From Nostalgic Cereals to Met Gala Fashion: This Week's Lightning Round Reveals Our Personal Side
This charming lightning round segment, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and ClearDemand, reveals the personalities behind retail analytics as Ben Miller, a UK retail expert, answers rapid-fire personal questions with humor and authenticity.
Key Moments:
0:02 - Introduction to the fast-paced lightning round with Ben Miller
0:05 - Nostalgic food question: Which childhood foods would Ben miss if discontinued?
0:27 - Ben's sentimental attachment to Kellogg's Variety Pack cereals explained
0:43 - Childhood memory: How these cereal packs were special "birthday treats" in his home
0:52 - The tradition continues: Ben now shares these with his own daughters
1:04 - Anne's surprise revelation: She expected Ben to mention the "Curly Whirly" candy
1:18 - National Teacher Appreciation Week prompt: Which teacher influenced Ben most?
1:29 - Ben honors Mr. Sheen, his Grade 7-9 business and economics teacher
1:40 - How a rural Yorkshire school teacher "completely opened my eyes to the world of commerce"
1:57 - Provocative retail statistic discussion: 76% of retailers outside US won't shop American brands?
2:13 - Humorous hypothetical: What clothing would Ben smuggle to the UK in his "boot" (trunk)
2:25 - Ben diplomatically calls "BS" on the statistic while avoiding a deep dive
2:37 - Ben's smuggling strategy: North Face hiking gear for personal use
2:49 - Business plan: Classic Nike sneakers that would "make a killing" if unavailable in UK
3:03 - We coin the term "Ben's Bargain Boot" for the hypothetical smuggling operation
3:10 - Surprise revelation: "Who knew we had a hiker on the podcast?"
3:15 - Final lightning question: Who won the Met Gala fashion-wise?
3:25 - Ben's candid admission of fashion ignorance: "I could add no value whatsoever"
3:33 - Professional deference: Ben cites colleagues Rebecca choice of Lana Del Rey
3:44 - Transparency about potential bias due to Valentino's connection with their advisory board
4:03 - Chris offers Diana Ross as his pick, noting her return to the spotlight
4:10 - Anne, the group's "fashionista," chooses Janelle Monae for her impressive outfit reveal
The segment showcases how lightning rounds can reveal the human personalities behind professional expertise, building connection with listeners through personal stories and humor.
Catch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/BrQ0kfPY4LA
#metgala #retailnews #teacherappreciationday
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Transcript
Let's go on to the lightning round, you guys.
Speaker A:Ben, question number one is for you.
Speaker A:A recent article in Food Dive warned of the elimination of some of our most nostalgic childhood foods due to regulatory changes in ingredients and inflation, among other things.
Speaker A:What nostalgic food would you be most sad to see wiped off of grocery store shelves?
Speaker A:Or perhaps it's already been wiped off of shelves in the UK because you're much further along than we are in.
Speaker B:The U.S.
Speaker B:i know it's.
Speaker B:It's still there, and it's still there in the US I've lots of nostalgia for the.
Speaker B:So in the.
Speaker B:In you.
Speaker B:In UK we come for Kellogg's Variety Pack.
Speaker B:I think in the US they're called Fun Pack.
Speaker B:You know, you get eight little different types of Kellogg cereals.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:So that was like a birthday treat, and it was the only time that I ever got sugary or chocolatey breakfast cereals.
Speaker B:So love those.
Speaker B:And my.
Speaker B:My girls still love those to today, so we still have them.
Speaker B:My oldest is nearly 18, and yet we still have variety packs for birthdays.
Speaker B:So, yeah, lots of nostalgia for those.
Speaker A:Oh, my gosh, I love that.
Speaker A:I thought you were gonna say Curly Whirly.
Speaker A:That was the first gift that you gave us, Ben, was a Curly Whirly that we, Chris and I got to enjoy, thanks to you.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker A:But Kellogg's Variety pack.
Speaker A:All right, Keep making it Kellogg's.
