Amazon’s Private Label Push, Shein Stores & The #1 Worst Idea In The History Of The Show | Fast Five
In this week’s Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso, Chris and Anne discussed:
- Amazon launching a “price-conscious” grocery brand with most products under $5 (Source)
- PayPal tying 5% cash back to BNPL purchases (Source)
- Bed Bath & Beyond’s plans to launch a nationwide franchise system (Source)
- Shipt’s new chat to cart feature with Perplexity (Source)
- Shein making its first permanent move into physical retail (Source)
And this month’s OmniStar award, in partnership with Quorso, goes to Prabash Coswatte, Chief Operating Officer at Heritage Grocers, for the true omnichannel approach he’s bringing to running a grocery chain across four distinct banners!
There’s all that, plus why Chris calls Bed Bath’s franchise plan “the single dumbest idea in the history of this show,” whether Anne would eat Frank’s Red Hot gummy bears, and the surprising stat about BNPL usage for fresh grocery products.
P.S. Be sure to check out all our other podcasts from the past week here, too: https://omnitalk.blog/category/podcast/
P.P.S. Also be sure to check out our podcast rankings on Feedspot
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#RetailNews #AmazonGrocery #PayPalBNPL #BedBathBeyond #ShiptAI #SheinStores #RetailPodcast #OmniTalk #RetailTech #RetailInnovation #Franchising #ChatToCart
This episode of the OMNITALK Retail Fast 5 is brought to you by the A and M Consumer and Retail Group.
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Speaker AOcampo Capital is a venture capital firm founded by retail executives with the aim of helping early stage consumer businesses succeed through investment and operational support.
Speaker ALearn more@ocampo capital.com hello, you are listening to Omnitalk's Retail Fast Five, ranked in the top 10% of all podcasts globally and currently the only retail podcast ranked in the top 100 of all business podcasts on Apple Podcasts.
Speaker AThe Retail Fast five is the podcast that we hope makes you feel a little smarter, but most importantly, a little happier each week too.
Speaker AAnd the Fast 5 is just one of the many great podcasts you can find from the Omnitalk Retail Podcast Network alongside our Retail Daily Minute, which brings you a curated selection of the most important headlines every morning and our Retail Technology Spotlight series which goes deep each week on the latest retail technology Trends.
Speaker AToday is October 8, 2025.
Speaker AI'm one of your hosts, San Mazinga.
Speaker BAnd I'm the other host, Chris Walton.
Speaker AAnd we are here once again to discuss all the top headlines from the past week making waves in the world of omnichannel retailing.
Speaker ABut before we get to the headlines, I just want to take a moment, Chris, to make a quick programming note because we put out a few things of content last week.
Speaker AJust a couple.
Speaker ACouple things.
Speaker BJust a few.
Speaker BJust a Schmidt mattering.
Speaker AJust a few.
Speaker ABut if you have not already, make sure to go back either on YouTube, on LinkedIn, on our podcast platforms, wherever you get your podcast.
Speaker ATo catch all of the content that we did from Grocery Shop last week.
Speaker AThere were some tremendous interviews and also one of our favorites was the Grocery Shop takeaway podcast that we just put out late last week.
Speaker ABut it's a great recap for everybody who was or wasn't at Grocery Shop to get a good taste of what was covered at that show.
Speaker AAnd Chris, one of the interviews that we captured last week is extra special because it's this month's Omnistar.
Speaker ASo Chris, take it away.
Speaker BOh, yes, and yes, it is.
Speaker BIt's time to give out this month's Omni Star.
Speaker BAnd for those new to the podcast, our Omnistar Award is the award we give out each month in partnership with our good friends at Corso to recognize the top omnichannel operators out there.
Speaker BNot the pundits, not the so called experts, but the real life retail operators making a difference in their organizations.
Speaker BCorso's AI copilot coaches retail leaders to optimize store performance at every level, transform retail operations from data overload into data powered with Corso.
Speaker BAnd this month we are excited to give the award to Prabhash Khaswati, the chief operating officer at Heritage Grocers.
Speaker BPrabhash is winning this month's award because we love the true omnichannel bend he is bringing to his role as CEO and the complexities involved in running and which is really in essence a grocery chain across four distinct and different banners.
Speaker BSo kudos to Prabhash.
Speaker BCongratulations on him being named this month's Omnistar.
Speaker AYes, for sure.
Speaker AAn interview to go back and listen to.
Speaker AReally impressive what he's doing, like you said, Chris, across four different banners that are highly specialized retailers.
Speaker ASo definitely one to, to listen to and to hear kind of his advice for how he's approaching 20, 26 and the year ahead.
