Alexa+, Publix & Why There’s More Than Meets The Eye To Target And Warby’s New Deal | Fast Five
In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five news roundup, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, and Ocampo Capital, Chris and Anne discussed:
- All the wrinkles surrounding Target and Warby Parker’s new partnership (Source)
- The launch of Alexa+ (Source)
- The deceptive pricing lawsuit against Publix (Source)
- Furniture.com’s unique take on omnichannel commerce (Source)
- And closed with an examination of Walmart Unlimited, Walmart’s new video game shopping experience (Source)
There’s all that, plus “airport theory,” stuffed crust pizza, and what style of pancakes reigns supreme.
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Transcript
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Speaker A:See how Albertsons, BJ's Spartan Nash and Wakefern win with AI and automation@simby Robotics.com that's S I.
Speaker A:And finally, Ocampo Capital.
Speaker A: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.
Speaker A:Learn more@ocampo capital.com hello, you are listening to Amitax 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.
Speaker A: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.
Speaker A: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 retail headlines every morning and our Retail Technology Spotlight series, which goes deep each week on the latest retail technology Trends.
Speaker A: ,: Speaker A:I'm one of your hosts, Anne Mazinga.
Speaker B:And I'm Chris Walton.
Speaker A:And we are here once again to discuss all the Top Headlights.
Speaker A:Discuss whatever works Top Headlights for the past week, making waves in the world of omnichannel retailing.
Speaker A:And Chris, we're snowed in today in Minneapolis.
Speaker A:So I think we just need to get right to, right to the headlines.
Speaker A:Let's do this so we can get outside and shovel.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:AKA the kids are home and the kids in that school today.
Speaker B:So we got, we got, we got other things to do today, but we're going to get to the podcast.
Speaker B:We're going to deliver a great show for all of Our omnitalk listeners.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And it is that first week of the month, so it is time to hand out some hardware.
Speaker B:And so for those new to the podcast, our Omnistar Award is the award that we give out each month in partnership with Corso to recognize the top omnichannel operators out there.
Speaker B:Not the pundits and not the so called experts as we see a lot of times in social media, but the real life retail operators making a difference in their organizations.
Speaker B:Corso's AI co pilot coaches retail leaders to optimize store performance at every level.
Speaker B:Transform retail operations from data overload into data powered.
Speaker B:This month's Omnistar Award goes to.
Speaker B:And drum roll, please.
Speaker B:Nicely done, my friend.
Speaker B:Nicely done.
Speaker B:Yeah, roll.
Speaker B:You like rolled your R's?
Speaker B:You're getting ready for Barcelona.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:This month's Omni star goes to Bennett Morgan, the chief merchandising officer at Spartan Nash.
Speaker B:We met Bennett back at FMI last month and we were really impressed, both of us were.
Speaker B:His background is really unique too, folks.
Speaker B:He started as a consultant, then he went to work for H E B and then spent a number of years with Walmart in China before moving on to Amazon Fresh and now is the chief merchant at Spartan Nash.
Speaker B:What struck me the most about Bennett was his belief, based on his Amazon Fresh experience too, on the intersection of people, processes and technology.
Speaker B:One of those things never works without the other two.
Speaker B:And it takes an eat what you cook mentality to get all three of them right consistently.
Speaker B:So, Bennett, congratulations.
Speaker B:You are our Omni Star for the month of March.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:What an impressive dude.
Speaker A:I mean, well, for sure go back to our FMI coverage.
Speaker A:We have a whole playlist, so if you miss any of the coverage from any of our conferences that we're at almost weekly these days, definitely go back and check out the FMI interviews.
Speaker A:Bennett being one of the most brilliant.
Speaker A:So big congrats to Bennett.
Speaker A:I'm excited to follow that guy.
Speaker A:I mean, you know, he's with his pedigree, like he's already gone to some pretty incredible companies.
Speaker A:And I'm excited to see what he continues to do with Spartan Ash and beyond.
Speaker A:Really?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And Spartan Ash is doing really well.
Speaker B:And I didn't realize this too, but they have robots in over 100 stores now too, and it's pretty, pretty impressive.
Speaker B:And you know, they're kind of a regional operation too, so.
Speaker B:So kudos to them, kudos to Bennett.
Speaker B:All right, let's do this week's Fast 5 because, Ann, we've got some great headlines this week.
Speaker B:I'm really excited about this show, actually.
Speaker B:You know, when we were prepping it, I was kind of like, I don't know.
Speaker B:But as we got into it, there's a lot of, a lot of meat on these bones in this week's headlines.
Speaker A:Happen that way.
Speaker A:Yeah, it does.
Speaker B:And it does.
Speaker B:It does.
Speaker B:It does.
Speaker B:Well, we make, we try really hard to make it happen, too.
Speaker B:All right, we've got news on Alexa.
Speaker B:Plus, cool name said no one public's getting sued for allegedly overcharging for weighted items.
Speaker B:Furniture.com's interesting take on omnichannel merchandising and Walmart's new shoppable gaming experience.
Speaker B:But we begin today with big news out of Target that might suggest and might suggest it's getting its Target swagger back.
