Business Wars

American Girl or Barbie? Transformers or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? The Game of Life or Monopoly? We're putting your favorite nostalgic toys head-to-head to determine the GOAT (greatest of all TOYS) with comedian Josh Gondelman and New York Times retail reporter Jordyn Holman. And later on, David goes in the hot seat to choose between some of his most beloved childhood toys (POGs, anyone?). Happy holidays from Business Wars to you!

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‘Tis the season for toys! First, we’re getting an update on where toy retailers stand today with Forbes Senior Contributor Joan Verdon. She’s covered Toys R Us since the late 90s, and has the inside scoop on whether this chain is actually making the big comeback the headlines claim.

Later, we’re zooming in on one toy that’s stood the test of time — Hot Wheels – with Bruce Pascal, who has the world’s most valuable, historically-complete collection of these tiny cars. And he’s recently created his own museum for them. Plus, Bruce shares how he acquired the “holy grail” for Hot Wheels collectors (hint: it’s hot pink).

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It’s 2004 and toy retailers across America are assessing the post-holiday damage from Walmart’s brutal price attack.

And with KB Toys mortally wounded, it falls to Toys “R” Us to lead the fight. But when the debts mount and Amazon turns from friend to foe, Toys “R” Us ends up in a desperate battle for survival.

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It’s 1999 and the world wide web is the new retail frontier. And both KB Toys and Toys “R” Us hope to use the internet to keep Walmart at bay.

But Toys “R” Us's plan for online glory is about to go haywire – giving KB Toys the upper hand and forcing Toys “R” Us into a surprise alliance with Amazon.

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It’s 1990 and Toys “R” Us rules toy retail. But when big-box retailers Walmart and Costco threaten to intrude on its territory, Toys “R” Us uses toymakers to wage retail war.

And as the clash of the giant superstores rages around it, the owner of KB Toys loses faith in its mall-based strategy.

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It’s the 1950s and in Washington D.C., Charles Lazarus is running a small baby furniture store in the house he was born in.

But when a customer comes seeking toys, Lazarus starts on the path towards creating a toy superstore empire called Toys “R” Us and building immense wealth.

And he’s not the only businessman chasing toy riches. In Massachusetts, a wholesaler called Kaufman Brothers is building a rival toy chain in the nation’s shopping malls.

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We're talking about legendary toy stores and how they can compete today with comedian Gianmarco Soresi, who's in the new Netflix series "Verified Stand-Up" and editor-in-chief of The Toy Book, James Zahn. Plus which toys are made to become stars of the silver screen (did somebody say Barbie?) and which are destined to flop.

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Between overworked pharmacists, healthcare consolidation, and rising drug costs, pharmacies are constantly having to adapt. Dan Weissmann, host of the An Arm and a Leg podcast, joins David to talk about how these conditions are affecting pharmacies — big and small — and consumers nationwide.  

Later, Liz Tung, a reporter for WHYY’s The Pulse, shares her deep dive into the mysterious world of pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs. Her recent reporting examines how these entities hurt consumers and pharmacists alike, and what’s being done to challenge them. 

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It’s 2013 and CVS boss Larry Merlo is formulating a plan to wipe two-billion dollars off of the company’s sales by stripping cigarettes from the chain’s shelves.

But while Merlo seeks to forge a tobacco-free future for CVS, over at Walgreens the pressure is mounting on CEO Greg Wasson.

The deal to buy European pharmacy giant Alliance Boots is nearing completion. But the deal’s about to take an unexpected turn that’ll see Walgreens under new management.

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It’s 2009 and Walgreens is in crisis. It’s just lost its CEO and surrendered its top-dog status to CVS.

But it’s about to fightback. It’s got a plan to launch itself onto the world stage and sock it to the pharmacy benefit managers that are eroding its profit margins.

But when its comeback plan hits trouble, it’ll be CVS that benefits.

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