Speaker ASo congrats.
Speaker BYeah, I think if memory serves right.
Speaker BAnd he even, he even runs a tortilla factory, right?
Speaker BLike that's part of his job description is running, running the operations of a tortilla factory.
Speaker BSo yes.
Speaker BSo for all those CEOs out there in retail, like put that one in your cap, you know, that's a tough, that's a tough ask.
Speaker BAll right.
Speaker BBut in this week's Fast5, we've got news on PayPal offering cash back with B purchases, bed bath, launching a nationwide franchise system, Ship's new chat to cart feature and Shein's plans to enter bricks and mortar retailing.
Speaker BBut we begin today with big private label news out of Amazon and yes.
Speaker AChris, headline number one is that Amazon has launched a price conscious grocery brand with Most products under $5.
Speaker AAccording to CNBC.
Speaker AThe brand is called Amazon Grocery and includes more than 1,000 items ranging from dairy, fresh produce, meat and seafood to snacks and baking essentials, the company said in a press release.
Speaker AAmazon said that the new offering unites its Happy Belly and Amazon Fresh brands all under one label.
Speaker AThis is not the first time that Amazon has experimented with budget friendly grocery brands.
Speaker AIt also launched a similar offering last September called Amazon Saver that was also quote, focused on value.
Speaker AChris, what do you make of Amazon's latest private label push?
Speaker BHonestly, nothing.
Speaker BYou know, to me this is, this is really a nothing story.
Speaker BAt the end of the day it's a soundbite.
Speaker BThe fact that Amazon has to go back to the well in a private brand for value items after being in business for almost 30 years, when you think about it.
Speaker BAnd that, that says to me, and I'm paraphrasing here, wow, how loss is Amazon's grocery strategy right now?
Speaker BI mean that is, that is what comes to mind for me, I guess, I guess, you know, if I step back, don't I try to look glass half full?
Speaker BYou know, it's somewhat a continuation of the theme of resetting the table.
Speaker BI think that's what we've seen from Jason Beechle, the new head of Amazon's grocery strategy here over the last probably six months, probably not even that long really.
Speaker BIt's probably been like three or four months, I don't remember exactly.
Speaker BBut that's what this is.
Speaker BIt's a reset of the table.
Speaker BBut this move with the enticing brand name, which I actually kind of chuckled when you read it, of course, Amazon Grocery, that that's the private labels brand name.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BThat doesn't set my hair on fire.
Speaker BNot, not in one way, shape or form.
Speaker BAnd I don't think it does for the average shopper either.
Speaker BBut I don't know, what do you think?
Speaker AHave you tried any of those?
Speaker AAnd like I haven't tried any of the Amazon, the Happy Belly products.
Speaker AI have not been an Amazon grocery shopper enough to know like quality wise or you know, like that's the, that's again like the number one thing that I question is like what was wrong with the, the previous lines that they have to reconfigure this and I.
Speaker BVery overt.
Speaker BYou have to make the very overt call out that it's like associated with grocery.
Speaker BThat's what you're saying?
Speaker AYeah, well, I, Yeah, I guess I'm just curious like what was, what was not working about the previous one.
Speaker AAnd I still think that they're going to have to work harder to make this a recognizable game like, or a brand.
Speaker AI wonder, like with Jason Beagle, like they had the, the 365 brand in some of the Amazon Fresh stores.
Speaker ALike, why wouldn't you just like pull that in to be the brand that already has a brand reputation?
Speaker AIt's associated with good quality.
Speaker ALike something to me seems off that they wouldn't just like try to, I don't know, bring these things together a little bit more versus starting something all over again.
Speaker AEspecially because yes, your shoppers are going to be trained to look for an off brand or a private label brand for value, which we know is happening at a multitude of other retailers.
Speaker ABut I just, I'm curious, like it's not going to work the same way as it does in hardware and electronics and even clothing with like Amazon Essentials.
Speaker AI think you have to go with a brand that means something and that has quality.
Speaker AAnd starting from scratch doesn't seem like the right move.
Speaker BYeah, no, and I can answer your one question.
Speaker BI mean the reason you can't go365 is because that's Whole Foods brands and Whole Foods private label brands are positioned up market and this is deliberately a, a sound bite to get the under $5 in there.
Speaker BSo that's, that's why, that's why you can't go that way.
Speaker BBut I guess, like, how is this different than what came before?
Speaker BWhich I think is what I was saying too, essentially, which is like what, what's the real news here?
Speaker BThat you just created a new name for it and you're trying to get people to re.
Speaker BRe engage with something that you probably been doing for quite a long time.
