Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin Report

Welcome to Retail Unwrapped, a podcast from The Robin Report. Join Shelley E. Kohan as she shares insights and unpacks issues at the core of retail and consumer products. The conversations are lively and the opinions are honest. New episodes every Friday.

Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin Report is a business podcast hosted by The Robin Report, with 305 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

The Robin Report hosts Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin Report, a business show with 305 episodes published.

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  Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin Report

  EP 306: An Economist's Warning on Shifts Impacting Holiday 2026

  Aug 21, 202624 min

  We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Retailers keep bracing for the same inflation story to replay, but tariffs, the war on Iran, and an AI-driven integration boom are rewriting pressure points. Tariff uncertainty and the AI data center boom that is consuming construction materials and microchips are quietly driving up prices on everything from cell phones to electronics. Retailers are expected to hold the line on holiday pricing, but a cold winter could spike heating oil and diesel, forcing prices up. Join Shelley and Dan Altman, author of the High Yield Economics newsletter, as they unpack why the K-shaped economy is persisting, and why diversified supply chains and revenue streams are a survival strategy for retail leaders. Listen and learn why new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's tough talk on inflation hasn't translated into action, leaving markets guessing about the central bank's real direction and retailers guessing their way into the most important quarter of the year. Guest: Dan Altman, author of the High Yield Economics newsletter For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com , where you can read, watch, and listen to content from retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn , Instagram and Twitter .

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  Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin Report

  EP 305: How Does The Vermont Country Store Keep Going?

  Aug 14, 202637 min

  We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! The Vermont Country Store is an 80-year-old retail icon that has sustained the charm that made it famous and the business expertise that has kept it thriving since 1946. We caught up with Eliot Orton, an 8th-generation Vermonter and 4th-generation Vermont Country Storekeeper to get some insights on how his family has bult a multimillion business anchored in two stores in rural Vermont. Famous for its old-school mail-order catalog, offering practical and “hard to find” necessities, this general store institution is a throwback to a time when retail was central to the life of a community. Listen in as Shelley and Eliot reveal how the Orton family has resisted the temptation compromise their values in a screen-driven, digital marketplace. Their conversation gives a voice to deeply held values, classic, wearable clothes, and a retail ethos (including a customer bill of rights) that survives the test of time. Guest: Eliot Orton, Co-owner, The Vermont Country Store For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com , where you can read, watch, and listen to content from retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn , Instagram and Twitter .

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  Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin Report

  EP 304: How to Avoid the AI Trust Recession

  Aug 7, 202623 min

  We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Who, or what, do you trust? Retailers who think moving quickly on generative AI as the winning strategy, may be sacrificing trust for speed driven by board and competitive pressure, not customer demand. Speed without building a trust framework is how brands may lose the very customers they're racing to win. Join Shelley and Alice Pope, author of The Trust Algorithm: How Leaders Build Trust with Generative AI to get up to speed on a current trust recession. Alice says that we are facing more customer data than ever yet have a deeper skepticism about AI than ever. This conversation unpacks why unclear ownership, rushed rollouts, and eroding employee trust are creating governance gaps and quietly undermining the AI strategies retail boards have invested in. Listen and learn how to avoid the trust recession. Guest: Alice Pope, author, The Trust Algorithm: How Leaders Build Trust with Generative AI. For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com , where you can read, watch, and listen to content from retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn , Instagram and Twitter .

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  Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin Report

  EP 303: Autonomous Delivery in the Driveway

  Jul 31, 202632 min

  We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Every retailer preparing for autonomous delivery is watching the wrong vehicle; the real disruption isn't a drone or a sidewalk bot; it's the driverless car already parked in the customer's driveway. These autonomous vehicles are the next curbside pickup agents. But what happens when dozens of unmanned vehicles all show up for the same six parking stalls at the same time? Join Shelley and Ben Seidl, CEO and Co-Founder of Autolane, as they discuss the potential crisis brewing at malls and stores for managing these fleets of cars. Major retail landlords, including Simon Property Group, Federal Realty, and Jamestown, are already installing driverless parking infrastructure across properties in Austin, Atlanta, Phoenix, San Jose, and beyond. Planning ahead is never too early, and retailers need to be ready for new wave of autonomous deliveries. Special Guest: Ben Seidl, CEO & Co-Founder, Autolane For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com , where you can read, watch, and listen to content from retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn , Instagram and Twitter .

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  Retail Unwrapped - from The Robin Report

  EP 302: It's About So Much More Than Lettuce

  Jul 24, 202637 min

  We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us! Who's watching the lettuce? The cyclospora outbreak has 1,600+ confirmed, and 7,000 suspected victims. Americans are panicked about fresh produce, and Taco Bell has taken the toll from its Taylor Farms lettuce supplier. Join TRR contributors Phil Lempert, the Supermarket Guru and Warren Shoulberg, TRR Hit or Miss Editor, as they review the crisis facing retailers and American consumers. There is a deeper problem behind the crisis; FDA gave Taylor Farms the all-clear, only to reverse itself. Listen in to learn how this food crisis isn't just a lettuce story, it's a preview of what happens when our government agencies are understaffed and unable to stay ahead of a parasitic outbreak. Phil and Warren reveal why Costco and Walmart have their own safety standards, how retailers can protect their customers, and why the industry should step up to overcompensate for compromised government agencies. Guests: Phil Lempert, TRR Contributor, the Supermarket Guru & Warren Shoulberg, TRR Hit or Miss Editor, Home Expert For more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com , where you can read, watch, and listen to content from Robin Lewis and other retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter .

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