Speaker A:You must have listened to the earnings report yesterday where they said Target.
Speaker A:That was the word du jour in that or in the, in the earnings call yesterday.
Speaker A:Tarjay is all over.
Speaker B:I'm going to take some credit for getting them to say that.
Speaker B:Based on the article that I wrote in the star tribute and the reception that it received, I think, I think I deserve some credit for that.
Speaker B:Don't you think?
Speaker A:You, you think you're solely responsible.
Speaker A:Is this what I'm understanding for them using no less than the earnings?
Speaker B:Not solely responsible, but I am partially responsible for getting them to be like, yes, we need to get our swag, our swagger back.
Speaker B:Yes, I got it.
Speaker B:I think I'm partially, maybe like a point percent, but I'm, I've been there.
Speaker A:Somewhere and it's been noted.
Speaker A:It's been documented.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:It's in the files.
Speaker A:It's in the recording.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Chris.
Speaker A:Chris.
Speaker A:Chris Walton, contribution.
Speaker A:All right, well, let's talk about it.
Speaker A:Let's get to headline number one.
Speaker A:Target and Warby Parker are teaming up.
Speaker A:According to Yahoo Finance, Target Corporation and Warby Parker are partnering to bring designer quality, affordable eyewear to even more consumers through the retailers newest shop and shop, Warby Parker at Target.
Speaker A:Each Warby Parker at Target shop and Shop will offer products and services including glasses, sunglasses, contacts, eye exams and vision tests that are consistent with the eyewear brand's current omnichannel experience.
Speaker A: ll open in the second half of: Speaker A: d shops are slated to open in: Speaker A:With the opportunity for more in the coming years.
Speaker A:Chris, are you buying or selling the Target Worby partnership?
Speaker B:Hmm.
Speaker B:Interesting.
Speaker B:And I, I got to tell you, I'm, I'm a little mixed on this one, I think.
Speaker A:Really?
Speaker A:For Target?
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, for Target and all the crap it's taken around its Target, you know, reputation, I think, I think it's a good move.
Speaker B:It's a no brainer and it definitely reestablishes that positioning, you know, by way of the partnership.
Speaker B:For Warby, though, Ann, I, I've got a lot of unanswered questions.
Speaker B:First, first, let's go back and look at Warby.
Speaker B:Let's look.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:First let's go back and look at Warby in general.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B: le, Warby's been around since: Speaker B:S and Canada.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:That means They've opened roughly 18 stores a year since they started.
Speaker B:And that's for a concept that could literally be in every town in America.
Speaker B:Like every town has, you know, an eyeglass store, you know, or for the most part, every major town does.
Speaker B:Which tells me, honestly, if I'm thinking critically about this or at least opens a door for this thought, that they don't have their operating model down yet because that pace is pretty slow for a business that's been in operation for 15 years.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:I mean, look at, like, look at aldi, like opening 250 stores, you know, like, it's crazy.
Speaker B:But, but so, so now they're going into Target.
Speaker A:Okay, sure.
Speaker B:Warby is getting a great deal.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:They're getting a smoking deal on those five stores because Target really needs them for all the things we've already alluded to.
Speaker B:But the operating dynamics are going to be different.
Speaker B:One, you're now inside of a Target, very different than what Warby knows.
Speaker B:Two, the locations I'm in general, I'm guessing having run Target stores are going to be much smaller that, you know, are going to afford Warby much less showroom space than the traditional stores that they're used to operating and much less backroom space too.
Speaker B:And three, you know, all that explains why only five have been announced yet, because Warby probably understands there's a lot that they don't know in terms of what this is going to look like, how it's going to work operationally.
Speaker B:Can they succeed?
Speaker B:Can they get the profit, you know, out of this, this partnership that they want to.
Speaker B:But so net.
Speaker B:Net.
Speaker B:Net, net.
Speaker B:I like the move.
Speaker B:I just wonder if five years from now we'll really see Warby Parker inside of Targets everywhere.
Speaker B:And is the incremental benefit against the cost for either party really going to be that high?
Speaker B:Because at the end of the day, and the question that I have.
Speaker B:Yeah, and this is a kind of a question for the Target leadership again too, in terms of how well are they seeing around the corners?
Speaker B:Why isn't Target just buying Warby now before helping to make it more valuable and then losing its negotiation leverage in the long run?
Speaker B:Why don't they just make it part of Target like if they really see the long term value here?
Speaker B:So, so that's why I'm mixed on this.
Speaker B:I think it's, it's good, it gets the Target back.
Speaker B:But you know, I got a lot of questions in the long run.
Speaker B:I don't think this is a slam dunk in any way, shape or form.
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:I think, I think you have to.
Speaker A:This is still a new partnership and I don't know that like maybe there will be an off, an opportunity to acquire the company if the five locations work, if the tests work.
Speaker A:I actually think this is a great move for Warby because while yes, you have different, you know, targets are, some are, Targets are owned, some are leased, all the buildings and things like that, you're essentially working with one landlord as, as Warby here for all of these Target locations, which is much easier I would imagine than going a new community, a new location, a new spot every single time and having to work out those negotiations.