Speaker BYou know, for the most part.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker AIt just seems weird that they're like the whole message from Whole Foods at Grocery Shop was like, we're going down market because we want to try to offer value.
Speaker AWe're going to push private label.
Speaker ALike they're two companies.
Speaker ALike they're, they're merging in some areas but not in others.
Speaker AAnd it's just like it, it's confusing to me as a consumer and as somebody who does this for a living, like I'm just not clear 100%, right?
Speaker BLike, yeah, you're right.
Speaker BLike, if you said to me, like, hey, we're taking 365 down market and we're putting a lot of under $5 products in whole Foods, sure.
Speaker BThat's at least, that's one strategy I can get behind.
Speaker BIt makes or not maybe get behind, but I think it, it makes sense.
Speaker BIt's like more clear.
Speaker BBut when you're doing this, it's just like you're half pregnant on everything and it's just like you're meandering about and you don't know which way your arms are flailing.
Speaker BWhatever, whatever.
Speaker BAnachronism.
Speaker BAnachronism is not the right word, but whatever, you know, analogy I want to draw here.
Speaker BRight?
Speaker BAll right, well, let's keep moving.
Speaker BHeadline number two, PayPal is tying buy Now Pay later to Cash back.
Speaker BAccording to payments dive.
Speaker BPayPal holdings said Monday it's giving consumers a 5% cash credit on Buy Now Pay later purchases online and in physical stores through year end as the company looks to expand its quote Omnichannel strategy.
Speaker BI love it that we have to still quote Omnichannel Ann and expand installment lending to more bricks and mortar merchants.
Speaker BPayPal have used its first BNPL cashback promotion as a way to entice more shoppers to try the loans and to reduce cart abandonment for retailers during the holiday shopping period.
Speaker BMichelle Gill, PayPal's general manager of small business and financial services, said earlier this week, and you are all aflutter coming out of grocery shop about bnpl.
Speaker BWhy was that, first of all?
Speaker BAnd second of all, why do you think PayPal's cash back?
Speaker BWhat do you think?
Speaker BI'm sorry, what do you think PayPal's cash back incentives say about shopping for the holidays?
Speaker AYeah, I, I think one of my we said this in the Takeaways podcast, but for those who weren't there to catch that, one of the most surprising stats or data points from Grocery Shop for me was when I was sitting at a dinner with a mass retailer and this individual told me that, you know, they created a BNPL program for their customers that they thought was going to be for the things that, that PayPal's talking about here for the holiday, shopping for the investment in a patio set, you know, come the summertime.
Speaker ABut what they were seeing the most sales from this BNPL platform were in areas like fresh products, essentials, things that people need to spend money on day to day, not these big purchases.
Speaker ASo I think that was a very Telling stat for me about the future of BNPL and about the current state of the consumer.
Speaker AAnd I think on one hand what PayPal's doing is great because it's allowing individuals who can't get access to a credit card, they don't have the credit, they are living month to month and they need some way to make their, their paycheck stretch.
Speaker AIt is allowing them to be able to afford to feed families.
Speaker AAnd I think that the cashback thing is an interesting incentive here because typically that's something we see from a credit card.
Speaker AThat's something that we see, you know, that's a reason to get a Chase card over an American Express.
Speaker ASo I think this is going to make PayPal's buy now pay later very sticky because consumers are going to get some of those same benefits that they would debt toward a credit card.
Speaker ABut now with Buy Now Pay later and makes them much more loyal to using PayPal's version of buy Now Pay later over anything else because they get that money back in their pocket and that's where, that's the situation that they're in right now.
Speaker ABut Chris, you've long been talking about this as a Buy Now Pay later opportunity.
Speaker AWhat do you think of this?
Speaker BYeah, I mean, I'm not, I'm not surprised that we're, you know, at this point at all.
Speaker BI mean, Adobe just got their numbers for buying BNPL in total for the industry yesterday in terms of what they're expecting online.
Speaker BAnd it's, you know, at record, record paces too.
Speaker BSo, you know, this is actually probably one of the best shots I ever called.
Speaker BYou know, when I first heard about BNPL back in 2017, the first article I ever wrote for Retail Dive was talking about how I predicted a world in which you just described, with that mass merchant, that people would start using it for everything, especially for the items that take up the majority of your monthly budget.
Speaker BSo, yeah, the five.
Speaker BThe other point I'd make too, this is, this is a really compelling deal.
Speaker B5% cash back.
Speaker BThat's incredibly compelling.
Speaker BThat's an incredible rate of return on your holiday shopping and you get the ability to defer your payments too.
