Walmart, Target and Amazon all ran deal events in the same October week. So why could you barely tell from inside the stores?
On episode 4 of Making Space Real Time, host Chris Niesen is joined by guest host Dave Glaza, owner and CEO of retail media agency Digits Agency. Dave spent 10 years as a store-side merchant at Target and helped run its early Cartwheel and Circle deal programs. Chris and Dave were also Target colleagues and neighbors three houses apart. Together they walk the stores and compare notes on two very different go-to-market strategies.
🛒 October deal days: Walmart, Target & Amazon
At Walmart, rollbacks and everyday low prices filled the main aisle, and Deal Days barely showed up outside own-brand apparel. Target put real money into apparel and Halloween discounts, dropped its deals of the day, leaned into clearance, and gave only a handful of end caps to the event. Dave explains why these events began as pre-holiday SEO plays, why signing a two-day event in store gets expensive fast, and why the dates turn into a “game of chicken” between retailers. His pitch is for each retailer to own its own event and build it around a theme loyal shoppers will actually notice.
🍂 Trader Joe’s: fall without a single deal
Trader Joe’s has no sales, no coupons, no loyalty program and no online promotions. It still uses 100+ new fall items, every end cap, in-store sampling and chalk signage to turn the season into a reason to visit, starting with pumpkins and mums on the sidewalk. Chris and Dave talk about how it pulls this off (people, culture, resourcing and a small format) and what regional grocers can borrow from the playbook.
✅ The Final Checkout
Patina opens its biggest store yet at Southdale Square in Edina. Dave explains why retail media fragmentation across regional grocers is becoming a big problem for CPGs. Plus travel plans, Halloween costumes, and Dave’s Final Sale pick: how championship sports merchandise gets sold in real time.
Making Space Real Time is presented by the Association of Retail and Consumer Professionals in partnership with the Omni Talk Podcast Network.
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Chapters
00:00 Sponsor: Elevate 2027
00:28 Welcome & guest host Dave Glaza
02:09 Dave’s background & Digits Agency
03:52 October deal days: Walmart, Target & Amazon
06:10 Walmart store walk: rollbacks over Deal Days
08:25 Why Walmart keeps deal events quiet in store
10:54 The two real goals of deal events
12:01 Target store walk: apparel, Halloween & clearance
16:15 Inside Target’s Nicollet Mall flagship
18:34 Why in-store deal events are getting muted
20:44 Promo science vs. marketing messaging
22:46 Online: Amazon & price comparison shopping
24:11 Staples dominate: how deal events should evolve
26:50 The case for rotating themed events
27:38 The deal date “game of chicken”
30:44 Trader Joe’s: fall newness without deals
36:54 What regional grocers can learn from Trader Joe’s
39:35 How Trader Joe’s pulls it off: people & culture
42:56 Fewer end caps, more focus
44:22 Final Checkout: Patina’s biggest store yet
45:47 Retail media’s fragmentation problem
47:57 Travel plans & Halloween costumes
49:30 Final Sale: championship sports merchandising
51:44 Wrap-up
