Retail Fast Five

In this week’s Omni Talk Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Firework, Avalara, TGW, and Sezzle, Chris and Anne discussed:

• Hy-Vee breathing life into microfulfillment once again by way of its recently announced implementation with Takeoff
• The aforementioned AR beauty experience within Walmart’s app
• Netflix’s new store plans
• Shipt’s support of a legal framework that allows gig workers to receive benefits while retaining their independent contractor status
• And closed with a look at why Amazon Fresh being named the first-ever zero carbon grocery store says so much about the right way to think about smart store design

There’s all that, plus our favorite ghosts, “Billionaire Bunker,” and Avalara's George Trantas stopped by to give us 5 Insightful Minutes on e-commerce tax compliance.

You can read Avalara's recently published white paper on the 10 common mistakes people make with e-commerce tax compliance and how to avoid them by clicking here: Ecommerce and Tax Compliance: 10 Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

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In this week’s Omni Talk Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Firework, Avalara, TGW, and Sezzle, Chris and Anne:

• Lauded Stop & Shop for its new coupon kiosk in-store to help the “digital hesitant”
• Went down the very cool rabbit hole of exploring the Ozempic craze and what makes its potential impact on retail different from other trends that have come before it
• Praised Scheels for answering the “why” – as in why come to a physical store – with its new 250,000 square foot store in Phoenix
• Bought hook, line, and sinker into the idea that Bloomingdale’s could in fact be Macy’s “growth vehicle”
• And closed with a look at why purpose matters for store employees through the lens of Ulta’s efforts to inspire joy within its team members

There’s all that, plus Crocs cowboy boots, AI celebrities, and why Chris ain’t no hollaback guy.

To register for Manifest, head here: www.manifestvegas.com/omnitalk

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In this week’s Omni Talk Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Firework, Avalara, TGW, and Sezzle, Chris and Anne:

• Discussed why the Peloton and Lululemon partnership feels like vanilla ice cream
• Looked at the “shrinking” list of reasons behind Walmart removing self-checkout from three New Mexico stores
• Highlighted Gelson’s new store concept as the potential convenience store of the future
• Questioned everything there is to question about Macy’s small store strategy
• And closed with a look at why Cooler Screens lawsuit against Walgreens could signal that the in-store retail media craze is way overhyped

There’s all that, plus ravioli-shaped moons, frozen caveman lawyers, and Anne’s worst wedgie of all-time.

To register for Manifest, head here: www.manifestvegas.com/omnitalk

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In this week’s Omni Talk Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Firework, SPS Commerce, and Sezzle, A&M’s John Clear and Kelly Carey made their maiden podcast voyage with Chris and Anne as they debated:

• Whether the FTC has a legitimate case against Amazon
• How scared Walmart and Target should be of Kroger’s new Marketplace store concept
• The value of Nike getting into resale with the launch of refurbished.nike.com
• If Best Buy Drops is merchandising genius or just a copycat gimmick
• And closed with a look at whether Albertsons new Flash delivery program heralds a new era in retailing in which consumers will be asked to pay for the value added services they crave

There’s all that, plus Irish college courses on influencing, Tom Cruise in Far And Away, and the one sitcom location we most wish was turned into a tourist location.

To register for Manifest, head here: www.manifestvegas.com/omnitalk

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In this week’s Omni Talk Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Firework, SPS Commerce, and Sezzle, Chris and Anne discuss:

• Which innovation we like better – Walmart late night delivery or delivery from Walmart via text?
• All the possible reasons why Kroger would pause its automated microfulfillment expansion plans
• IKEA’s recent declaration that its customers miss the seventh circle of hell maze-like design of its stores
• The operational efficiency gains Couche-Tard is seeing from Mashgin’s computer vision platform
• And closed with a look at the launch of TikTok Shop and what it could mean for retailers and brands within the social commerce landscape

There's all that, plus AI generated Coke, Kendra Scott jewelry, and whether a bean is also an orb.