Speaker BSo, yeah, so I mean, it just shows you that it's here, it's coming.
Speaker BYou know, we called it eight years ago and yeah, not surprised one bit.
Speaker AAll right, let's move on to headline number three, Chris.
Speaker ABed Bath and Beyond plans to launch a nationwide franchise system according to Chain Storage, the company which also owns Overstock, Bye Bye Baby and a Blockchain asset Portfolio said it plans to launch a national franchise system that will allow Bed Bath and Beyond to operate a smaller footprint of corporate stores nationwide along with a complimentary franchise network.
Speaker AFranchise documentation is expected to be finalized within the next six months and franchise locations will feature turnkey formats of a traditional Bed Bath and Beyond, including home kitchen, living storage and organization, and a holiday shop with all designed with a neighborhood feel.
Speaker AChris, would you advise people to rush out and invest in opening a Bed Bath and Beyond franchise store?
Speaker BCandidly and no.
Speaker BI think, I think this is the.
Speaker BI'm going to, I'm going to go, I'm going to go on a massive rant here.
Speaker BI think this is the single dumbest idea I've ever heard of in the history of this show, of eight years of doing this show, I think this is the single dumbest idea I've ever heard of.
Speaker BBuyer beware, folks.
Speaker BThat's all I've got to say.
Speaker BI wouldn't touch a Bed Bath and Beyond franchise and with a 10 foot pole for all the reasons I feel like for, if you've been with us for a long time, for all the reasons we've talked about ad nauseam, you know, I mean Bed Bath and Beyond just went bankrupt, for crying out loud.
Speaker BI can't even believe this is an actual story when I get down to things.
Speaker BSo like, what evidence is there that the leadership at Bed Bath and Beyond knows how to rinse and repeat a going concern, home furnishings, retail operation.
Speaker BThere's zero evidence of that, people.
Speaker BThe space is just too competitive.
Speaker BAnd the reason Bed Bath and Beyond went bankrupt, for those that may not remember, but I'm sure you do because it just happened, is because it doesn't have a reason for being in the market.
Speaker BIt's too competitive.
Speaker BSo no, and I am selling this harder than a thousand thread cat sheets.
Speaker BThat's, that's, that's my take here.
Speaker AI was trying to find some purpose in this.
Speaker AI'm, I was trying to dig and it took me a lot.
Speaker AI was really, really stretching, trying to think like is there like operational things?
Speaker ALike maybe if I'm an independent, you know, home furnishings bedding retailer in a small town like this gives me access to a point of sale system.
Speaker AIt gives me access to maybe a marketplace play down the road, I don't know.
Speaker AHowever, then I'm like, there's Shopify, like there's a lot of other ways that as a retailer, as an independent retailer right now I'm set up to secure, succeed.
Speaker AAnd then I think about again, like how much search with a large language model is going to impact where people are shopping?
Speaker AAnd do you still need a Bed Bath and Beyond platform to like help you show up better in search results?
Speaker AI don't think that is the case.
Speaker AI think like there's other platforms that are much more accessible to independent retailers to help them be successful, especially from a technology standpoint than buying a franchise on top of all of that.
Speaker ASo I, I, I don't understand Bed Bath and Beyond.
Speaker AI'm really curious to see what kind of adoption they get and who those retailers are.
Speaker ASo that's what I'm going to be watching.
Speaker ALike who, who makes this move and decides to do this and why?
Speaker ALike what, what bit benefit are they getting from it?
Speaker BYeah, you're just throwing your money away in my opinion.
Speaker BSo I'm curious, and before we move on, like in the history of bad ideas of the show for you, is this like top 10% of all time bad ideas on the show, you know, in the middle of the bell curve?
Speaker BLike am I over exaggerating it or are you kind of on the same page as me?
Speaker AI mean people are gonna do it.
Speaker ASo that's what, that's again why I said, I mean they wouldn't be doing this if they didn't have a few fish on the line.
Speaker ALike I think, I think that that's, that's why I said like that to me doesn't make sense as an independent business owner who has franchised something.
Speaker ALike I would not be buying this, I would not be investing in it because there's not enough return.
Speaker ABut some people are going to.
Speaker AAnd that's what I want to focus on.
Speaker AWhy and what benefit do you see this is going to bring you?
Speaker BYeah, I don't know.
Speaker BI'm super skeptical that anyone's going to buy into this.
Speaker BAt least I hope not.
Speaker BBut anyway.
Speaker BBut you know the guy, the guy running Bed Bath and Beyond, he's a, he's a slick dealer for sure.
Speaker BAll right, headline number four.
