?? Fast Five | Walmart’s New Mobile Locks, Instacart’s Big Week & E.l.f. Beauty’s Dollar General Plans!

Hello Omni Talk Fans! Winter is definitely creeping upon us here in Minneapolis, which means warm coats, lots of hot beverages, and far too many runny noses.

For all of you reading today's newsletter in sunny climates like Arizona, California, and Florida, I am about as envious of you as Jennifer Jason Leigh was of Bridget Fonda.

But, fortunately, I have a weekly podcast about retail that keeps me going in these cold, dark winter months!

In this week's Fast Five Podcast, Anne and I discussed:

• Walmart testing a new technology in its stores that would let people open security locks for products with mobile devices (Source)
• The E.l.f. Beauty expansion into Dollar General (Source)
• The flurry of announcements from Instacart this past week on everything from Caper Carts to Carrot Tags (Source)
• Lowe’s debuting a new home platform for its loyalty members (Source)
• And closed with a look at the odd media sound bytes surrounding Amazon's eight new Amazon Fresh store openings this week (Source)

There’s all that, plus our Vuori vs. Lululemon Battle Royale, falling raccoons, and what delicate aromas a sneaker sommelier would detect from Anne’s pre-owned Nikes.

Listen to This Week’s Fast Five Podcast

Be careful out there,

-- Chris, Anne, and the entire Omni Talk team

P.S. If you've ever wondered who might win "Most Likely to Succeed (Forever)" in your retail yearbook, then our hilarious and insightful chat with Placer.ai's Ethan Chernofsky is your must-watch entertainment.

Join us as Anne and I playfully grill Omni Talk Fan Favorite Ethan on his creative retail superlative awards, including the controversial "Most Overrated Innovation" category (non-spoiler alert: it may or may not be what you think).

Whether you're a retail nerd or just enjoy witty banter about everything from Costco's reign to sneaky retail underdogs, our interview with Ethan serves up the perfect blend of data-driven insights and genuine laughs.

You can watch our conversation with Ethan by clicking here or on the big image right below this sentence.