Fast Five Shorts | A "Gentle Rollercoaster" Lightning Round
In the latest edition of Omni Talk’s Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Simbe, Ocampo Capital and Scratch Event DJs Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga are joined by co-hosts from the Alvarez & Marsal Consumer & Retail Group, Kelly Carey and John Clear. In this clip, the group discusses: A "Gentle Rollercoaster" Lightning Round
For the full episode head here: https://youtu.be/s3yeI48E9A0
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00:00 - Untitled
00:21 - Walmart's New Headquarters and Employee Return
01:12 - Navigating Roundabouts: A Guide
02:29 - Starting a Business in Florida
03:41 - The Diaper Debate: Pricing and Perceptions
05:16 - The Pit and Age
Walmart not only is dominating all of our retail headlines today, but they're also requiring employees to return to the office in Bentonville this month.
Speaker A
And to welcome them back, they just opened a brand new designed campus which features a fitness center, a store layout center, an amphitheater, a daycare for up to 500 children, among many other things.
Speaker A
I want to know, Kelly, what would you want included if A and M was designing a new headquarters for you?
Speaker B
Great question.
Speaker B
I would certainly take all those things that, that Walmart's setting up.
Speaker B
Are their employees the two that you didn't mention, which out.
Speaker B
Adam.
Speaker B
Sucker for a luxury fancy coffee.
Speaker B
So if there's free lattes, you know, you'll keep me in the building for, you know, an extra hour on both ends of the day and then going to go doggy daycare.
Speaker B
For those of us who are not in the the child population, doggy daycare would go a long way.
Speaker A
They might even have those things, I think just that they ran out of space in the article.
Speaker A
Who knows?
Speaker A
Who knows?
Speaker C
Yeah, they probably do, knowing them.
Speaker C
Yeah.
Speaker C
All right.
Speaker C
All right, John, this next one I picked out just for you, a Waymo Taxi recently got stuck in a never ending roundabout near the Phoenix airport, a la European vacation.
Speaker C
As our resident European on this show, and for those interested, my first roundabout experience was in Ireland.
Speaker C
What recommendations do you have for us Yankees here in terms of navigating a roundabout effectively?
Speaker D
First of all, before I ask the question, did you watch the video of the guy in the Waymo Taxi?
Speaker D
It's like, it's crazy.
Speaker D
And he's like on the call with the customer service being like, how do I stop this car?
Speaker D
It's like running a circle, so you should look it up.
Speaker D
He also works in AI, which is kind of funny.
Speaker D
So, so just as.
Speaker C
Oh, that's hilarious.
Speaker C
Really?
Speaker C
Oh my God.
Speaker D
Yeah.
Speaker D
Yeah.
Speaker D
So he was like, I'm never taking one of these again.
Speaker D
So my recommendation for, for roundabouts, which I mentioned to you guys already, is a little bit of a passion of mine.
Speaker D
I treat it like a four way stop sign, right?
Speaker D
So when you come to the roundabout, you stop, you see where other people are coming from.
Speaker D
And then if there's nobody coming, you go.
Speaker D
If you're turning right, you indicate right.
Speaker D
If you're going to the other side of the roundabout, you're indicating left.
Speaker D
It's a four way stop sign with a circle in the middle.
Speaker D
That's all you need to think about.
Speaker D
Don't over complicate it.
Speaker A
Love it.
Speaker C
Yet Americans can't figure it out.
Speaker A
Yeah, I know.
Speaker A
We're still.
Speaker A
We're still working on it.
Speaker A
John, you get question number three as well.
Speaker A
According to a Wallet Hub study, Florida was just named the best state in the United States to start a business in in 2025.
Speaker A
If you were to start a business in Florida this year, what kind of business would it be?
Speaker D
Yeah, I was kind of torn on this one, to be honest.
Speaker D
I had two different ideas, so I'm going to put them both out there.
Speaker A
Okay, we'll take one.
Speaker D
Is like an alligator based, like boutique.
Speaker D
So they sell like alligator skin handbags and all that kind of stuff.
Speaker D
Right.
Speaker D
Which is kind of like local.
Speaker D
But the other one, the more I thought about is like what's synonymous with Florida.
Speaker D
And it's like old people, I mean, to be kind of blunt.
Speaker D
So what you really want is kind of a.
Speaker D
Like a theme park for older people.
Speaker D
So kind of like Disneyland, but for older people.
Speaker D
So like gentle roller coasters.
Speaker D
You know, like a track where they can go around on their.
Speaker D
And they're golf simulator.
Speaker D
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker D
You're a golf simulator.
Speaker D
But it's like, I think that's what they're missing in Florida.
Speaker D
And I think you'd make a lot.
Speaker C
I mean, I've been fishing, like amusement park rides that are like a massage chair.
Speaker C
Like that's what you do.
Speaker D
Gentle roller, gentle for people's hearts, you know, that's what you're looking.
Speaker D
Yes.
Speaker C
Oh, my God.
Speaker C
Oh, my God.
Speaker C
And the alligator store.
Speaker C
I could definitely sink my teeth into that.
Speaker C
All right, Kelly.
Speaker C
Last one.
Speaker C
Liquid deaths Pit Diaper, priced at $75, is reportedly flying off shelves following a viral bathroom incident at a recent San Francisco concert at $75.
Speaker C
And as an esteemed retail consultant, do you think the pit diaper is underpriced, overpriced, or properly priced?
Speaker B
You know, I was sad to Google pit diaper.
Speaker B
That was a wild visual to start my day.
Speaker C
But it is worth to do though.
Speaker C
It is worth the dude.
Speaker C
Yeah.
Speaker B
It proceed with caution.
Speaker B
I would say appropriately price if it's flying off the shelf, you know, keep going with it, guys.
Speaker B
You know, a diaper, I had to look this up to see, you know, what is just a regular diaper cost nowadays.
Speaker B
It's.
Speaker B
It's probably double the cost of a adult diaper 30 pack.
Speaker B
So it's definitely expensive.
Speaker B
But you know, it's got the chains, it's got the pleather, and people will spend a lot of money for that kind of rave gear.
Speaker B
That's not my.
Speaker B
My personal shopping space.
Speaker B
But I think as long as they can ride this high, keep doing it.
Speaker C
So you think it's right price.
Speaker C
No reason to raise the price.
Speaker C
Get any more margin and I could see you wearing one of these because you're a frequent concert goer.
Speaker C
What do you think?
Speaker C
Could you.
Speaker D
Could.
Speaker A
Could we see you wearing one of.
Speaker C
These at a future?
Speaker A
No way.
Speaker A
I am too old.
Speaker A
I This.
Speaker A
I am too old for this.
Speaker A
I'm not in the pit anymore.
Speaker A
I am.
Speaker A
I am.
Speaker A
I am paying the extra money for the VIP tickets with their own bathroom.
Speaker A
Chris.
Speaker D
I am.
Speaker A
I'm so beyond pit diapers.
Speaker A
Maybe back in my 20s, but.
Speaker B
And the pit diaper appears to be, like, worn as pants as well, you know, it's under your clothes.
Speaker B
It is no fit.
Speaker B
So it's for the bold of heart.
Speaker B
For sure.
Speaker A
I'm gonna be.
Speaker A
I'm gonna be going away from the people wearing pit diapers.
Speaker A
Let me just tell you that it's not gonna smell great.
Speaker A
I have a feeling you're too old for the pit.