Weekly Scramble: How Tariffs affect local business owners

Summary

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Garage Logic – Weekly Scramble: How Tariffs Affect Local Business Owners

Date: March 7, 2025
Hosts: Chris Reavers & Mike Fratelloni
Produced by: Gamut Podcast Network

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Episode Overview

This week’s Weekly Scramble brings "common sense" banter from the garages of Minnesota to the tangled world of international trade, focusing on how tariffs—especially the back-and-forth actions under President Trump—impact local business owners, supply chains, and everyday decision-making. With characteristic humor and curmudgeonly practicality, Chris and Mike dissect recent tariff news, Canada and Mexico’s responses, ripple effects on local businesses, and the broader political climate. The episode also touches on topics from high school hockey face-painting to nostalgia for '80s cars, delivering the blend of down-to-earth conversation Garage Logic listeners expect.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Tariffs and Business Uncertainty

Timestamps: 02:00–08:13

• Recent Events: President Trump delayed Mexico tariffs after negotiation with President Claudia Sheinbaum. Original 25% tariffs on Mexican imports were postponed for a month under the USMCA agreement.
• Business Planning Difficulties:
  • Fratelloni (Mike) raises the challenge for businesses manufacturing abroad: "How do you do that as a business person to plan for this? ... If you keep going, they're on, they're off, you can’t ever pull the trigger." [03:47]
  • Businesses/importers face uncertainty, struggling to know whether to move production back to the U.S. or gamble on tariffs being lifted.
• Negotiating Tactics: Chris interprets Trump's tariff announcements as leverage: "Everything is a negotiating tactic. ... He probably doesn't ever really want to invoke these tariffs." [04:08–04:28]
• Reciprocal Tariffs: Mike advocates for "reciprocal" tariffs—if a foreign country charges 270% on American cheese, he wants the U.S. to reciprocate similarly, arguing, "That just seems fair. That seems like the fairest of all things." [07:23]

Memorable Quote:

"If you keep going, they're on, they're off, you can’t ever pull the trigger...you’d be reluctant to pull the trigger. Cuz you say, well, the moment I move everything across the border back in the United States, then they're gonna be gone again. Why would I do that?" – Mike Fratelloni, [03:47]

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2. Canada’s Response and Trade Dynamics

Timestamps: 06:10–07:23

• Canada's “Show” Reactions: Liquor stores removing American whiskey as a protest against tariffs are "all for show"—the goods were already paid for, so the protest is symbolic. [02:19–02:33]
• Prime Minister Trudeau's Approach: Chris thinks Trudeau risks pushing Trump too far, potentially being hit with lingering tariffs in retaliation and notes the key issue is shared energy production, which is not subject to tariffs.

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3. Political Polarization and Congressional Decorum

Timestamps: 08:13–14:19

• State of the Union Drama:
  • Fetterman criticized House decorum, describing the spectacle as a "sad cavalcade of self owns and unhinged petulance." [08:35]
  • No bipartisan applause even for non-political moments—"How embarrassed would you be to not clap for a 12 year old boy who survived cancer?" [14:07]
• Character in Politics: Chris shares advice to his sons: "Your character is what you do, what you say and how you act when things are not going well, that's when your character is really revealed." [13:07]
• Polarization Commentary:
  • Chris: "We're just so diabolically polarized from a political aspect in this country...it's never going back to the center." [09:45]
  • Mike disagrees, believing things will swing back to the middle. [15:27]

Notable Moment:

"I think we actually are pendulum swords swung one way, now it's swinging dramatically the other way. And I think we're going to end up in the middle." – Mike Fratelloni, [15:27]

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4. Local Mayors and Positive Community News

Timestamps: 15:08–18:20

• Call for Civic Engagement: The hosts want to build bridges with Minneapolis and St. Paul mayors (Jacob Fry and Melvin Carter), inviting them to share positive stories directly on the podcast.
• Community Building: They encourage listeners who know the mayors to help connect them, aiming to foster a segment for good local news.