Speaker A:I, I would, I would like fact check you a little bit on the size of the operation.
Speaker A:I mean, I think we've seen Warby certainly like in Manhattan, they have a much grander, you know, like flagship style store.
Speaker A:But I think if you look at the War Bees around here like they're, they're, their space is pretty condensed.
Speaker A:And if you look at the Target opticals, like there's not huge back rooms at those Warbies.
Speaker A:Like I've actually looked at the ones back room spot.
Speaker A:Yeah, I think, I think it's, I think space they can work with.
Speaker A:But I just, I'm so thrilled, Chris, because I think if you look at the headlines here and how Target is incorporating Warby, it's, it's available on target.com it's available like in the stores.
Speaker A:Like, I just think this is a move from Target.
Speaker A:It's good to see them in the news making the right decisions about how to approach this partnership.
Speaker A:And I do think that starting small and starting with the five locations Is.
Speaker A:Is important for whatever the future of this partnership looks like.
Speaker A:And quite frank.
Speaker A:I was really surprised to.
Speaker A:To see that they only mentioned that once yesterday in their earnings call.
Speaker A:You know, and they weren't talking about this as a growth opportunity, you know, as much as they were about Wicked last quarter when they were talking about that.
Speaker A:Like, I think this is something that really could show some great potential for Target and I think, you know, brings some traffic back into them.
Speaker A:Warby hasn't had a crazy growth trajectory, but there's still some more cachet in this brand that I think we have to take for, like, take into account here.
Speaker A:If this becomes the Lens Crafters, Warby's lost all of its cool.
Speaker A:So I think there's still some like, there's still some like, scarcity that has to be available to get the traffic drivers that I think Target and Warby are going to need with this partnership.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker A:But yeah, I, I think.
Speaker A:Oh, go ahead.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:What?
Speaker B:No, I was gonna.
Speaker B:No, no, I was gonna.
Speaker B:I was.
Speaker B:Well, I was just gonna actually have you put your money where your mouth is on that.
Speaker B:So, like, the.
Speaker B:One of the locations is the Bloomington store, which is probably less than two miles from a.
Speaker B:Of another Warby location of those 200 that we mentioned, which is right down the block from us.
Speaker B:Both of these.
Speaker B:Given your druthers, which one are you going into if you just need eyeglasses and an eye exam?
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:I don't know that that's.
Speaker A:I don't know that that's the question.
Speaker A:I guess for me it's like, what do I need to get done on a Saturday?
Speaker A:I need to go get new glasses and I need to pick up essentials.
Speaker A:So if that's the case, I'm going to the Bloomington one because I can do.
Speaker B:You're coordinating your trip around your eye appointment?
Speaker A:I think so, yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:I mean, still have traffic going directly to that.
Speaker A:To the A mall where the Warby Parker is here, closest to us.
Speaker A:But if, if it's a Saturday and I, you know, I don't have to go across the street to go to the Target.
Speaker A:If I go to the mall location of Warby, I can go to one spot and get them all done.
Speaker A:Like, I think there's value there and I think it's.
Speaker A:It's also exposure of new people, Target customers to this brand who maybe was like, I like Warby.
Speaker A:I don't know much about it, but now when it's in front of them in the checkout lanes, I feel like it's gonna happen.
Speaker A:Like there's just gonna be more people engaging with it, but.
Speaker B:Okay, all right.
Speaker B:That you backed it up.
Speaker B:Yeah, no, it is, it's definitely an early test.
Speaker B:I just, I just have, I just have a lot of questions operationally.
Speaker B:The other thing is staffing like those.
Speaker B:The Warby stores I've been in are incredibly staffed too.
Speaker B:And so I'm wondering if that's gonna work as you go into targets in the long run.
Speaker B:But anyway, yeah, but hey, hey, way to stick to your guns.
Speaker B:And I love it.
Speaker B:Let's keep going.
Speaker A:All right, headline number two, Chris.
Speaker A:Let's go number two.
Speaker B:The next generation of Alexa.
Speaker B:Alexa plus is here.
Speaker B:The wonderfully creative name notwithstanding.
Speaker B:According to an Amazon blog post written by Panopenay Hope I'm saying his name right.
Speaker B:SVP of Devices and Services.
Speaker B:Amazon has launched Alexa plus, its next generation assistant.
Speaker B:Powered by generative AI.
Speaker B:Alexa plus is more conversational, smarter and personalized.
Speaker B:And she helps you, Ann, get things done.
Speaker B:Alexa can manage and protect your home, make reservations, and help you track, discover and even enjoy new artists, something I know Ann always enjoys doing.
Speaker B:She can also help you search, find or buy virtually any item online and make useful suggestions based on your interests.
Speaker B:Customers will also be able to access Alexa and a new mobile app that's available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store and a new browser based experience@alexa.com youm can start a conversation with Alexa on your phone or in the car and pick it up on your computer.
Speaker B:Alexa remembers the context and can continue the conversation across any of your endpoints.
Speaker B:Alexa also, we should note, costs $19.99 per month, but all Amazon prime members will get it for free.
