From Nostalgic Cereals to Met Gala Fashion: This Week's Lightning Round Reveals Our Personal Side
This charming lightning round segment, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and ClearDemand, reveals the personalities behind retail analytics as Ben Miller, a UK retail expert, answers rapid-fire personal questions with humor and authenticity.
Key Moments:
0:02 - Introduction to the fast-paced lightning round with Ben Miller
0:05 - Nostalgic food question: Which childhood foods would Ben miss if discontinued?
0:27 - Ben's sentimental attachment to Kellogg's Variety Pack cereals explained
0:43 - Childhood memory: How these cereal packs were special "birthday treats" in his home
0:52 - The tradition continues: Ben now shares these with his own daughters
1:04 - Anne's surprise revelation: She expected Ben to mention the "Curly Whirly" candy
1:18 - National Teacher Appreciation Week prompt: Which teacher influenced Ben most?
1:29 - Ben honors Mr. Sheen, his Grade 7-9 business and economics teacher
1:40 - How a rural Yorkshire school teacher "completely opened my eyes to the world of commerce"
1:57 - Provocative retail statistic discussion: 76% of retailers outside US won't shop American brands?
2:13 - Humorous hypothetical: What clothing would Ben smuggle to the UK in his "boot" (trunk)
2:25 - Ben diplomatically calls "BS" on the statistic while avoiding a deep dive
2:37 - Ben's smuggling strategy: North Face hiking gear for personal use
2:49 - Business plan: Classic Nike sneakers that would "make a killing" if unavailable in UK
3:03 - We coin the term "Ben's Bargain Boot" for the hypothetical smuggling operation
3:10 - Surprise revelation: "Who knew we had a hiker on the podcast?"
3:15 - Final lightning question: Who won the Met Gala fashion-wise?
3:25 - Ben's candid admission of fashion ignorance: "I could add no value whatsoever"
3:33 - Professional deference: Ben cites colleagues Rebecca choice of Lana Del Rey
3:44 - Transparency about potential bias due to Valentino's connection with their advisory board
4:03 - Chris offers Diana Ross as his pick, noting her return to the spotlight
4:10 - Anne, the group's "fashionista," chooses Janelle Monae for her impressive outfit reveal
The segment showcases how lightning rounds can reveal the human personalities behind professional expertise, building connection with listeners through personal stories and humor.
Catch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/BrQ0kfPY4LA
#metgala #retailnews #teacherappreciationday
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
00:00 - Untitled
00:05 - The Impact of Regulatory Changes on Nostalgic Foods
00:42 - Nostalgia for Childhood Treats
01:32 - The Impact of Education on Career Paths
03:09 - Fashion and Hiking: A New Perspective
04:09 - Fashion Discussions at the Met Gala
Let's go on to the lightning round, you guys.
Speaker ABen, question number one is for you.
Speaker AA recent article in Food Dive warned of the elimination of some of our most nostalgic childhood foods due to regulatory changes in ingredients and inflation, among other things.
Speaker AWhat nostalgic food would you be most sad to see wiped off of grocery store shelves?
Speaker AOr perhaps it's already been wiped off of shelves in the UK because you're much further along than we are in.
Speaker BThe U.S.
Speaker Bi know it's.
Speaker BIt's still there, and it's still there in the US I've lots of nostalgia for the.
Speaker BSo in the.
Speaker BIn you.
Speaker BIn UK we come for Kellogg's Variety Pack.
Speaker BI think in the US they're called Fun Pack.
Speaker BYou know, you get eight little different types of Kellogg cereals.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker BSo that was like a birthday treat, and it was the only time that I ever got sugary or chocolatey breakfast cereals.
Speaker BSo love those.
Speaker BAnd my.
Speaker BMy girls still love those to today, so we still have them.
Speaker BMy oldest is nearly 18, and yet we still have variety packs for birthdays.
Speaker BSo, yeah, lots of nostalgia for those.
Speaker AOh, my gosh, I love that.
Speaker AI thought you were gonna say Curly Whirly.
