 through 3. Which ones would you most likely eat?
00:32:12 Anne
I would not eat any of these. I’m not a salad person at a barbecue because that. It just grosses me out. But if I had to, I would do pasta, potato and egg, probably in that order. Would you eat it? Would you eat a. No. They’re just out in the sun and people touched them and licked the spoons. I just know.
00:32:33 Chris Walton
Does your answer change if you’re not at a barbecue? What if you just happen to be, like, shopping and putting them in your fridge at home? Okay, what’s that answer?
00:32:41 Anne
So that answer would probably be egg, potato pasta.
00:32:47 Chris Walton
Okay.
00:32:47 Anne
The reverse order.
00:32:48 Chris Walton
Potato, egg, pasta.
00:32:50 Anne
Yeah, I feel like it’s. Yeah. The heat and summer barbecue with all the mayonnaise base in all of Those things. No, thank you. It’s a recipe for disaster.
00:33:01 Chris Walton
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you like. Do you like a yellow potato salad or a white potato salad?
00:33:05 Anne
Oh, I do either. I’m not like, a huge potato salad person, so I’m. I don’t know. Do you care? Do you have a preference?
00:33:13 Chris Walton
Potato salad? I like a little. Definitely like some egg in my potato salad. You know, like the potato salads that aren’t very eggy. Not my thing.
00:33:21 Anne
Okay, so, like, mustard based. Like, you want the potato salad for to be, like, mixed with mustard, mayonnaise, and the egg yolks so that it’s like a yellow hue?
00:33:30 Chris Walton
I think so, Yeah. A yellow hue. A yellow hue always works better for me.
00:33:34 Anne
Okay, okay.
00:33:35 Chris Walton
Gives me the confidence that. That it’s in the range of things that I want.
00:33:38 Anne
Yeah, fair. Fair enough. Fair enough. Okay. Good to know in case you want to buy crisp potato salad.
00:33:43 Chris Walton
Yeah, yeah. You know, please send them my way. I love a good potato salad. All right. On that eggy note, happy birthday today to Chevy Chase, Sigourney Weaver, and to the man who just may be, and I think he may be the most underappreciated actor in Hollywood, Matt Damon. Yes, it’s Matt Damon. It’s Good Will Hunting’s birthday. And today’s podcast was produced with the help and support of Ella Searjord. Thanks to her for making Anne and I look and sound great. And remember, if you can only read or listen to one retail blog in the business, Make It Omnitok the only retail media outlet run by two former executives from a current top 10 US retailer. Our Fast Five podcast is the quickest, fastest rundown of all the week’s top news in our daily newsletter. The Retail Daily Minute tells you all you need to know each day to stay on top of your game as a retail executive and also regularly feature special content that is exclusive to us and that Ann and I take a lot of pride in doing just for you. Thanks as always for listening in. Please remember to like and leave us a review wherever you happen to listen to your podcast or on YouTube. You can follow us today by simply going to YouTube.com omnitalk retail. So until next week, on behalf of all of us at Omnitalk Retail, on behalf of Ann, Ella, and myself, as always, be careful out there.
Omni Talk® is the retail blog for retailers, written by retailers. Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga founded Omni Talk® in 2017 and have quickly turned it into one of the fastest growing blogs in retail.