Speaker BShip has launched a chat to cart feature.
Speaker BJesus.
Speaker BShipt and chat to cart in one sentence, that's really hard.
Speaker BAccording to Progressive Grocer, retail tech company Shipt is partnering with software company Perplexity and its new browser in a move that promises to enhance the grocery shopping experience by assisting with same day delivery and encouraging discovery of new and trending products.
Speaker BBy leveraging Perplexity, Comet C O M E T Shipt aims to assist consumers with cart building and shave additional time from their shopping process by powering product discovery and cart curation with artificial intelligence.
Speaker BQuote, everything we create at Shipt is in service of blending human warmth with technological innovation, said Katie Stratton, Chief growth and strategy officer at Shipt.
Speaker BAnd for those curious, also no relation to Ricky Stratton of Silver Spoons.
Speaker BAnd are you buying or selling ship's chat to cart functionality with perplexity?
Speaker AI think that I'm buying the idea but I still think there's too much friction from the customer standpoint and I, I understand the, the tightrope that Shipt is walking.
Speaker AThey wanted to be first to market with this and so you have to decide like are you going to be first to market with some hurdles for the customer still or are you going to wait until it's a hundred percent seamless process and then roll it out to consumers being shipped?
Speaker AI, I think I would have waited, I think I would have done the latter because they are, they have not historically been a first to market company with their, their concept.
Speaker AWell, I think that their, their consumers are going to not use it like if they have to go out to another application, they have to download, you know, comment on their phones like they are in ships because it's an easy thing for them.
Speaker AThey have reliable, you know, pickers for their products and shoppers.
Speaker ASo to me I think like this is a great idea down the road because I think it benefits everyone.
Speaker AYou know, it gets if they did have Comet installed or as part of their go to search engine it gets comment and perplexity, more traffic for other things outside of grocery and then for the ship shopper it becomes more simple for them to pick up their goods and not have to put as much work into every single week putting together that grocery list.
Speaker ABut I, for right now I really think that it's just going to be too early and too hard for the ship shoppers to ship consumers I should say to grasp right now.
Speaker ASo I'm worried it's going to, it's going to not have the impact they want it to.
Speaker ABig PR headline for them for being progressive but not going to have the shopper impact.
Speaker ABut what do you think?
Speaker BYou, you said it.
Speaker BI 100% agree with you.
Speaker B100% agree with.
Speaker BThat's what I wrote in my notes.
Speaker BI said seems like a headline that sounds more innovative than it actually is and it's because you want the PR from it.
Speaker BAnd the other point, knowing the big Red as we do and is, you know, I worry about you know, getting a false, a false negative on this because no one's going to use it potentially.
Speaker BAnd then, you know, the leadership's gonna go, well, why do we invest in that?
Speaker BWell, because you did it the wrong way.
Speaker BYou know, you probably should have done it inside the Shipt app to make this easier for them, you know, can make those connections happen the way they want to or figure out how to do this in a way that has a better user experience.
Speaker BBecause.
Speaker BBecause you're right.
Speaker BNo, very few people are going to do this, I think.
Speaker BBut despite, you know, all the fervor over perplexity comment this week on social media, I think it's still.
Speaker BIt's still a big ass to get people to acclimate to this in.
Speaker BIn my opinion.
Speaker AAnd they launched this, like, did they launch this at Shop Talk fall or they announced it and it was like, it was just so slow to come out.
Speaker AWhich.
Speaker AYeah, I don't know.
Speaker AI feel like.
Speaker AI feel like this is just.
Speaker AIt's the right idea.
Speaker ARight idea.
Speaker AJust wrong timing and execution.
Speaker BSo, yeah, first when I heard.
Speaker BYeah, first when I heard about, I was like, oh, this is cool.
Speaker BAnd then I read about.
Speaker BI'm like, no, it's not.
Speaker AAnd so it's like, God, I know, I know.
Speaker BI want to get on board with something.
Speaker BI just can't.
Speaker AI know, I know.
Speaker AWell, hopefully people will think it's cool and download the, the.
Speaker AI keep wanting to call.
Speaker ACall it Capstone.
Speaker AIt's Comet.
Speaker AThey'll download Comet and they'll try it.
Speaker AYes, right?
Speaker BThere's so many new words to everything.
Speaker BOh, my God.
Speaker AI know, I know.
Speaker AOkay, Headline number five, Chris Sheehan is making its first permanent move into physical retail.
Speaker AAccording to Chain Storage, the Asian online fast fashion giant will pilot six shop and shops across France starting at BHV Marais in Paris, followed by five more to be open in Galleries Lafayette stores.
