Airport Theory, Stuffed Crust Wars & Retail Throwbacks – This Week in Consumer Trends!
🚀 In this week's Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, and Ocampo Capital, we break down the viral Airport Theory TikTok trend (would you show up 15 minutes before your flight?!), the Domino’s stuffed crust debate, and the return of nostalgic retail brands like Limited Too! Plus, which pancakes reign supreme?
For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/rTReEPz6yR8
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Transcript
Question one, Chris.
Speaker A:A viral trend on TikTok dubbed the airport theory, suggests arriving at the airport just 15 minutes before your flight to clear security, which I know would basically give you a heart attack.
Speaker A:This concept has taken off online, racking up 400 million views, and unsurprisingly, it's already led to plenty of missed flights.
Speaker A:Chris, what do you feel is the appropriate amount of time to arrive at the airport before a flight?
Speaker B:I'm curious why you're asking me this question, because I know who you traveled with this past week.
Speaker B:And then also, I think, I think it would also potentially give you a heart attack to show up 50 minutes early before.
Speaker A:Oh, 15 minutes is not.
Speaker A:That's, that's.
Speaker A:That's like, not okay.
Speaker A:I could not do this.
Speaker A:But, but I think, I think I'm.
Speaker A:I have more level, A higher level of comfort with going a little bit closer to the departure time.
Speaker A:But what is your, what is your recommended airport arrival time?
Speaker B:Minimum two hours and minimum two hours.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:You, you eradicate virtually all risks that can be presented to you if you leave two hours.
Speaker B:Because you can.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker B:You, you, you eliminate the traffic risk, the security line risk, and worst case scenario, you relax, you have a beer, you get some work done.
Speaker B:Particularly if you got.
Speaker B:If you're a Delta Sky Lounge member, like, that's always a big plus.
Speaker B:I'm surprised.
Speaker B:And you love Delta Skyline so much, I'm surprised you're not there five hours early or.
Speaker B:Oh, they only let you get in three hours early now.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So, yeah, so, yeah, so that, that's my take.
Speaker B:But what's, what's your, like, what's.
Speaker B:You, what's your legitimate time where you feel comfortable?
Speaker B:I'm curious.
Speaker A:I would say, like, as long as I have an hour before the flight leaves, I'm good in an hour.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:So you leave your house like an hour and 15 minutes before the flight takes off.
Speaker B:That's what you're saying?
Speaker A:Yeah, I want to be at the airport no less than or with an hour before my flight takes off.
Speaker A:It gives me enough time to go to security and basically walk right on the plane.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:So that's.
Speaker B:Yeah, that would stress.
Speaker B:That would stress me the F out.
Speaker B:I'm never doing that.
Speaker B:I'm never leaving an hour because traffic would just drive me mental.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:Domino's on Monday announced that customers can now order cheese filled crust at all locations in the U.S.
Speaker B:join the ranks of pizza chains that already offer it.
Speaker B:And where do you stand on stuffing your pizza crust?
Speaker A:Oh, my God, I love it so much.
Speaker A:My body does not tolerate cheese.
Speaker A:Stuffed crust pizza, and the cheese on the pizza, I will not be feeling well after, but.
Speaker A:Oh, my God.
Speaker A:I remember when this came out when I was in grade school, the first stuffed crust.
Speaker A:Oh, my God.
Speaker A:I was.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:I loved it all the time.
Speaker A:It made me sick.
Speaker A:But it was so good, so delicious.
Speaker A:But what about you?
Speaker A:Are you.
Speaker A:Where are you from?
Speaker B:I'm not a stuffed crust guy.
Speaker B:No, never have been.
Speaker B:Never.
Speaker A:As long as it's cooked all the way.
Speaker A:Like, that's the other thing too, when you just get, like, a mozzarella cheese stick that's, like, still solid in your crust.
Speaker A:No, no, no.
Speaker A:But if it's, like, melted properly.
Speaker B:Yeah, Too much room for error.
Speaker B:And pizza's already great.
Speaker B:Like, pizza's already awesome.
Speaker B:I don't need pizza to be made more awesome.
Speaker B:You know, that's.
Speaker B:That's how I look at it.
Speaker A:Oh, my God.
Speaker A:All right, question number three.
Speaker A:After releasing its first capsule collection in larger sizes for the holidays, Limited 2 is rolling out more clothing for adults in an effort to capture millennial nostalgia.
Speaker A:Chris, what store from your youth would have to come back to take advantage of your Gen X nostalgia?
Speaker B:Oh, God, that.
Speaker B:That's really hard.
Speaker B:Like, I can't think of any stores that I really missed that much, you.
Speaker A:Know, like, Structure or like Hot Topic or anything.
Speaker A:No, no, no, no.
Speaker B:Not.
Speaker B:I mean, Tower Records, maybe just because it'd be cool to see one again, but I can't think of anyone that's a good one.
Speaker B:Do you have.
Speaker B:Do you have one?
Speaker B:I mean, I can't, honestly.
Speaker B:I, I, I was racking.
Speaker B:I'm racking my brain.
Speaker B:I can't think of anything.
Speaker B:I mean, Delia, like, Structure.
Speaker B:Like, come on.
Speaker B:Like, like, I really need structure back in my life.
Speaker B:And that's the first one you came up with?
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:I mean, I feel like that's a fun.
Speaker A:It's a fun class.
Speaker B:I need a Hot Topic.
Speaker B:I'm racing over to a Hot Topic today.
Speaker B:Yeah, I mean, I would.
Speaker B:I wouldn't even wait in line for that, you know?
Speaker A:Oh, my God.
Speaker A:I would.
Speaker A:Delia's.
Speaker A:If Delia's opened a store.
Speaker A:I mean, I've been looking at.
Speaker A:I've been getting served up those Instagram ads of, like, the Delia's prom dresses and, like, some of the outfits, and I'm loving every minute of it.
Speaker A:It's so ridiculous.
Speaker B:Oh, my God.
Speaker B:All right, all right, well, last one.
Speaker B:This one's a fun one.
Speaker B:Ihop gave away free pancakes yesterday for National Pancake Day.
Speaker B:What is your favorite type of pancake?
Speaker B:And blueberry chocolate chip, red velvet.
Speaker B:Do tell.
Speaker A:I am a pancake purist.
Speaker A:I just want very thin.
Speaker B:I knew you were going to go that direction.
Speaker A:Pancakes, very thin.
Speaker A:Like, I want them to be thin and kind of doughy and like, not.
Speaker A:Not really the thick.
Speaker A:Like, I don't like the big, thick pancakes.
Speaker B:Very thin German pancake kind of thing.
Speaker A:Not like a crate.
Speaker A:Not like a crep.
Speaker A:Crepe.
Speaker A:That's how you say it.
Speaker A:Not like that thin, but like the thinnest of what could technically still be considered a pancake.
Speaker A:That's what I want.
Speaker B:Got it.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Nice.
Speaker B:Nice.
Speaker A:What.
Speaker A:What is yours now?
Speaker A:I'm curious.
Speaker B:What's mine?
Speaker B:Mine's chocolate chip.
Speaker B:I gotta go with chocolate chip.
Speaker B:I love a good.
Speaker A:Too much.
Speaker A:It's too much sugar with like, you put in with all the maple syrup on it and stuff too.
Speaker B:No, I can go without maple syrup, but okay.
Speaker B:Yeah, but I.
Speaker B:I figured you were a pancake purist with good alliteration to end the show.
Speaker A:Yes, I am a pancake purist.
Speaker B:Does this doesn't surprise me one bit.