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5. Personal Stories, Small Business, and Alt Topics

Timestamps: 19:31–39:00

• Cultural Phenomena:
  • Fratelloni’s hardware stores sell a surprising number of Pokémon cards—some worth up to $20,000, leading to a story about thefts targeting only Pokémon cards. [19:31]
  • An $87,840 Flamin’ Hot Cheeto shaped like Pokémon’s Charizard sold at auction—sparking laughter and disbelief at American cultural excess. [21:08]
• Origins of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos: Chris recounts the inspiring story of a custodian whose spicy lunch habit led to a billion-dollar product. [22:18–23:33]
• Nostalgic Tangents:
  • Memories of first cars and the lost era of affordable "beater" vehicles for teens. [31:28–36:33]
  • Reflections on peanut buster parfaits at DQ, and anecdotes from family members with classic American work ethics. [38:54]

Memorable Moment:

"I go back to why people hate Americans right here...Some guy in some little town is saying, if only I had eight or...seven dollars, I sure would like running water. And then some doofus says, I'll spend $87,000 bucks on a Pokémon card." – Mike Fratelloni, [21:47]

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6. Listener Shout-Outs & Lighthearted Closers

Timestamps: 37:01–40:17

• Listener Joe's Note: It's National Oreo Day; Chris plans to celebrate with a cookies and cream Blizzard after his son's basketball practice. [37:01]
• DQ Anecdotes: The ritual of flipping over a Blizzard—are people really invested? Both hosts have fond DQ memories and bemoan today's inflated prices. [38:15]
• Classic Garage Logic Humor: Mike closes with a joke about choosing a vacation destination by throwing a dart at a world map and landing "behind the fridge." [40:05]

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Notable Quotes & Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------| | 03:47 | "If you keep going, they're on, they're off, you can’t ever pull the trigger..." | Mike Fratelloni | | 07:23 | "That just seems fair. That seems like the fairest of all things." | Mike Fratelloni | | 13:07 | "Your character is what you do, what you say and how you act when things are not going well, that's when your character is really revealed." | Chris Reavers | | 14:07 | "How embarrassed would you be to not clap for a 12 year old boy who survived cancer? I just find that so weird." | Mike Fratelloni | | 15:27 | "I think we actually are ... pendulum swung one way, now it's swinging dramatically the other way. And I think we're going to end up in the middle." | Mike Fratelloni | | 21:47 | "I go back to why people hate Americans right here...then some doofus says, I'll spend $87,000 bucks on a Pokémon card." | Mike Fratelloni |

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Segment Timestamps

• Intro, Hockey Tournament Talk, Face Paint Anecdote: 00:03–01:39
• Tariffs On/Off, Business Impacts: 01:40–08:13
• Canada/Mexico Response, Cheese Tariffs, Reciprocal Policy: 06:10–08:13
• State of the Union, Congressional Decorum, Character: 08:13–14:19
• Calls for Center Politics, Mayors Segment: 15:08–18:20
• Pokémon Cards, Flamin’ Hot Cheeto Auction, Snack Tangents: 19:31–26:10
• First Cars, Nostalgia, DQ Talk: 31:28–38:15
• Closing, Oreo Day & Map Joke: 37:01–40:17

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Tone & Style

True to Garage Logic’s ethos, the episode is a blend of irreverent, Midwestern common sense and personal storytelling. The hosts use casual banter, self-deprecating humor, and occasional sharp-tongued jabs (“You already bought the stuff, you dumbass!” [02:25]; “Why people hate Americans right here…” [21:47]) to dissect real issues affecting local business owners and communities. The effect is accessible, engaging, and slightly curmudgeonly—reinforcing the show’s “gumption county” pedigree.

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Takeaways

• Business owners crave predictability; tariff flip-flops wreak havoc on supply planning.
• Symbolic trade actions and reactions often lack economic substance but carry political weight.
• Political polarization seeps into even the most human, unifying moments—depriving all sides of basic decency.
• Garage Logic hopes for a swing back to pragmatic centrism—starting with positive, direct engagement from city leaders.
• Midwestern values, nostalgia, and humor anchor the conversation, whether discussing global economics or outrageously expensive snack food.

Transcript

[A]

This is the Weekly Scramble, a place where we chat about life over a cold one or two. It's time to belly up to the pod with Mike Fratelloni and your host, Chris Reavers.

[B]

That's right. It's time for the Weekly Scramble, the Minnesota State high school hockey tournament edition of the Weekly Scramble podcast. My name is Chris Reivers. That's Mike Fratelloni. You know the high school hockey tournament, Michael? Happens every year. We always get a snowstorm.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

What else happens? They can listen to you and I bitch about taxes.