Speaker AReported by fashion network.com in the opening of the shops, Sheehan has teamed up with Society de Grand magazine.
Speaker AI'm.
Speaker AThis is awful.
Speaker AI cannot.
Speaker AI'm sorry.
Speaker AEvery French person listening.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BFor those listening, I purposely put this headline number five instead of number four so Anne would have to read it.
Speaker AOh, my gosh.
Speaker AIt's just, I'm.
Speaker AI mean, cover your ears, people.
Speaker AAnyway, the retail property company that operates BHV Murray and several Galleries Lafayette stores following sale and affiliation agreements with the Galleries Lafayette group.
Speaker AThe report said, chris, this is also going to be our A and M. Put you on the spot.
Speaker AAnd hopefully they are not French speakers.
Speaker AAnd putting any more French words into this headline.
Speaker BThere are actually more.
Speaker BI could have put in here than I did.
Speaker BAnd actually.
Speaker AOh, I know there were a lot of them in there.
Speaker AThere were a lot of them in there when this headline came across.
Speaker AAll right, Chris, A and M wants to know, in the age of digital first shopping, what will it take for Sheehan and other retailers looking to follow suit to reimagine brick and mortar as a strategic extension of fast fashion and consumer immediacy?
Speaker BThat's.
Speaker AGo ahead.
Speaker BYeah, that's a really interesting question.
Speaker BIt's a different angle than I expected to take on it.
Speaker BYou know, I, I actually, I like this move from Sheehan and I think, you know, on a scale of one to ten, I think I'd probably put it at six and a half.
Speaker BI think this, I think the headline's a little misleading because it's saying they're opening up a bricks and mortar operation permanently.
Speaker BWhich, based on what I'm reading in the tea leaves, it sounds like they're just, you know, being placed inside a department store more.
Speaker BSo would you agree?
Speaker BLike a shop and shop inside a traditional department store.
Speaker ASo it's probably more of very.
Speaker AYeah, very common in France.
Speaker AI mean there's lots of shop and shops from, you know, boutiques for fragrance to independent designers.
Speaker ALike that's a very common thing where you'd have a permanent setup in all these French department stores.
Speaker ASo yes, that makes complete sense.
Speaker ABut I wouldn't call it a pop up necessarily or like temporary at all.
Speaker BYeah, no, it sounds like it's a permanent.
Speaker BI mean their, their emphasis was on it's a permanent location.
Speaker BNow that was the key thing.
Speaker BSo like the, you know, so.
Speaker BBut the point I don't know is like, is it a wholesale relationship with the department store or is it like they're buying the inventory and running the shop in shop, so to speak.
Speaker BBut here's the thing, here's the thing.
Speaker BI, I don't think it actually matters.
Speaker BAnd so that's what I like about this is it's showing.
Speaker BSheen is saying, look, we've got this really unique capability with our technology and our manufacturing infrastructure to understand potentially better than other people what items people are going to want for the upcoming season.
Speaker BAnd then we're going to take a position on them either with you via wholesale or on our own via the shop and shop to understand how much value we can extract from the marketplace.
Speaker BI think that's the lesson here to be learned.
Speaker BThat is really intriguing to me.
Speaker BAnd, and that's, I think what inherently gets at A M's question is there's a lot to, there's a lot to think about within this headline.
Speaker BAnd I think that's really important when you think about, okay, what does she inhabit its disposal, what is it doing and where can it go?
Speaker BAnd so that, that's my take here.
Speaker AI think this is a brilliant idea for more reasons than that.
Speaker AI mean, I think it gets you traffic.
Speaker AI mean there's a certain customer that can go into these French department stores and when your, your other G or your other shop and shops like I was talking about earlier are Cezanne or Louisville or Diptyque, like that's a high price point.
Speaker AI think what you're able to do now is you're getting those aspirational shoppers in there with Sheehan and you're giving them something that they can take away from this very luxurious, high end shopping experience that's not gonna break the bank.
Speaker AI mean, we started to see this when you and I were in Paris a couple years ago and they started bringing resale into some of these stores and like Samaritan had like a whole area of resale on one of the floors so that you could start to get people starting to enjoy some of these products and that shopping experience and then maybe coming in for like a gifting thing or for the holidays and shopping at the other stores that are available.
Speaker ABut I think this is a brilliant thing.
Speaker AIt gives Shein so much more data about how shoppers and where their shoppers are shopping in person in physical retail.
Speaker ANot to mention, there is also the sustainability angle of this, Chris.
Speaker AAnd I think that this could be an interesting play that they didn't really touch on in the article.