Speaker C:Nicely done.
Speaker C:All right, number number two, It's National Teacher Appreciation this week here in the United States.
Speaker C:Ben, who is one teacher in your life that you would like to give a nod of thanks to on this podcast?
Speaker B:Oh, man.
Speaker B:I'd like to give a nod to Mr.
Speaker B:Sheehan.
Speaker B:And Mr.
Speaker B:Sheehan was my grade seven to nine business and economics teacher.
Speaker B:So at a small school in sort of rural Yorkshire, completely opened my eyes to the world of commerce and finance, and I've been fascinated ever since.
Speaker B:So, yeah, thanks, Mr.
Speaker B:Sheehan.
Speaker B:Appreciate you.
Speaker A:My God, that's amazing.
Speaker A:Mr.
Speaker A:Sheehan.
Speaker A:Changing lives one kid at a time.
Speaker A:Question number three, Ben.
Speaker A:According to JOR CEO Kristen Sevilla in a recent payments article, 76% of retailers outside the US will not shop US brands because they can no longer do so profitably.
Speaker A:What is one clothing item that you would smuggle back to the UK to sell out of your boot and make a killing off of?
Speaker B:Oh, I love the use of boot rather than trunk.
Speaker B:Thank you, Anne.
Speaker B:Look, I'm.
Speaker B:I'm not going to go down the rabbit hole.
Speaker B:I'm calling BS on that stat as well.
Speaker B:But let's not.
Speaker B:Let's not go there.
Speaker B:Let's not go there.
Speaker B:I mean, you know, the world where you can't get Nike or CKR Ralph or Converse on New Balance, outside the US we're okay.
Speaker B:But if I could, I've got a.
Speaker B:I've got a wardrobe full of North Face stuff that I wear when I go hiking.
Speaker B:So I would bring a suitcase load of North Face stuff for me to keep me going.
Speaker B:And then maybe with some, some new.
Speaker B:New Balances.
Speaker B:And then I have a suitcase full of classic Nike sneakers that I could sell as well, because that be.
Speaker B:If you could no longer get Nike sneakers outside of the US you could make.
Speaker B:I'd make a killing on those.
Speaker A:You would.
Speaker A:That would be.
Speaker A:That would be a great strategy.
Speaker A:Ben.
Speaker A:Ben's.
Speaker A:Ben's bargain boot.
Speaker A:That's what.
Speaker A:That's what's happening.
Speaker C:Bargain boot.
Speaker C:I like that.
Speaker C:Triple B.
Speaker C:Yeah, that's great.
Speaker C:And who knew we had a hiker on the podcast dad, for those longtime listeners, you know how big of a fan I am of hiker hiking.
Speaker C:All right, then, last one.
Speaker C:Who won the Met Gala?
Speaker B:Oh, my God.
Speaker B:So this was a hot topic in the Shop Talk office yesterday, a conversation I very quickly realized I could add no value to whatsoever.
Speaker B:But I did listen.
Speaker B:So my colleagues Rebecca and Josephine today are running content for our new luxury show, and they were raving about Lana Del Rey's look, which.
Speaker B:Which was from Valentino.
Speaker B:Now, I think there might be some balance, some bias going on because Andrea Cappy from Valentina is one of our really engaged ad board members.
Speaker B:So that might have swung it, but, you know, I'm going to go with them as I know nothing in this space.
Speaker B:So Lana Del Rey is what they've told me to say.
Speaker C:Wow.
Speaker C:Mine was Diana Ross, because when was the last time Diana Ross was in the news?
Speaker C:But, Ed, what's yours?
Speaker C:You're the fashionista.
Speaker C:Of the three of us, I mean.
Speaker A:There was a lot to love.
Speaker A:I think Dochi's look was amazing, the Louis Vuitton shorts set.
Speaker A:But I think the person that for me won, like theme wise, it was Janelle Monae that, like, the reveal of her outfit was so good.
Speaker A:And man, I love the Met Gala.
Speaker A:So good.