[A]

Oh, that's so great. Real quick with the high school hockey tournament, please.

[B]

Yes, please, please.

[A]

My daughter just texted me and they're going to one of the games, Lakeville or something at 6:00 clock tonight, right? I'm going to Lakeville because they know people. Yes.

[B]

There's a football team.

[A]

She says, hey, can one of my friends come over? His name is Storm. Can Storm come over? Right.

[B]

Oh, boy.

[A]

And I said, can Storm. Why? What do you. Well, we're gonna all go to the game and Storm wants to paint his face before the hockey game.

[B]

Wait, is that who you're on the phone with?

[A]

No, that was a different one. But I thought. I thought, what do you say to your 17 year old daughter who says, and Storm's a nice kid. Everything about him's nice. I've met him and I thought, well, can he come over and paint his face at my house to go to the hockey game? I wanna call Storm and say, storm, don't paint your face. Don't do it.

[B]

Or hey, Storm, this is Uncle Reivers. What you should do is when you're at the Fratelloney residence, make sure you paint your face over the whitest portion of their carpet as possible.

[A]

That I would really enjoy. Right. My pick. Would maybe kill him.

[B]

No doubt.

[A]

She'd be storm chasing is what she'd be doing.

[B]

I see what you did.

[A]

See what I did there?

[B]

See what you did there? All right, so there was a thing I wanted to bring up with you, and I bring it up for a couple of reasons. Mostly because I need you to help me understand. And also that way, then you're gonna give me really good information that I'm going to then steal and use it on tomorrow's edition of the Garage Dodging podcast by citing you completely, by the way.

[A]

Nice.

[B]

I need you to explain to me because I don't know if you know this or not, but tariffs have been in the news.

[A]

They have been.

[B]

And the funniest thing that I saw was it was somebody. And of course cameras were available and cameras were rolling, but it was some liquor store owner in Canada essentially pulling.

[A]

All of the Jack Daniels, all of.

[B]

The American made whiskey off the shelves and putting it in boxes to show it to American. I'm thinking, well, you dumbass, you already bought the stuff.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

What point are you proving?

[A]

It's all for show.

[B]

For show. Okay, so I'm sorry, so there has.

[A]

Been breaking news on this. I don't know if you've seen this breaking news that President Trump turned back the Mexico tariffs, the 25% that went into effect on Tuesday. He said, hey, we're gonna push that out until early April because he had conversation with President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico. And they came to an agreement and said, you know what, as long as it falls under the USMCA agreement, we don't have to have tariffs on them for another month and we'll talk about this. And it looks like Claudia's doing the right thing. She's sending the troops to the border that he wanted, stopping fentanyl from coming in. Cuz it's still killing hundreds of thousands of Americans every few years. And I just wonder how a business person, let's say you owned a car parts manufacturing company in Mexico, you're an American company, but you make the parts for some car manufacturer in Mexico. Then all of a sudden these tariffs kick in and you're like, oh crap, okay, now I got to bring that production line from Mexico back to the United States or it's going to cost 25% more. But then five days after you start planning that, all of a sudden the tariffs are gone again. How do you do that as a business person to plan for this? How would you bring production back to America, which our President wants people to do? Bring production. I think all of us want stuff made in America. But if you keep going, they're on, they're off, they're on, they're off, they're on, they're off. You can't ever pull the trigger or you'd be reluctant to pull the trigger. Cuz you say, well, the moment I move everything across the border back in the United States, then they're gonna be gone again. Why would I do that? Right? Why would I wanna do that?

[B]

Well, I guess I've always looked at most of what he has done, he being President Trump. I've always just looked at, basically what he's doing is everything is a negotiating tactic.

[A]

I got it right.

[B]

So I guess that's how I would answer that. Meaning he probably doesn't ever really want to invoke these tariffs.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

He just wants to get what, in the end is going to benefit the country the most. Am I explaining myself?

[A]

Yeah, I think you are, totally. But when he's doing this, they're on, they're off, they're on, they're off. It makes it very, very difficult. Right, for sure. If you were. I mean, anybody who has production in Mexico, you're thinking, oh, crap, now my stuff's 25% more expensive. It just has to be because I have to charge 25% more.

[B]

Okay, let me ask you then. You're a business owner. You still are. I mean. Okay, so you're a business owner. How do you plan for this? I mean, you guys probably don't import a lot of stuff from Mexico.