Speaker ABut she is under so much, well, she is under so much pressure for the textiles waste that they're putting out into the world because of their rapid manufacturing.
Speaker AIf people get the products at home, it's not easy to exchange that or not worth the money to exchange it.
Speaker ASo they just end up becoming waste.
Speaker AAnd so I'm curious to see that if they have these shop and shops, will they start to see people coming in for a scenario where they might be able to bring in their Shein product that they didn't like or was the wrong size or didn't fit as they expected and then that could be recycled and they get a credit to shop the Shein in the store or something like that.
Speaker ALike, I still think that France especially is going to be very tight on Sheehan and watching the waste that they, they put out from being in physical retail there.
Speaker ASo I think that could be an interesting play for them too, to start to test and see, like, what kinds of things can we do in store that reduce our.
Speaker AOur.
Speaker AOur sustainability footprint?
Speaker BSo that's another thing you had me up until.
Speaker BSustainability.
Speaker BI think putting fast fashion into more stores and more units through that fast fashion process has me a little skeptical of that argument.
Speaker BBut I 100% agree with everything you said up until that point.
Speaker AOkay, well, let's go on to the lightning round then.
Speaker AAll right, question number one.
Speaker AChris Ninja has been working alongside Baby List to get their products like espresso and coffee machines added to baby reg registries.
Speaker AWhat unconventional product would you have added to your baby registry?
Speaker BOh, man.
Speaker BThis is where I'm like, feel like I'm giving away my merchandise savvy for free.
Speaker BAnd, like, actually came up with this idea.
Speaker BAnd.
Speaker BAnd I think I. I mean, I don't know why this hasn't been done.
Speaker BIf I was.
Speaker BIf I was a baby registry, I'd call up fanatics and get a partnership with them.
Speaker BBecause every dad wants to buy his kid, you know, some onesie.
Speaker AAnd mom, whatever.
Speaker AAnd mom.
Speaker BAnd mom.
Speaker BAnd mom.
Speaker BYes.
Speaker BAnd their kid could be a boy.
Speaker BWhat?
Speaker BYou know, whatever.
Speaker BI'm not gonna go that.
Speaker BDown that road.
Speaker BBut, you know, everyone wants to buy.
Speaker BNot everyone, but actually, I shouldn't say everyone.
Speaker BLarge majority of parents will buy their kids a Wednesday onesie to support their local favorite team or whatever.
Speaker AYes.
Speaker BSports team or college team that they happen to root for.
Speaker BSo that would be what I would do.
Speaker BSo target, if you're listening, go do.
Speaker BDo a deal with fanatics to get fanatics to get baby gear on your registry.
Speaker AAwesome.
Speaker BAll right.
Speaker BAnd in the dating world, people.
Speaker BAre zip coding a practice that involves dating only people within a particular zip code?
Speaker BIs this a practice you have ever used in the past?
Speaker BI'm curious.
Speaker BAnd would you advise it now, or do you think it limits love?
Speaker ANo, I think this is a great idea.
Speaker AI think really?
Speaker ABack in the.
Speaker AYeah, of course, back in the day when I was doing Tinder when I was single, like, I definitely put like a 20 mil radius.
Speaker AI don't want to be driving an hour like that.
Speaker AIt's too much.
Speaker AIf.
Speaker AI mean, maybe if you were trying for years and you couldn't find the right person, then sure.
Speaker ABut I think zip coding feels like, especially in this day, in this day and age, and if you are a single parent with kids, which I was like, no way.
Speaker AI do not have time to drive two hours away to find love.
Speaker ASorry.
Speaker BWow.
Speaker BWell, I got.
Speaker BI got two Omni Talk juniors that would totally disagree with that, because if I had taken that approach, I would not have met my wife.
Speaker BFor those that know, you know, I married, I dated and married my wife long distance.
Speaker BSo zip coding.
Speaker BIf I had practiced it, my life would be very, very different.
Speaker BSo, I don't know.
Speaker BI feel like it limits love.
Speaker BThat's my take.
Speaker AOkay.
Speaker AAll right, Chris, question number three.
Speaker AFrank's Red Hat just released a line of gummy bears.
Speaker AWill you try them?
Speaker AYes or no?
Speaker BAbsolutely not.
Speaker BI hate gummy bears.
Speaker AOh, no.
Speaker ACinnamon bears.
Speaker BNope.
Speaker BI hate them.
Speaker BI hate them.
Speaker BI. I love Frank's Red Hot, too.
Speaker BLike, I'm all in on Frank's Red Hot, but the.
Speaker BThe.
Speaker BThe fact that the gummy bear supersedes that.