Speaker B:And this is the put you on the spot question of the week.
Speaker A:Oh God.
Speaker B:Glad it's you and not me.
Speaker B:Here it is.
Speaker B:Quote After a flurry of initial advertising and promise, Alexa fizzled in recent years against its touted potential.
Speaker B:So with Alexa, are you jumping on the Amazon hype train again?
Speaker B:And if not, what are you waiting to see from the AI assistant to prove out it's build usefulness?
Speaker A:Well, there's only room for one woman in my house and that's me.
Speaker A:And I don't think that it's going to be I'm going to be bringing Alexa in at any given point in time.
Speaker A:I, I think really this is.
Speaker A:However, I will say I think this is an important addition to the platform and does make it relevant again.
Speaker A:Am I getting on the hype train?
Speaker A:No.
Speaker A:But I think that, you know, for me the problem with Alexa was always like, hey, Alexa, order more dishwasher detergent.
Speaker A:Well, that's if it's fine, if I'm just repeating the same thing over and over again.
Speaker A:But I think that's for me, it's just, it still is not a clean shopping experience.
Speaker A:I do think now with, with like language based search and how I think as a, as a customer base, we're all going to become more accustomed to searching for things.
Speaker A:I do think that this helps because it'll now change that one direction of order dishwasher detergent to, you know, last time you ordered pods.
Speaker A:Do you want to get those again or do you want to try a different kind of detergent?
Speaker A:Or even like, what could those dishwasher pods have done better?
Speaker A:And what would you like me to look for?
Speaker A:Like that can now happen, which I think brings more value to the Alexa plus platform, you know, Or I could ask questions like, is there a better brand for the environment?
Speaker A:Or like I can sit there and have a conversation and choose the right one that you couldn't do before.
Speaker A:So I think that's where, yes, this is better.
Speaker A:Alexa plus or Alexa 2.0.
Speaker A:But I still, for me, like, I still have Siri on my phone to do things like this.
Speaker A:That's with me at all points of time.
Speaker A:I'm not doing it, but I also haven't tried it.
Speaker A:I think to answer A&M's question, I would need to actually have one of these interactions with Alexa.
Speaker A:So maybe I'll try it at my brother's this weekend and see if, like, see what it's like.
Speaker A:But I'm not, I'm not buying it for right now.
Speaker A:But Chris, you, you have an Alexa in your house.
Speaker A:You've used it for how long have you had it?
Speaker A:Like 10 years or something?
Speaker B:Since it came out?
Speaker B:Yeah, probably close to 10 years now.
Speaker B:I mean, we're, Yeah, I don't think it came out that long ago, but yeah, it's close.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So, so, so you're kind of, you're kind of mixed.
Speaker B:You're not like, you're not poo pooing it like we did before.
Speaker B:Because when we, when we first heard about this, we poo pooed the hell out of it.
Speaker B:But there's some interesting wrinkles here that I, I'm actually coming around on this idea.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:I'm saying I think I would, I'm buying into the hype, but I'm, I'm of course tempered by the hype.
Speaker A:You know, Is this out now?
Speaker A:Can you try it on Yours?
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:I think so, yeah.
Speaker B:So I'm going to try, I want to try, I want to try it this weekend, but it sounds like you got to get it set up too, which will be tricky.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:But the key, the key unlock for me here, which has always been my problem with Alexa and I also think it's important in, in terms of the future of generative AI, is the visual interface that we're all going to be using to validate the work that's being done.
Speaker B:So like, for me, like the, the hang up I have, like, if I want to ask Alexa to make a reservation, how do I validate that it's been done correctly?
Speaker B:And I think the way they're talking about this, like you can go on the website, you can talk to the device, you can look on your mobile phone.
Speaker B:It's trying to create that ecosystem for how we're going to act with generative AI.
Speaker B:And let's not forget Amazon's also very much yoked to Anthropic, which is one of the leading generative AI providers here.
Speaker B:So they want to figure this out and are as equipped as anyone to figure it out.
Speaker B:So, so that's the thing I think that gets me excited about it and especially trying it, like, if I can start to be like, hey, Alexa, give me some options for reservation, what tables are available at 6pm on Saturday for this type of food and, and present it to me in a way where I can digest it and still make a decision.
Speaker B:Because you're right, if, if it's just like me telling it, that's different than like being involved in a discussion that is helpful and useful makes me get the answer I want.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Which usually you're doing through searching through a thousand different things on your phone or on your laptop.
Speaker B:So that's why I like this a little bit.
Speaker B:And I don't know, that's what I think.
Speaker A:Yeah, I think there's still, I think the proof's still in the pudding for me.
Speaker A:Like, I still need to.
Speaker A:Details.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker A:Yeah, I still think we need to see like how this is actually working to determine whether or not this is something that's going to like get all of the, get more people to buy an Alexa device.
Speaker A:Like at the end of the day, that's what they're trying to do here.
Speaker A:And I don't know that I think this is a something that had to be done, not something that's like in like this incremental idea that they have come up with and it's going to like Bring in all this new revenue for Amazon.