Speaker AThat was the first gift that you gave us, Ben, was a Curly Whirly that we, Chris and I got to enjoy, thanks to you.
Speaker ABut.
Speaker ABut Kellogg's Variety pack.
Speaker AAll right, Keep making it Kellogg's.
Speaker CNicely done.
Speaker CAll right, number number two, It's National Teacher Appreciation this week here in the United States.
Speaker CBen, who is one teacher in your life that you would like to give a nod of thanks to on this podcast?
Speaker BOh, man.
Speaker BI'd like to give a nod to Mr.
Speaker BSheehan.
Speaker BAnd Mr.
Speaker BSheehan was my grade seven to nine business and economics teacher.
Speaker BSo at a small school in sort of rural Yorkshire, completely opened my eyes to the world of commerce and finance, and I've been fascinated ever since.
Speaker BSo, yeah, thanks, Mr.
Speaker BSheehan.
Speaker BAppreciate you.
Speaker AMy God, that's amazing.
Speaker AMr.
Speaker ASheehan.
Speaker AChanging lives one kid at a time.
Speaker AQuestion number three, Ben.
Speaker AAccording to JOR CEO Kristen Sevilla in a recent payments article, 76% of retailers outside the US will not shop US brands because they can no longer do so profitably.
Speaker AWhat is one clothing item that you would smuggle back to the UK to sell out of your boot and make a killing off of?
Speaker BOh, I love the use of boot rather than trunk.
Speaker BThank you, Anne.
Speaker BLook, I'm.
Speaker BI'm not going to go down the rabbit hole.
Speaker BI'm calling BS on that stat as well.
Speaker BBut let's not.
Speaker BLet's not go there.
Speaker BLet's not go there.
Speaker BI mean, you know, the world where you can't get Nike or CKR Ralph or Converse on New Balance, outside the US we're okay.
Speaker BBut if I could, I've got a.
Speaker BI've got a wardrobe full of North Face stuff that I wear when I go hiking.
Speaker BSo I would bring a suitcase load of North Face stuff for me to keep me going.
Speaker BAnd then maybe with some, some new.
Speaker BNew Balances.
Speaker BAnd then I have a suitcase full of classic Nike sneakers that I could sell as well, because that be.
Speaker BIf you could no longer get Nike sneakers outside of the US you could make.
Speaker BI'd make a killing on those.
Speaker AYou would.
Speaker AThat would be.
Speaker AThat would be a great strategy.
Speaker ABen.
Speaker ABen's.
Speaker ABen's bargain boot.
Speaker AThat's what.
Speaker AThat's what's happening.
Speaker CBargain boot.
Speaker CI like that.
Speaker CTriple B.
Speaker CYeah, that's great.
Speaker CAnd who knew we had a hiker on the podcast dad, for those longtime listeners, you know how big of a fan I am of hiker hiking.
Speaker CAll right, then, last one.
Speaker CWho won the Met Gala?
Speaker BOh, my God.
Speaker BSo this was a hot topic in the Shop Talk office yesterday, a conversation I very quickly realized I could add no value to whatsoever.
Speaker BBut I did listen.
Speaker BSo my colleagues Rebecca and Josephine today are running content for our new luxury show, and they were raving about Lana Del Rey's look, which.
Speaker BWhich was from Valentino.
Speaker BNow, I think there might be some balance, some bias going on because Andrea Cappy from Valentina is one of our really engaged ad board members.
Speaker BSo that might have swung it, but, you know, I'm going to go with them as I know nothing in this space.
Speaker BSo Lana Del Rey is what they've told me to say.
Speaker CWow.
Speaker CMine was Diana Ross, because when was the last time Diana Ross was in the news?
Speaker CBut, Ed, what's yours?
Speaker CYou're the fashionista.
Speaker COf the three of us, I mean.
Speaker AThere was a lot to love.
Speaker AI think Dochi's look was amazing, the Louis Vuitton shorts set.
Speaker ABut I think the person that for me won, like theme wise, it was Janelle Monae that, like, the reveal of her outfit was so good.
Speaker AAnd man, I love the Met Gala.
Speaker ASo good.