Speaker BMy distaste for it.
Speaker BNo, absolutely not.
Speaker BI take it you would.
Speaker AYou.
Speaker BYou would try these.
Speaker AI mean, this.
Speaker AI love a cinnamon bear, and I feel like they wouldn't be too far off from a cinnamon bear.
Speaker ASo, yes, I would try them.
Speaker AOr like those.
Speaker AThose Tajin covered, like, mango slices.
Speaker AThose are really good, too.
Speaker ASo I.
Speaker AYes.
Speaker AI'm all for the spicy.
Speaker AThe spicy and sweet together.
Speaker AI'll do it.
Speaker BFrank's Red Hot isn't at all cinnamony, though.
Speaker BIt's more vinegary.
Speaker ANo.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker ABut I think I could do it like gummy bear.
Speaker AOh, I'd try it.
Speaker AI'd give it a shot.
Speaker BTry it.
Speaker BOh, my God.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker BI don't.
Speaker BNo.
Speaker BNot.
Speaker BNot.
Speaker BNot touching my palad.
Speaker BAll right, last one.
Speaker BKroger had to recall two varieties of deli pasta salads because of possible listeria contamination.
Speaker BRank the following salads you would eat in order of preference at a summer barbecue.
Speaker BPasta salad, egg salad, and potato salad, 1 through 3.
Speaker BWhich ones would you most likely eat?
Speaker AI would not eat any of these.
Speaker AI'm not a salad person at a barbecue because that.
Speaker AIt just grosses me out.
Speaker ABut if I had to, I would do pasta, potato, and egg, probably in that order.
Speaker AWould you eat it?
Speaker AWould you eat a.
Speaker ANo.
Speaker AThey're just out in the sun and people touched them and licked the spoons.
Speaker AI just know.
Speaker BDoes your answer change if you're not at a barbecue?
Speaker BWhat if you just happen to be, like, shopping and putting them in your fridge at home?
Speaker BOkay, what's that answer?
Speaker ASo that answer would probably be egg, potato, pasta.
Speaker BOkay.
Speaker AThe reverse order.
Speaker BPotato, egg, pasta.
Speaker AYeah, I feel like it's.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker AThe heat and summer barbecue with all the mayonnaise base in all of those things.
Speaker ANo, thank You.
Speaker AIt's a recipe for disaster.
Speaker BYeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker BDo you like.
Speaker BDo you like a yellow potato salad or a white potato salad?
Speaker AOh, I do either.
Speaker AI'm not like, a huge potato salad person, so I don't know.
Speaker ADo you care?
Speaker ADo you have a preference?
Speaker BPotato salad?
Speaker BI like a little.
Speaker BDefinitely like some egg in my potato salad.
Speaker BYou know, like the potato salads that aren't very eggy.
Speaker BNot my thing.
Speaker AOkay, so, like, mustard based.
Speaker ALike, you want the potato salad to be, like, mixed with mustard, mayonnaise, and the egg so that it's like a yellow hue?
Speaker BI think so, yeah.
Speaker BA yellow hue.
Speaker BA yellow hue always works better for me.
Speaker BOkay, okay.
Speaker BGives me the confidence that it's in the range of things that I want.
Speaker AYeah, fair.
Speaker AFair enough.
Speaker AFair enough.
Speaker AOkay.
Speaker AGood to know in case you want to buy crisp potato salad.
Speaker BYeah, yeah.
Speaker BYou know, please send them my way.
Speaker BI love a good potato salad.
Speaker BAll right.
Speaker BOn that eggy note, happy birthday today to Chevy Chase, Sigourney Weaver, and to the man who just may be, and I think think he may be the most underappreciated actor in Hollywood, Matt Damon.
Speaker BYes, it's Matt Damon.
Speaker BIt's Good Will Hunting's birthday.
Speaker BAnd today's podcast was produced with the help and support of Ella Searjord.
Speaker BThanks to her for making Ann and I look and sound great.
Speaker BAnd remember, if you can only read or listen to one retail blog in the business, Make It Omnitok, the only retail media outlet run by two former executives from a current top 10 US retailer.
Speaker BOur Fast Five podcast is the quickest, fastest rundown of all the week's top news.
Speaker BAnd our daily newsletter, the Retail Daily Minute, tells you all you need to know each day to stay on top of your game as a retail executive and also regularly feature special content that is exclusive to us and that Ann and I take a lot of pride in doing just for you.
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Speaker BSo until next week, on behalf of all of us at Omnitalk Retail, on behalf of Anne, Ella, and myself, as always, be careful out there.