Hello Omni Talk Fans!
This week, I welcomed back our resident talent expert, Jenn Hahn, founder and CEO of J Recruiting Services, and I couldn’t have picked a better week to have her on.
Between Amazon cutting jobs, AI changing the way retailers think about hiring, and the holiday shopping season apparently starting earlier every year, we had plenty to talk about.
And Jenn came with some interesting perspective on what she’s seeing in the recruiting world as retailers start planning for 2027. One of my favorite points from our conversation? Just because AI makes your employees more productive doesn’t necessarily mean you should immediately start cutting headcount. In fact, you might just be setting them up to burn out even faster.
We also handed out this month’s OmniStar Award, presented in partnership with Quorso, to Kevin Iverson, Zone Training Director at Family Dollar, for his longstanding support of Omni Talk and contributions to the retail industry.
Here’s what Jenn and I covered, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Quorso, Veloq, and SmartScout:
Is October The New Black Friday?
Amazon’s October Prime Big Deal Days helped drive $9.86 billion in U.S. online spending, up from $9.09 billion last year. Shoppers stocked up on everything from electronics to household essentials, and more than a third said they had already completed at least half their holiday shopping. (Source)
Jenn and I both found that last statistic particularly interesting. Are consumers actually spending more, or are they simply moving their holiday purchases earlier to take advantage of discounts? With inflation still weighing on household budgets, there’s a real question about what this means for November and December. I’ve said before that Prime Day sometimes feels like the tree falling in the woods, but the bigger story here may be what happens to Black Friday. Lowe’s is already starting its Black Friday deals in October, and Jenn raised an interesting question: Five years from now, will Black Friday even be a thing, or will retailers just run deals throughout Q4?
Amazon Cuts Jobs, But What About AI?
Amazon is restructuring its Stores business, which includes Amazon.com and Whole Foods, impacting hundreds of employees despite its online store sales growing 15% year over year in Q2. (Source)
This is exactly why I wanted Jenn on the show. As she put it, revenue growth doesn’t necessarily mean headcount growth anymore. Retailers are becoming much more intentional about who they hire, what skills they bring, and how AI fits into the equation. But I worry about what I called the Field of Dreams approach to AI: If I cut the headcount, the AI gains will come. That’s not a strategy. Jenn agreed, emphasizing that the goal shouldn’t simply be doing more with fewer people. It’s about having the right people, processes, and technology in place. And if we’re asking employees to accomplish more, we also need to be thinking about compensation, burnout, and what sustainable productivity actually looks like.
TikTok Goes Agentic
TikTok is introducing an AI-powered Shopping Assistant alongside Buy Direct, a one-click checkout experience that lets users discover products, ask questions, and purchase without ever leaving their For You feed. (Source)
I put Jenn on the spot with a question: Rank TikTok, DoorDash, and Amazon by which will gain the most online market share over the next decade. And, believe it or not, we had the exact same answer: TikTok, DoorDash, Amazon. For me, TikTok has already figured out something incredibly important. It has connected entertainment, inspiration, and shopping better than anyone else. Brands want to be there, consumers are already spending their time there, and now AI could make the entire shopping journey happen within one app. Amazon may still be the biggest player, but that doesn’t mean it can’t lose share as these other platforms grow.
Tractor Supply Puts AI To Work
Tractor Supply has opened its 11th distribution center, an 865,000-square-foot, $200 million-plus facility in Nampa, Idaho, featuring automated storage and retrieval technology and, perhaps most interestingly, its own dedicated AI Innovation Team. The facility will also create approximately 500 full-time jobs, with every team leader receiving training in AI fundamentals. (Source)
I absolutely love this headline. And Jenn did too. Because rather than treating AI as something that belongs exclusively to the technology department, Tractor Supply is putting it directly into the hands of the people running the operation. Jenn pointed out that this is a great example of marrying talent with technology, rather than simply replacing people with automation. And I think Tractor Supply deserves credit for being so public about the approach. If this works, what’s stopping retailers from doing the same thing in their stores? Mark October 14, 2026, down. I think we’re going to see a lot more of this.
Walmart Makes Speed A Membership Perk
Walmart is launching Express Pickup, allowing customers to place curbside orders through its app and pick them up in as little as one hour. The service is already available at 500 stores, with a nationwide rollout planned ahead of Thanksgiving, and comes at no additional fee for Walmart+ members. (Source)
I put Jenn on the spot with a question from A&M: Does speed as a membership perk make Walmart+ the real weapon against Amazon Prime this holiday season? I think it absolutely could. Walmart has something Amazon doesn’t have at the same scale: physical stores that customers can get to when they need something right now. And during the holidays, there’s real psychological value in knowing you can pick something up in an hour rather than crossing your fingers that a delivery arrives on time. Jenn raised the important question of whether enough consumers even know this option exists. But she also shared a story about Walmart saving a family camping trip when her daughter forgot her swimsuit. And that, to me, is exactly the kind of customer experience Walmart should be building on.
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Be careful out there,
Chris and the Omni Talk team
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Omni Talk® is the retail blog for retailers, written by retailers. Chris Walton founded Omni Talk® in 2017 and have quickly turned it into one of the fastest growing blogs in retail.