[A]

We import a ton of stuff from Mexico. I mean, we don't specifically, but our distributors do. The manufacturers make a bunch of stuff in Mexico and China and Vietnam and all that stuff. It's all over the world where production is Canada. So I think everybody, somebody out there is predicting what's going to happen. There's some buyer someplace saying, hey, let's buy more of that now, because the prices could be up another 25% later on. The problem is nobody can figure it out because Trump keeps flipping them on and flipping them back off. Gotcha. Right.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

So I think if I were a betting man, reverse. I think Mexico saying, you know, we have a lot of. We have a very, very big partnership with the United States. A very big partnership with the United States. It could really be punitive if we just don't do a couple of things that this president's asking us to do. And I think they're partnering with President Trump and they're saying, let's figure this out. Let's get what you need, and let's get our stuff back in. We want to keep production in Mexico. People want production in Mexico. We actually, in the United States, I believe, wants production in Mexico, too, because they want Mexico as a country to survive and to thr thrive. Right. We don't need them on bended knee.

[B]

Correct.

[A]

Canada, on the other hand, I think, is making a little bit of a mistake. I think the President of Canada or the Prime Minister, Prime Minister, Prime Minister Justin Thoreau Trudeau is really kind of, I think, pushing Trump's buttons. And Trump might just say, congratulations, these are gonna sit on you for A while, these 25% tax.

[B]

And the only negative side effect of that is, of course, the shared energy production between the Two countries.

[A]

Yeah. And there is no tariff on energy. Right. So they don't have.

[B]

But no, but Canada reacted.

[A]

Oh, they reacted and gave. Okay.

[B]

Correct.

[A]

Totally makes sense.

[B]

So I guess that's the only thing that's the only danger to that. But as an emailer pointed out during Garage Logic. Well, fine, but you know, it's. Winter's essentially over.

[A]

Sure. Not just that. I mean, it's not. You don't want to play. Oh, you did that. I'll do this with Donald Trump.

[B]

Yeah. You really don't want to do it.

[A]

You just don't want to do it. He holds the cards and everyone else is in a minor position. Right. And it's tough because not everybody wants to do this. Not everyone wants to do these tariffs. Have you seen some of the tariffs? I did not know that, like American cheese had a 270% tariff going into some countries.

[B]

What?

[A]

So, yeah, when we.

[B]

I did not know that.

[A]

Yeah. Because, you know, we are a wealthy country and other countries said, oh, if you want to send your cheese here, it's going to be 270% tariff. And I really, really like the idea when Donald Trump says, we're gonna have reciprocal tariffs. If you charge us 270% on cheese, we're gonna charge you 270% on cheese too. Right. And then we'll flatline that. Or with a country like China, we say, oh, you don't. You wanna have your social networks in America? And you won't let us have our social networks in China. We don't have social networks anymore. That just seems fair. That seems like the fairest of all things. And I was going through some of the tariffs that the United States is charged going into other countries. And I think, what are we doing? Why didn't Biden do this? Why didn't Clinton do this? Why didn't, you know all the presidents backwards do this and get this handled? Because it doesn't seem quite right.

[B]

Yeah. I'm trying to find something that I wanted to bring up with you on this very topic because we had the. What did we have? The State of the Union. When was that? A couple days ago. Isn't that right? Yep. Okay. Oh, and of course, now I can't find it. Okay, give me your Fetterman take because I'm gonna find this message that I wanted to share with you.

[A]

Federman was a little mad that Congressperson Green stood up and started yelling during the speech and he was pulled out, asked to leave. Right. So Sergeant in Arms had to make him leave and then today they had censured him, right? They were getting him, bringing him in. And Fetterman was really mad. He's like, what are we doing? Why are we giving one side the better look? They look more presidential, right? They look more professional than us. Fetterman said it's a sad cavalcade of self owns and unhinged petulance, right? It only makes Trump look more presidential and restrained. We're becoming the metaphorical car alarm that nobody pays attention to. And it may not be the winning message. And he might be right, right? When? Today. So when they were century in green, a bunch of Democratic Congress people, people, members of Congress, sat up and sang We Shall Overcome, right? And Mike Johnson was pounding the gavel saying, hey, come to order, come to order. And finally he said, that's it, we're out of session. And he shut everything down, right? It's like, oh, I don't know if that's a really, really great look.