Speaker A:But you know, I have to try it, Chris.
Speaker A:And you'll have to report back.
Speaker B:Yeah, I mean, the other thing too, we got to always remind people too, and remind ourselves we're in year two of generative AI.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And, and, and we don't know, like, what's the voice implication of usage of generative AI too?
Speaker B:Because the one thing that is nice about Alexa, I can just be like, alexa, set an alarm.
Speaker B:Alexa, what's the weather outside?
Speaker B:You know, and so can I extend that into the generative AI arena very easily?
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:That's it.
Speaker B:That's.
Speaker A:But you all can also.
Speaker A:My problem again is like, I do that on my phone and my phone is always with me, doesn't require another device.
Speaker A:I could probably now, because I'm a prime member, I imagine it sounds like I can download an app and have the same capability.
Speaker A:Do I need that?
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:Like, is it going to drive incremental growth for Amazon?
Speaker A:Maybe.
Speaker B:We'll see.
Speaker A:I think it gets back to your.
Speaker A:Yeah, we're only in year two.
Speaker B:Well, it's, it's the battle of the tech providers.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:You know that that's essentially what you're saying here.
Speaker B:You know, is it going to be Apple, is it going to be Google, is it going to be Amazon with their, you know, relationship with anthropic?
Speaker B:Who knows?
Speaker B:But yeah, that's what we're talking about.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:All right, Chris, let's move on to headline number three.
Speaker A:Talking about another battle between Florida shoppers at Public and Publix.
Speaker A:Publix is being sued for allegedly overcharging Chris for weighted items according to Grocery Diet.
Speaker A:Publix is facing a class action lawsuit alleging the grocer overcharged consumers for certain on sale foods sold by weight, such as meats, cheeses and deli items.
Speaker A:The grocer's point of sale system allegedly altered the weights of sale items to way more than they actually did, according to the complaint filed February 19th in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, by one of somebody, definitely a grandfather or grandmother of one of the listeners of this podcast.
Speaker A:It could have been mine.
Speaker A:I definitely can see them going and complaining about the weight and their receipt.
Speaker A:So let's keep going into this.
Speaker A:The complaint notes, for example, that the plaintiff purchased 2.83 pounds of pork tenderloin.
Speaker A:Tenderloins that were $2 off with a sale price of 499 per pound.
Speaker A:Public's point of sale system showed that the item weighed 3.96 pounds, with the 499 sale price resulting in the plaintiff being charged $19.78, a 40% overcharge, or $5.66 more.
Speaker A:$5.66 more than the advertised price.
Speaker A:The lawsuit also alleges that Publix regularly displays signs for expired sales in stores and displays incorrect pricing per unit shelf stickers for baby formula.
Speaker A:Chris, as a former store manager, what's your assessment of the lawsuit Publix faces over its pricing practices?
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:Well, I kind of use this expression already once in this podcast, but I'm going to go back to the well ad.
Speaker B:There's a lot of meat on this bone.
Speaker B:Figurative and literally.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:You know, first.
Speaker B:First we have to.
Speaker B:First you have to ask a question, like, is publics being deliberately misleading here, or is it a function of their process?
Speaker B:Yeah, my.
Speaker B:My hope is that it's definitely the latter.
Speaker B:Because if it's not, if it's the former, like, whoa, look out.
Speaker B:We've got a big story here.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker B:But I think you have to assume there's a gap in the process.
Speaker B:There's some gap in the process of tagging me and other fresh goods on markdown my hunches.
Speaker B:Whoever was tagging it, like, just reprinted the sticker from the previous one he tagged.
Speaker B:He or she tagged and slapped it on this.
Speaker B:This pork tenderloin.
Speaker B:This aforementioned pork tenderloin, which is a fun phrase to say, you know.
Speaker B:So these processes are oftentimes in the fresh meat.
Speaker B:Fresh meats and produce areas are oftentimes manual.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:So I can see why there's errors.
Speaker B:But a customer should never be charged 40% more than they expect.
Speaker B:That's not something you want as a retailer.
Speaker B:So the other part about the expired signs, I mean, I've been railing against that for years.
Speaker B:I mean, it's happening.
Speaker B:It happens to every retailer out there.
Speaker B:Yeah, we talked about it on our podcast with Revionics to some degree.
Speaker B:And it's one of the reasons I like electronic shelf labels, because in theory, they should always update to the most current price.
Speaker B:So you never have an old, outdated promo sign on a product that they're not getting credit for at the register.
Speaker B:But with that said, electronic shelf labels don't solve the problem that's discussed here with fresh meat, that's likely still a process problem, pure and simple.
Speaker B:And so, you know, Publix has to dig in and understand where's the gaps and how do you improve it.
Speaker A:And there are solutions out there that can help with this.
Speaker A:I think it's just figuring out what are the right ones that can help you eliminate these problem areas of the process that can ensure price transparency for the consumers and for the retailer, and then maybe even free up the the process part of what people are having to accomplish in one day so that these types of things aren't happening.
Speaker B:You know, it just shows you that why there's so much energy around fresh food.
