Lightning Round: LEGO Smart Bricks, Toxic Mom Groups & Stranger Things | Fast Five Shorts
This segment of the Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, Quorso, and Veloq, features Chris and Anne closing out the show with rapid-fire takes on the lighter (and weirder) side of retail and culture.
The conversation jumps from LEGO’s smart brick ambitions to the rise of toxic mom groups online, plus the internet’s obsession with five-gallon popcorn buckets.
Chris and Anne also weigh in on whether the Stranger Things finale deserves a do-over because no Lightning Round is complete without a strong pop culture opinion.
⏩ Watch the full episode here.
#LightningRound #RetailFastFive #OmniTalk #RetailCulture #PopCulture #ConsumerTrends #StrangerThings #LEGO
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Transcript
Let's go to the lightning round.
Speaker A:Chris, question number one.
Speaker A:I heard this headline and had to ask you about it.
Speaker A:Big news from LEGO out of ces.
Speaker A:This week, LEGO has announced smart bricks, a computer that fits into a 2x4 brick that enables your LEGO creations to now have sound, light and motion.
Speaker A:And they will debut as part of their Star wars sets on March 1st.
Speaker A:Chris, how much of a priority was will it be for you to have one of these smart bricks in your LEGO collection?
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Now I'm not, I'm not jumping on this one, but, you know, but if LEGO wants to create a life size Darth Vader, I'm all in whenever that gets released.
Speaker B:So LEGO listening, help a brother out, make my dreams come true.
Speaker B:Life size Darth Vader build kit.
Speaker B:That's what I want.
Speaker B:That's what I'm dying to get.
Speaker B:And I would spend a ton of money on that.
Speaker B:I probably put myself into Hawk just to get that.
Speaker B:All right, next one.
Speaker B:Ashley Tisdale recently quit her toxic mom group.
Speaker B:This has been blowing up the headlines lately, which reportedly included several other celebrities because it ended up reminding her of high school clicks and left her feeling, quote, frozen out at a vulnerable time.
Speaker B:And have you ever been part of a toxic mom group?
Speaker B:I'm curious, have you ever felt this or experienced anything that she's describing?
Speaker A:No.
Speaker A:That sounds awful.
Speaker A:I would silence that text thread right away.
Speaker A:No, all my, my mom groups are very supportive.
Speaker A:I rely on them heavily and I, I want to say I've got a good, a good string of maybe half a dozen of them depending on what the sport is or how we know each other and how long we've known each other.
Speaker A:But no, always, always great recommendations and links to products in those feeds.
Speaker A:I have always said if, if there is a retailer that could tap into these mom text threads, you would be billionaires.
Speaker A:Because those products go viral in, in a matter of seconds.
Speaker A:After every gathering, there's a list of several, several products that people should take advantage of.
Speaker A:So no, only good things, not bad.
Speaker A:I would immediately cut those out.
Speaker A:Chris, question number three.
Speaker A:This also made me think of you.
Speaker A:Lowe's home improvement stores and Cinemark theaters are doing a bring your own bucket popcorn promotion.
Speaker A:And anyone who brings In a Lowe's 5 gallon bucket can fill it to the brim with popcorn for free.
Speaker A:I have two.
Speaker A:A two parter one.
Speaker A:Would you partake in the Lowe's five gallon bucket of popcorn party?
Speaker A:And to butter, salt or naked popcorn, where do you go?
Speaker B:How big?
Speaker B:First of all, how big is a five gallon bucket.
Speaker B:That sounds enormous.
Speaker A:It's like a utility bucket, you know, that you like sit on and I mean, it's big.
Speaker A:It's big, right?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:That you put like spackling in or something.
Speaker B:You know, like that's kind of what I'm.
Speaker B:That's kind of what I'm envisioning.
Speaker B:But so to answer your question, hell yes, I would bring in a five gallon bucket.
Speaker B:And, and, and to go Even further, butter, 100% multiple layers.
Speaker B:You got to put the butter in as you're putting the popcorn in so that it gets a nice even distribution.
Speaker B:And I would put enough salt on that five gallon bucket to cause me immediate hypertension.
Speaker B:And that's how I would answer that question.
Speaker B:Immediate hypertension is a requirement anytime I eat popcorn.
Speaker B:I love my salt.
Speaker B:I love it.
Speaker B:All right, this one is nuts, right?
Speaker B:And I was hoping that we'd get word of this by the time we recorded, but we haven't yet.
Speaker B:There are reports and have you been seeing this?
Speaker B:There are reports of a new Stranger Things episode to be released today, AKA the real finale.
Speaker B:So how excited would you one be if this turns out to be true?
Speaker B:And what grade would you give the actual finale, previous finale, whatever you want to call it?
Speaker A:I don't know that I want another finale.
Speaker B:Oh my God.
Speaker B:Are you kidding me?
