Hello Omni Talk Fans! This week’s Fast Five attempts to solve an age-old question, one that two consultants, a Harvard MBA, and a fresh out of college twenty-something can’t seem to agree on — is a burrito actually a sandwich?
Yes, guest host Cassie Ryding of A&M called a burrito a sandwich on air, a claim that Producer Ella and her fellow A&M colleague Joanna Rangarajan both shot down immediately, and rightfully so!
Fortunately enough, Cassie made up for this take with some serious mic drop commentary on Target’s ban on synthetic dyes in its cereal aisle. Her insight was so good that I am mad at myself for not thinking of it beforehand.
Here’s a sample of what the four of us discussed on this week’s podcast:
- Target’s synthetic dye ban on cereals: Joanna gave it a 7 out of 10, I bounced between a 5 and an 8, and Cassie dropped the most important question of the whole conversation: is 85% of Target’s cereal already clean? If so, is this more headline than substance?
- Jack Dorsey cuts 40% of Block’s workforce and blames AI: And then he has the audacity to tell corporate America it’s “late.” But is he right? Cassie says retailers are still a few years from this kind of move. Joanna says the bigger risk is thinking he’s wrong.
- Schlotzky’s Deli is back: If you’ve never had a Schlotzky’s, like Joanna and Cassie, I don’t know what to tell you. However, its rebrand and new lean prototype actually could make a lot of sense. But as Cassie put it perfectly: store design is a tool, not a strategy, especially when many people think Scholotzky’s is a dry cleaner.
- Walgreens hybrid pharmacist pilot: This one is deeply personal to me. As a former Target district manager, pharmacists were the most stressed people in my entire workforce. This model is overdue and Cassie, who has spent significant time inside pharmacies, brought receipts.
- IKEA + Decathlon: I’ll say it plainly . . . IKEA is becoming a landlord. And whenever you’re asking yourself, “Am I a retailer or a landlord?” The resulting answer is usually not good news.
There’s all that, plus McDonald’s CEO’s cringeworthy Big Arch taste test video and whether any of us are excited about the Scrubs reboot.
Listen to This Week’s Fast Five Podcast
Be careful out there,
— Chris and the entire Omni Talk team
P.S. I once did a theatrical performance about puns.
It was a play on words.
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.