Speaker B:Because if you can combine, like we said, like Bennett, we talked about Bennett, combine the processes, the technology, and the people to figure this out.
Speaker B:There's a lot of money to be found here.
Speaker B:And better customer service and better customer experience at the end of the day as well, right?
Speaker B:Headline number four.
Speaker B:A new digital furniture platform wants to be an omnichannel.
Speaker B:One stop shop for customers.
Speaker B:According to Chainstoreage, by seamlessly integrating store location and inventory data within its search engine, furniture.com intends to enable customers to explore, test, and purchase furniture items either digitally or in person.
Speaker B:Rooms to Go, one of the nation's largest furniture retailers, both backs and participates on the furniture.com platform.
Speaker B:Furniture.com's retailer partnerships also include chains such as Bloomingdale's and American Signature Furniture.
Speaker B:And as someone currently in the market for home furnishings, or at least I think you're still in the market for home furnishings or.
Speaker B:Or aren't we always in the market for home furniture?
Speaker A:Yeah, sure does.
Speaker B:Yeah, right.
Speaker B:Why not?
Speaker B:Does what furniture.com is.
Speaker B:Maybe not with all the tariffs.
Speaker B:Does what furniture.com is trying to do intrigue you?
Speaker A:Yeah, it does, because I think it gets back to how we're searching and discovering this again.
Speaker A:Like, I, I'm not going to roomandboard.com or to roomstogo.com to look for furniture.
Speaker A:That's just not how it's happening.
Speaker A:I'm getting inspired by following, you know, Ray Design, which is one of my favorite interior design posts.
Speaker A:And every Monday, she does a Look for Less.
Speaker A:So I see a restoration hardware chair, and then she posts a West Elm chair, that's hundreds of dollars less.
Speaker A:And if I can, in that moment, you know, click the button to search that particular item and see, like, there's one at the West Elm.
Speaker A:This chair is at this west elm.
Speaker A:That's 10 miles away from you.
Speaker A:If you go there now and you go sit on it and try it, like, I like the article is saying, like, if it works, I'm buying that chair.
Speaker A:I'm leaving that day with that chair.
Speaker A:But I'm only able to do that if I know, like, I'm only Able to, like, get that motivation to get up and go when I have this information directly available to me.
Speaker A:So I think that's one case.
Speaker A:The other example is, again, it's Lens.
Speaker A:Like, I think so many people now are using lens as a way to, you know, see something online or see something like in a furniture store when they're out on a Saturday doing furniture shopping and see, like, who else has this?
Speaker A:Where else can I get it?
Speaker A:And to be able to say at that point in time you can go to this retailer this many miles away, it's there.
Speaker A:Like, I, I think you definitely see increase in basket size and, and that intent that's completely shifted when you've invested in what furniture.com is talking about doing here.
Speaker A:But that's, that's me and my, you know, party of one shopping experience.
Speaker A:Like, what, what is your opinion, Chris, from being in this, in this business, in furniture and home furnishings for so long from, Especially from an Omni Channel perspective.
Speaker B:Yeah, I mean, I think the concept's really intriguing.
Speaker B:I was on the site yesterday.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And you know, the best way I could describe it, it looked to me like a hybrid of like search advertising.
Speaker B:Like, it kind of felt like retail.
Speaker B:Me, not circa 10 years or 10 or 15 years ago, but combined with like, it's kind of like a mashup between that and a third party marketplace for brands that want to sell through it.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And, but this idea that they're inherently getting at is a, it's a new wrinkle because it, it essentially creates, like you're saying, a third party marketplace that shows you the availability of products for in store pickup or in person browsing, which is still a key factor in determining your home furnishings purchases.
Speaker B:And like you said, whether you use a Google lens or you're searching for an item with very specific specifications.
Speaker B:Like I can remember, I can remember when I was finishing my house, I was, I wanted a yellow rug.
Speaker B:So I was like 8 by 10 yellow rugs.
Speaker B:Show me everything you got.
Speaker B:But it's limited in the universe of what that, you know, that site carries.
Speaker B:I think I was on Wayfair at the time, but now you get all the extended brands here too, which I don't know of anyone else trying to do that.
Speaker B:But there are some big questions.
Speaker B:There's some big matzo balls with whether or not this concept can work.
Speaker B:Like, yeah, one, it sounds like they've got some big brands already, but how many brands are going to sign on to it and then will consumers actually, you know, go there to use it, which I think they will at the end of the day based on hearing you describe it.
Speaker B:Because that's exactly from my experience of home furnishings, how people want to shop.
Speaker B:So I think that's actually easy.
Speaker B:But then who else will start to do this?
Speaker B:That's the big question, Anne is like, you know, furniture.com's the first one maybe to this party but you know, just wafer start to do it.
Speaker B:Does Walmart start to do it or does, you know, this becomes some kind of co op play with the smaller furniture brands that defend themselves against Wayfair and Walmart.
Speaker B:I could see them wanting to do that.
Speaker B:The last place I'd be listing my products is on Wayfair or Walmart or Target or some big national, you know, brand, third party marketplace.
