Full Carts

Devin and Andy head to the Staten Island Mall! What can a Food District do that a Food Court cannot? Has there been a better time to hit the mall for novelty socks? Can robots make cotton candy as well as humans? Are kiosks stronger than ever? What is the relationship between Hot Topic, Spencer’s (née Spencer’s Gifts), and Newbury Comics? Is the presence of Apple and Lego a reliable indicator of mall health?

Links:

You Get What You Give by New Radicals (video shot in SI Mall)

Weird Science Icee dump scene

Music by⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Jed Becker⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, art by⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Margaret Flatley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, production assistance by Skye MacLeod. Contact [email protected]

Devin and Andy head to a ShopRite grocery on Hylan Blvd. in Staten Island. Can you judge a grocery store by the quality of its vending machines? Is Freeosk the future of free samples? What and where are these Smart Carts?? Are nearly interchangeable grocery store chain names strategic? Are we all living in the Keebler tree, still? Are we going to go back here someday?

Music by⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Jed Becker⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, art by⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Margaret Flatley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, production assistance by Skye MacLeod. Contact [email protected]

Devin and Andy head to the Brooklyn Beach Shop on the Coney Island Boardwalk. How does current Coney Island express its heritage as the People’s Playground? How bad is stealing from beach stores? Does a boardwalk shop need a certain amount of kitsch? Might the parachute drop in fact be an interdimensional portal?

Links:

Weegee’s Coney Island (classic photo)

PBS Coney Island Documentary (1991)

Official page for PBS Coney Island documentary

Short video tour of the Brooklyn Beach Shop

“Coney” by Giuseppe Cautela (1925)

Kikkerland Rainbow Twirler

Coney Island livestream

Music by⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Jed Becker⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, art by⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Margaret Flatley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, production assistance by Skye MacLeod. Contact [email protected]

Devin and Andy visit sea creatures and their gift shop at the New York Aquarium in Coney Island. Are sharks, rays, or jellyfish more soothing to watch? Is there a Jaws resurgence, and would it have been helpful if Devin and Andy had read this article about the 50th anniversary of the book before recording? How well do you need to know the works of Lil Big Stack to take Devin’s quiz? If you were a movie villain, what sort of creatures would you keep in your lair's aquarium? Should the Aquarium offer Icees in smaller sizes? Is a secondary gift shop or concession stand, all tucked away, extra special? How many stuffies for sale is too many stuffies for sale? 

Article about Underground Retail in NYC

Recipient of Full Carts Seal: L&B Auto Repair. Congratulations!

Music by⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Jed Becker⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, art by⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Margaret Flatley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, production assistance by Skye MacLeod. Contact [email protected]

Devin and Andy get fizzed up about soda sizes and variations. Is the 7.5 oz mini-can the greatest modern soda innovation? Just how explosive are Devin’s theories about coffee snobbery and diet cola taste suppression? Is the 20oz bottle an abomination? Is the 3-liter a symbol of American overreach? Which friend of Pepsi inventor Caleb Bradham are you? Do we always look at soda as a time machine? Would you be ready for anything with a Party Pack of Coke balm?
Music by⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Jed Becker⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, art by⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Margaret Flatley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, production assistance by Skye MacLeod. Contact [email protected]

Devin and Andy visit an Ace Hardware in Ace’s centennial year. Will they find more truths or issues in a 1984 essay about why men like hardware stores? Is every purchase a miniature identity crisis? Are any salespeople more helpful than hardware salespeople? Does Whit Stillman's Barcelona have the most memorable critique of 1980s American consumer culture? How long until Korky Flapper gets a standup special on Netflix?

Music by⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Jed Becker⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, art by⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Margaret Flatley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, production assistance by Skye MacLeod. Contact [email protected]

Devin and Andy visit a 7-Eleven on a warm afternoon. Is the Slurpee machine working? Can bodegas and 7-Elevens coexist? What do convenience stores mean? Will the roller grill ever be seen as legitimate? Is 7-Eleven’s website one of the best places for coffee info and Tetris merch? Do you acknowledge the difference between Frozen Uncarbonated Beverages (FUBs) and Frozen Carbonated Beverages (FCBs)? What’s your dream Icee/Slurpee flavor?

The Truth About Slushies Must Come Out (From The Atlantic)

How to Do Things With Video Games both by Ian Bogost

Music by⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Jed Becker⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, art by⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Margaret Flatley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, production assistance by Skye MacLeod. Contact [email protected]

Devin, Andy, and their first guest, Carlo, visit a Brooklyn location of the arts & crafts chain Michaels. Can crafting save us from ourselves? Is the seasonal section a compromise, or the heart of the Michaels experience? Is a pivot to a Perler beading podcast next? Will Carlo’s recent experience of a shiny suburban Michaels affect his cart score? Who will bring back latch hook kits? Do we need a Cricut press to make T-shirts that say, “I’d rather be browsing for arts and crafts supplies”? What does the "SH" sign on certain aisles mean??

Spooky Town is the official name of the Lemax Halloween village. And here is a Portlandia sketch about Jeff Goldblum's Doily Store.

Music by⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Jed Becker⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, art by⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Margaret Flatley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, production assistance by Skye MacLeod. Contact [email protected]

Devin and Andy visit The Oculus (elaborate transit hub with shops on the old World Trade Center lot) and Brookfield Place. People liked to complain about the blandness of mid-late 20th century mall architecture, but is it possible to to overcorrect? Could the pricey Davidoff cigar lounge day pass be worth it for those who are not cigar aficionados? Does Pop Mart out-funko Funko? Should malls hire roving teenagers to create a feeling of authenticity? Is New Stand in Brookfield Place the coolest mega-kiosk around, with NYC souvenirs worthy of use by locals? How important is a lived-in feeling to the mall shopping experience?

Music by⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Jed Becker⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, art by⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Margaret Flatley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, production assistance by Skye MacLeod. Contact [email protected]

Devin and Andy visit a Swatch store in the Oculus. Has your wrist been taken over by a smartwatch? Are you a freewrister? What is more 80s than these old Swatch ads? Which Simpsons character would you like to see on a Swatch, and what would you like to see them doing? Is this Basquiat Swatch cringe or legit? Does anyone do neon better?

Music by⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Jed Becker⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, art by⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Margaret Flatley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, production assistance by Skye MacLeod. Contact [email protected]