To register for Groceryshop, head here: www.groceryshop.com/omnitalk

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In this week’s Omni Talk Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Firework, SPS Commerce, and Sezzle, Chris and Anne:

• Called Giant Foods' decision to implement receipt checks and to pull branded merchandise from its shelves a momentous moment in the history of retail.
• Enjoyed riffing on the seemingly best frenemies that Shopify and Amazon have become in light of their new Buy With Prime partnership.
• Hotly debated Under Armour's hiring of John Varvatos as its new Chief Design Officer (Anne loved it; Chris did not).
• Both surprisingly supported JCP's $1 billion turnaround plan.
• And closed with a salute and a watch out for Ulta over the recent tripling of its ship-from-store locations.

There's all that, plus in-flight biohazards, sex ring code words, and whether Taylor Swift will gross a cool billion at the box office.

To register for Groceryshop, head here: www.groceryshop.com/omnitalk

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In this week’s Omni Talk Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Firework, SPS Commerce, and Sezzle, Chris and Anne had a wee delight discussing (and sometimes ranting about):

• How much they would use Starbucks' new scanless pay feature at the drive thru
• The long-term implications of the Shein and Forever 21 partnership
• The brilliance of Amazon combining its Just Walk Out technology with campus delivery and Grubhub
• Gap’s insanely ludicrous sleepwear collaboration with Macy’s
• And closed with a look at Sephora's new mobile checkout pilot and whether other retailers should rush to emulate it

There’s all that, plus Capri Sun, Billy bookcases, and why no one should ever raise their hands even if they are Sure.

To register for Groceryshop, head here: www.groceryshop.com/omnitalk

To get your own sweet version of the special edition 30 for 30 MLB hat Chris is wearing, head to HatClub.com

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In this week’s Omni Talk Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Firework, SPS Commerce, and Sezzle, A&M's Chad Lusk and Ben Lowden joined Anne and Chris to discuss:

• Dick’s growing theft problem and what, if anything, the industry can do about it
• Aldi’s major 400 store expansion plans
• Etsy’s new baby registry
• Trader Joe’s claims that it will never put self-checkout machines in its stores
• And closed with a look at why Amazon would make such drastic cuts to its private label apparel assortment

There’s all that, plus Publix pup bans, pizza crust proclivities, and what baby food we would most want to eat as adults.

To register for Groceryshop, head here: www.groceryshop.com/omnitalk

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In this week’s Omni Talk Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Firework, SPS Commerce, and Sezzle, Chris and Anne:

• Politely disagreed on whether Nike should be getting into the boutique gym business
• Tried to understand all the angles and reasons why Wawa would pilot a shelfless store in Philly
• Threw tremendous shade at JD Sports for piloting in-store AR mirrors
• Put themselves in the mind of a local florist (as they have always wanted to do) and asked, “Why in the world would we ever want to help deliver Amazon packages through Amazon Hub?”
• And closed with unbridled enthusiasm over Amazon bringing its Just Walk Out technology into apparel this week

A&M's Chad Lusk even stopped by to give us 5 Insightful Minutes on in-store grocery technology. To access the In-Store Technology: Customer-Facing Retail Tech Report — Grocery Edition head here: https://alvarezandmarsal-crg.com/insight/in-store-technology-customer-facing-retail-tech-report-grocery-edition/

There’s all that, plus why In-N-Out Burger is always better consumed on-premise, their favorite Lindas, and the forever named mall security robot, Ro-Blart.

To register for Groceryshop, head here: www.groceryshop.com/omnitalk

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In this week’s Omni Talk Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Firework, SPS Commerce, and Sezzle, Chris and Anne discuss:

- Overstock going live with its Bed Bath & Beyond rebranding

- The ridiculous hyperbole surrounding Amazon's "biggest grocery overhaul since Whole Foods"

- Poshmark adding visual search to its mobile app

- Clevon embarking on multi-parcel autonomous last-mile delivery in Texas

- And closed with some skepticism surrounding Gap's new CEO hire

There’s all that, plus rocks in our food, some all-time great CEO name alliteration, and the degree to which Cap'n Crunch cereal tastes like Band-Aids.

To register for Groceryshop, head here: www.groceryshop.com/omnitalk

To register for Manifest, head here: www.manifestvegas.com/OmniTalk

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