Speaker A:I don't think I do, but I would obviously watch it.
Speaker A:I would absolutely watch it.
Speaker A:And you know what?
Speaker A:I was at the, the, our local grocery store last night, Chris, and they were setting out like Junior Mints dots and like Charleston Chew movie theater boxes.
Speaker A:And I was like, maybe this is happening.
Speaker A:Like all of the grocery stores got the word before everybody else did.
Speaker B:Could be Valentine's Day too.
Speaker A:It could be.
Speaker A:But I was really satisfied with the finale.
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:I like thought it.
Speaker A:I thought it ended in a good way where like, not everything was perfect, but you know, the things that needed to.
Speaker A:The loose ends, that needed to be tied up were.
Speaker A:Were tied.
Speaker A:So I'm.
Speaker A:I'm good with how it ended, but clearly you are not.
Speaker A:So what are you hoping for in this?
Speaker A:This?
Speaker B:Well, what.
Speaker B:I think it would be the most baller move of anyone ever to do this.
Speaker B:Like, I think it's such a coup from a marketing perspective if they actually do it.
Speaker B:So it's a brilliant idea, whoever ultimately came up with it and if they execute on it.
Speaker B:But no, I hated the finale.
Speaker B:I thought the finale was like kissing my sister.
Speaker B:It was like, that's it.
Speaker B:That's what we got here.
Speaker B:This is great.
Speaker B:Okay, fine.
Speaker B:But I'm gonna bring Ella in on this one.
Speaker B:Ella?
Speaker B:Ella.
Speaker B:Have you seen Ella?
Speaker B:Are you a big Stranger Things fan?
Speaker B:Did you watch it?
Speaker B:What is your take on the finale, and how much would you like to see this new episode?
Speaker C:I would be incredibly excited if they dropped one.
Speaker C:I think the Duffer Brothers are brilliant, so I honestly would not be surprised if they dropped one tonight.
Speaker B:Were you happy with the previous finale?
Speaker B:Where are you?
Speaker B:Kind of left.
Speaker B:Like, I was where.
Speaker C:You're like, yes, I see both your opinions, because I'm with Anne.
Speaker C:I was.
Speaker C:I was okay with it.
Speaker C:Like, I was happy with.
Speaker C:Everyone kind of got their happy ending.
Speaker C:But to your point, Chris, like, so many different things could have happened, and it could have been so much better, too.
Speaker C:I don't know.
Speaker C:I don't know.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:100%.
Speaker B:100%.
Speaker A:What did you guys want?
Speaker A:Like, that's.
Speaker A:I can't.
Speaker A:I still don't understand.
Speaker A:Like, what were the things that you felt like you wanted, like, way more.
Speaker B:I didn't need the first of all.
Speaker B:I didn't need the 40 minutes of, like, all the stuff that happens afterwards.
Speaker B:I was like, okay, whatever.
Speaker B:And then you didn't even tie up the loose ends.
Speaker B:Like, the.
Speaker B:All the dead army people at the base.
Speaker B:The doctor.
Speaker B:What is her name?
Speaker B:Dr. K. You have no idea what happens to her or anything.
Speaker B:Like, the whole thing didn't make.
Speaker B:I didn't understand how Elle was using her powers, but I don't know.
Speaker B:What do you think you.
Speaker C:Well, I also think.
Speaker C:I think the ending of them ultimately killing Vecna, like, there's no way they would have killed Vecna that quickly with, like, a flamethrower and Will's powers and Elle, like, there's no way they needed more.
Speaker A:But Winona Ryder hacked his head off, you guys.
Speaker A:I felt like they gave her redemption for, like, her entire life.
Speaker A:Winona Ryder just got to go in and hack the head off of Vecna.
Speaker A:Spoiler alert for those of you.
Speaker B:Yeah, but did she really kill him?
Speaker B:That's the question that we're going to find out today.
Speaker B:You know, like.
Speaker B:Or, you know, it's the whole thing a dream.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:There's just so many plot holes in that episode.
Speaker B:And the whole thing at the end where they're, like, sitting around and they're, like, talking about how they're living in different places and going to college, I'm like, this is just weird.
Speaker C:I did see this might be a big stretch, but when they put the binders back on the shelf.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:It had, like, Mike, it had all their names, it spelled out Act 2.
Speaker B:And then they put the binders back and it says a lie, so.
Speaker A:Holy.
Speaker A:See that one?
Speaker B:It does.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:No, there's.
Speaker B:I'll send you some rabbit holes on this, too, Ella.
Speaker B:There's.
Speaker B:There's a lot of really good things that people spend a lot of time on this.
Speaker B:And if the Duffer brothers are that brilliant, like, holy cow, these guys are brilliant if they actually end up doing this, because I agree with you, Ella.
Speaker B:They're geniuses if they pull this off, but.