Speaker B:So I think this plays in really nicely for that reason too.
Speaker B:So I think it's really interesting.
Speaker B:I applaud the audacity.
Speaker B:I mean it's, it's a really audacious concept that, I don't know, it's catching both of us, you know, in a way that, you know, we haven't seen.
Speaker B:When was the last time we talked about a new retail concept?
Speaker B:We were like, oh yeah, that's, that's.
Speaker B:I know that's got a hook.
Speaker B:That's got a hook that could last.
Speaker A:Yeah, I have.
Speaker A:I, I totally agree.
Speaker A:I think there's, this is something that's new that's happening.
Speaker A:I do think your points are dead on though.
Speaker A:Like, and even, you know, how do we look at the, the other search players out here?
Speaker A:Like how does Google respond to this and does Google start to categorize like categorized.
Speaker A:It's now Google Furniture or it's Google Beauty or whatever.
Speaker A:Like there's so many competitors that could get in and around this space.
Speaker A:So it will be interesting to see like the moats that furniture.com can set up and the partners that they, I mean I think it'll really come down to, to the partners like you said that they can bring in.
Speaker B:Well and the other interesting point about this too, which you know, we're on the advisory report for Lucky.
Speaker B:The article mentioned Lucky as a similar, you know, idea to do this to tell you what inventory is available in store.
Speaker B:But the funny thing about this, which is why I love what we do is Lucky is a completely different type of thing in a lot of ways.
Speaker B:That's about, you know, making sure your advertising is a, you can see if the product you want where it's available through your advertising because they're synced with the inventory feeds.
Speaker B:Same idea in principle, but a very, very different execution.
Speaker B:But it shows you that getting the inventory visibility to where things are in a physical location is going to be key here as things evolve.
Speaker B:And you, and I mean, kudos to us.
Speaker B:We've been on that for a while.
Speaker B:I mean, we've been, I think we've been hooked up with Lucky now for over two years.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:You know, we, we've seen the evolution going in this way.
Speaker B:But this is cool that furniture.com is doing this.
Speaker A:All right, Chris, let's go to headline number five, another new shopping concept that I'm curious to get your opinion on.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:Walmart has released Walmart Unlimited, a shoppable gamified miniseries.
Speaker A:According to Chainstorage, Walmart has launched an immersive in game commerce experience called Walmart Unlimited in partnership with 3D gamified media platform Spatial and the Unity Real Time 3D Development Environment.
Speaker A:For the first time ever on Spatial, players in the three episode Walmart Unlimited gamified miniseries can purchase real world goods inside of a virtual experience.
Speaker A:Each Walmart Unlimited episode takes players on a multilevel journey to play, discover and support products created by Walmart suppliers.
Speaker A:After playing, users can explore the immersive commerce hub and purchase products from suppliers.
Speaker A:Chris, what do you think of Walmart's new shoppable video game experience, Walmart Unlimited?
Speaker B:Get ready for this one, Ed.
Speaker B:Unlimited.
Speaker B:Unlimited.
Speaker A:Is this from a movie or something?
Speaker B:It's from Wickedly a waste of money.
Speaker B:That's what I think it is.
Speaker B:And it's a, it's unlimitedly a waste of money.
Speaker B:I, I just keep going back to save two ideas that I'll say over and over again on the show or really the first one, which is how do you get traffic to it?
Speaker B:The experience was incredibly hard to find.
Speaker B:I tried to find it last night.
Speaker B:No one's going to this experience.
Speaker B:Like, there's just no way.
Speaker B:And second, as David Ritter said in our year end podcast, are you really going to get people to buy items from these virtual game experiences from Walmart?
Speaker B:I'm, I, I'm, I'm, I'm skeptical of that.
Speaker B:So, you know, and if Walmart, if you want to get into video game production as an extension of retail media, which is really like what, you know, you know, video games are all about at this stage, like, okay, do it, you know, but buy a gaming platform for that purpose.
Speaker B:Stop screwing around with these silly gimmicky things.
Speaker B:I mean, Generally I love 99% of the innovations Walmart, you know, puts out in the market but, but, but this in Walmart realm, they just seem so misguided to me and I hope, and here's the last one I'm making.
Speaker B:I hope that these are just the last vestiges of like the metaverse hype.
Speaker B:Like we're gonna stop seeing this.
Speaker B:Like that's what I hope.
Speaker B:But I know you've been bought into these before but I'm curious to see like where's your head now?
Speaker B:Because, and did you go and try and use it?
Speaker B:Because yeah, you know, no, no one's going to the spatial site to play this game.
Speaker B:Like how are they doing that?
Speaker B:Like I haven't watched a YouTube video and it doesn't even have a leak to the site.
Speaker B:Like I was like, what is going on here?
Speaker A:Yeah, no, I mean I was really digging.
Speaker A:I like Talked to my two kids who are almost 8 and 14 last night and I was like, do you, are you on spatial?
Speaker A:Like tell me where I'm getting this wrong or where, where the opportunity lies that I, I just am not understanding.
Speaker A:They know Roblox.
Speaker A:I think Walmart participating in the Roblox environment, that makes more sense to me.
