Lightning Round: Mall Makeovers, AI Mode & Our Thoughts On Tom Brady Macking On Sydney Sweeney
This segment on the Retail Fast Five podcast, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Infios, Clear Demand, and Ocampo Capital, covers rapid-fire retail takes.
Quick hits on General Dynamics buying Macy's anchor space (Chris suggests hiding alien bodies), Google's AI mode for fashion try-ons (Anne loves how flattering it is), and Jeff Bezos' celebrity-packed wedding. Plus Anne's controversial Arnold Schwarzenegger movie rankings with Kindergarten Cop at #1!
For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/-J5sCVAKsfQ
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⏩ Topics Covered:
📌 44:30 – Dead Mall Spaces & Government Use
📌 45:37 – Google AI Mode Fashion Experience
📌 47:16 – Celebrity Wedding Guest Lists
📌 48:34 – Arnold Schwarzenegger Movie Rankings
#lightninground #deadmalls #googleAI #celebrityweddings #retailrealestate #AIfashion #arnoldschwarzenegger #retailentertainment
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
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Transcript
All right, Chris, question number one for you is this General Dynamics electric boat unit, which designs, builds, repairs and modernizes nuclear submarines for the US Navy, has just acquired the121,000 square foot Macy's anchor location that is connected to the Crystal Mall in Waterford, Connecticut.
Speaker A:If not building submarines for the U.S. navy, Chris, what's the best use, in your opinion of dead anchor space?
Speaker B:Oh, I'm going to say government here, and I think we need to use it to hide the alien bodies.
Speaker B:That's what I think.
Speaker B:I think we need to.
Speaker B:I think we need to hide bodies in dead mall anchor spaces.
Speaker B:Like literally create stranger things.
Speaker A:Oh, my God.
Speaker A:I thought you were going to talk about, like, putting DMVs.
Speaker A:It was like, that is actually a very good idea.
Speaker A:I like the government use cases for the mall.
Speaker B:Oh, DMVs.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, we have one in our model.
Speaker B:Actually works really well.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's actually a really good idea.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:But alien bodies.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Yeah, let's hide the alien bodies.
Speaker B:Area 51 all over the country.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:Google's AI mode push confirmed.
Speaker B:Was confirmed yesterday with a doodle that broadly promotes how you can quote search like never before.
Speaker B:Did you give AI mode a try yesterday and what was your verdict if you did?
Speaker A:Yes, I've been giving AI mode a try for the last month and I love it so much.
Speaker A:I posted, I did the Mango outfit and then tried on the actual product in Barcelona when I was at Mango and I was very impressed.
Speaker A:And I was just talking to Hillary Littleton of Fit Match yesterday about how skinny and attractive it makes you look actually cute.
Speaker A:So compared to some of the other fit finders you like, you put on the outfit.
Speaker A:Google AI mode puts the outfit on you.
Speaker A:And I was like, ooh, I look really good in this.
Speaker A:Not quite as good as I do in real life in that outfit, but it definitely gets my vote.
Speaker A:I love AI Mode from a consumer experience standpoint.
Speaker B:Do you like that, though?
Speaker B:Do you like thinking the garment's going to fit a certain way and then you know, you know, you get the garment?
Speaker B:I don't know if this happened, but did you get the garment and it, like, didn't fit that way?
Speaker B:Like, is that.
Speaker A:I mean, there is definitely fine.
Speaker B:Is it friction filled?
Speaker B:Like, how do you think about that?
Speaker A:There is definitely some differences, but I still felt like I would have kept like that the garment still fit me well and I still would have kept it.
Speaker A:I would have.
Speaker A:I would have purchased that item.
Speaker A:I would have been happy if I purchased that item online and Got that.
Speaker A:Even though it was.
Speaker A:The fit wasn't exactly the same.
Speaker A:I. I still was very pleasantly surprised by the recommendations that it made, so.
Speaker B:Nice.
Speaker A:Still some work to do there, though.
Speaker A:All right, Chris, question number three.
Speaker A:Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez got married in Venice last week.
Speaker A:I have to know, which slide celebrity guests were you most surprised to see?
Speaker A:Got the invite to the wedding.
Speaker B:Oh, geez.
Speaker B:And, I mean, you came in hot in this podcast.
Speaker B:I'm gonna come in hot right here.
Speaker B:Don't even get me started on this wedding.
Speaker B:And, I mean, did anyone that actually attended this wedding even know Jeff Bezos, like, and his wife?
Speaker B:Like, it was, I don't know, like, celebrities.
Speaker B:The whole list was like, celebrities.
Speaker B:I was like, come on.
Speaker B:Like, where's your friends and family?
Speaker B:Like, you know, like, where are they in this mix?
Speaker A:But, well, they're not as interesting.
Speaker A:They're not as interesting to put on tmz.
Speaker A:No.
Speaker B:Curious how many of them even has, you know, like, I don't know, like, you know, I mean, I guess when you're that rich, it's hard to have close friends.
Speaker B:But my favorite guests were definitely, though, Tom Brady and Sydney Sweeney, which.
Speaker B:Have you heard the rumors?
Speaker B:It appears old Tommy may have been making a play for her despite being 20 years her senior, too.
Speaker B:Do you think.
Speaker B:Here's my question for you.
Speaker B:Do you think she asked him?
Speaker B:Did you think she went up to him?
Speaker B:She's like, so, Tom, did you try my soap?
Speaker A:Gross.
Speaker A:No, I hope not.
Speaker A:This is so the most disgusting.
Speaker A:No.
Speaker A:Tom Brady, Go find someone your own age.
Speaker B:Actually, Tom Brady is probably like, hey, I tried your soap.
Speaker B:I really liked it.
Speaker B:That's.
Speaker B:That's Tom Brady's move.
Speaker B:I bet that was his Go.
Speaker B:Total creep.
Speaker A:That's such a creep thing to say.
Speaker A:Ugh, gross.
Speaker B:I've heard stories about Tom Brady from back in his early Boston days.
Speaker B: unning man, the remake of the: Speaker B:I have not seen it yet.
Speaker B:I need to watch that, actually.
Speaker B:What are your top five Arnold movies ranked five through one, starting with number five.
Speaker A:Well, you know, I haven't seen the Terminators in completion.
Speaker A:We talked about that on a previous show.
Speaker A:So the only had to look up all of his movies.
Speaker A:Number five is Junior.
Speaker A:Number four is True Lies.
Speaker A:Number three is Batman and Robin.
Speaker A:Two is Jingle all the Way.
Speaker A:And number one, the.
Speaker A:In my opinion, the best Arnold Schwarzenegger movie and one of the greatest movies of all time, Kindergarten Cop.
Speaker A:That movie so good.
Speaker A:Better than all the rest of them.
Speaker A:I think.
Speaker B:I think you're gonna have a lot of disagreement on social media with that list.
Speaker B:Oh, my God.
Speaker A:That's fine.
Speaker A:I'm okay with it.
Speaker A:Kindergarten Cop.
Speaker A:Take it to the Grave.
Speaker A:I loved that movie.
Speaker A:I thought it was so good.
Speaker B:Oh, my God.
Speaker B:There's only probably one maybe True Lies.
Speaker B:That would make my top five, but anyway.
Speaker B:Oh, my God, that's crazy.
Speaker B:I can't wait to hear what people think about that list.