Speaker A:Like you said, like it's already got the traffic, people are already there and this might be a cool thing and you know, probably is a way to get some new customers who maybe wouldn't have shopped at Walmart even aware of the Walmart brand.
Speaker A:So that's, that's fine.
Speaker A:But I think there are much better ways to do this.
Speaker A:And like I would go back to what Denise and Candela was talking about from Walmart last week when we interviewed her.
Speaker A:How they're, you know, going, they see an opportunity where they're going to start doing pop ups and exposure experiences around New York Fashion Week to you know, draw in that new shopper who's in this case a higher income shopper, where they're going to see more traction from these types of activities than inside of a, of, you know, obscure video game platform.
Speaker A:So to me it seems like this is, this was somebody that wanted to play around with an experiment.
Speaker A:And it's probably my guess would be that this is where that experiment ends and ends probably relatively soon.
Speaker A:Knowing how, how quick Walmart is to, to pull things that aren't showing a return on investment.
Speaker B:Got it.
Speaker B:So this falls under the bucket of not every experiment is a good experiment for you.
Speaker B:Is that, is that, is that right?
Speaker A:I, I would, I, I don't know.
Speaker A:I, like, I, I, I'm not the creative side of me.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And again, like, I have.
Speaker A:I don't know this.
Speaker A:I don't have enough experience in these platforms.
Speaker A:Like, someone had to make the business case for going forward with this experiment.
Speaker A:I think for me, it's really about how quickly do you shut down the experiment versus.
Speaker A:Versus whether you did the experiment at all.
Speaker A:Like, how quickly do you get your proof points and say, like, yeah, we're better off finding other ways to attract new customers.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:As you're talking about this, I kind of wonder if this is like the continuation of the spatial contract and somebody just didn't, you know, just have the guts to be like, let's pull this thing now, you know, but maybe they will, you know.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:That's kind of what I'm thinking as you're talking out and thinking out loud.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:All right, cool.
Speaker B:Let's close up the show.
Speaker A:All right, let's go to the lighting round.
Speaker A: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.
Speaker B:I think it would also potentially give you a heart attack to show up 50 minutes early before you.
Speaker A:Oh, 15 minutes is not.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:That's like, not.
Speaker A:Okay, I could not do this, but.
Speaker A:But I think.
Speaker A:I think I'm.
Speaker A:I have more level.
Speaker A:A higher level of comfort with going a little bit closer to the departure time.
Speaker A:But what is your.
Speaker A:What is your recommended airport arrival time?
Speaker B:Minimum two hours and minimum two hours.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:You.
Speaker B: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.
Speaker B:You.
Speaker B:You eliminate the traffic risk, the security line with risk, and worst case scenario, you relax, you have a beer, you get some work done, 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.
Speaker B:I'm surprised you're not there five hours early.
Speaker B:Oh, they only let you get in three hours early now.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:So, yeah.
Speaker B:So, yeah, so that.
Speaker B:That's my take.
Speaker B:But what's.
Speaker B:What's Your, like, what's 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.
Speaker B: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 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 the 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.
Speaker A: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, I, 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, where are you?
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.
Speaker A:When you just get, like, a mozzarella cheese stick that's, like, still solid in your crust.
Speaker A:No, no, but if it's, like, melted.
Speaker B:Properly, too much room for air 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, 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's.
Speaker B:That's really hard.
Speaker B:Like, I can't think of any stores that I really miss that much, you.
Speaker A:Know, like structure or, like Hot Topic or anything.
Speaker A:No, no, no, no.
Speaker B:Not, I mean, Tower Records maybe just because it'd be cool to see one again, but I can't think of anyone.
Speaker A:That'S a good one.
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 A:I mean, Delia, extra.
Speaker B:Like, structure.
Speaker B:Like, come on.
Speaker B:Like.
Speaker B: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 back.
Speaker B:I need a Hot Topic.
Speaker B:I race it over to a Hot Topic today.
Speaker B:Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't.
Speaker B:I wouldn't time for that, you know?
Speaker A:Oh, my gosh.
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.
Speaker B: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 gonna 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 crepe.
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:Like, 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.
Speaker A:Our maple syrup on it and stuff, too.
Speaker B:No, I can go without maple syrup, but okay.
Speaker B:Yeah, but 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 it?
Speaker B:This doesn't surprise me one bit.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:Happy birthday today.
Speaker B:Eva Mendez.
Speaker B:Matt Lucas.
Speaker B:And to the woman who will always be known to me as the first Mrs.
Speaker B:George Clooney.
Speaker B:Ah, yeah.
Speaker B:Fun fact, folks.
Speaker B:The wonderful and beautiful Talia Balsam.
Speaker B: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.
Speaker B:Our Fast Five podcast is the quickest, fastest rundown of all the week's top news and our daily newsletter tells you everything you need to know each day to stay on top of your game as a retail executive, and also regularly features special content that is exclusive to us and that Ann and I take a lot of pride in doing just for you.
Speaker B:And for those that may not be familiar, it is called the Retail Daily Minute because I forgot to say that before.
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