[B]

And that was the whole theme of the show, I believe it was, on Tuesday, is that, Cor, we're just so diabolically polarized from a political aspect in this country that it will never, in my opinion, and I agree with Joe completely, it's never going back to the center. Right? You know what I mean? Where you couldn't actually have a civil discussion.

[A]

That's not true.

[B]

Well, here's what I'll explain. Just because of, strictly because of social media. That's really what put the dividing line between the two. But this is the thing that I wanted to share with you. There's an account that I follow called End Wokeness and it's always just kind of pointing out, well, you know, kind of the. What's the word I want kind of pointing out the folly in a lot of this stuff. And Riley Gaines, of all people, retweeted one of these posts on there, so this is dated March 4th. So what is that two days ago? And it said Democrats kneeled, eulogized and cried for a violent criminal who died during arrest. Talking about all of the people, all the Democrats that kneeled for George Floyd back in 2020 with the scarves around their necks and stuff like that.

[A]

What was wrong with that? But go ahead.

[B]

Nothing, Nothing. They did that, but then they refused to stand for Lake and Riley. And so that stood out to me. But what Riley Gaines had to say stood out even more because when you really think about the message that party was sending to the American public, it's truly heartbreaking. And I only share this because of the Power that I felt when I saw it this morning. Dems kneeled for 8 minutes and 46 seconds for a drug infused, violent criminal. I'm willing to be up for debate for that because I don't exactly agree with that sentence, but I get her point. Lake and Riley fought for her life for 18 excruciating minutes before it was taken by an illegal gang member. Yet they couldn't even stand to honor her family. Really try and process that. And she nailed it.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, it's weird that no Democrat stood, clapped or supported the bill to begin with, but during Trump's speech, no one made any noise. They didn't clap, they booed, they didn't stand. So the 12 year old boy who beat brain cancer.

[B]

13.

[A]

13 year old boy. The young kid. And it was just a sweet story. Like this young kid did it and they didn't clap for him. And I thought, oh, that's not. I mean, it was kind of interesting. So out of this, when Al Green was censured, right. Ten Democrats came over. So they joined the 214 Republicans, 10 Democrats. So it was a 224 vote to 198 and two abstained.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Or two marked as present. And I think, well, some people said, hey, Al, that wasn't the right thing to do. Right. But what I don't get is he's a 12 year old kid with cancer. Give him a clap. I'd be embarrassed. Even if I hated someone else, I'd be embarrassed to not clap for a kid.

[B]

So when I saw that, Michael, because I share your sentiment completely and it's a phrase that I use with my two boys all of the time. Boys, you're gonna have situations that you're gonna be put in as a man growing up. And what's gonna happen is your character's gonna be tested. And your character is not what you do, what you say, how you act, when everything is going great.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

Your character is what you do, what you say and how you act when things are not going well, that's when your character is really revealed. And I've said that I've had to remind myself of that a time or two. And I've just said, but that's right there, showing us your character. And again, I'm saying this applies to pretty much anybody in politics, or it can apply to pretty much anybody in politics, but that's character. That's all that. That is. You're showing me your character.

[A]

Yeah, but I don't believe that all members of Congress have bad character. Democrats or Republicans, I don't believe that. I just can't fathom. I mean, to be honest, Reivers, some members of Congress are exceptionally bright. Business people, attorneys, physicians. They're the best of the best in some cases. Not everybody, both Republicans and Democrats. Right. We have the best of the best, some of them. How embarrassed would you be to not clap for a 12 year old boy who survived cancer? I just find that so weird.

[B]

I'm like, what's the matter with you?

[A]

If I was there and I was an opposite, and I was the opposite side of a thing, I'm obviously right down the middle, right? I'm air quoting, obviously. I'm kind of a common sense politician. But if I was one side or the other and I heard somebody doing that or I was like, it just seems so repugnant to me. I just can't believe it. It's very, very odd. And then to have Al green, yellow, you have no mandate to cut Medicaid. It's like, al, what the hell are you talking about? Trump says he doesn't want to touch Medicaid. He's made that clear that he doesn't want to touch Medicaid. And why would you do that? Why would you be the one that they have to kick out of the speech? Censure. Have your own party members agree with the censure. Like we have to have some decorum. Here's something that I want to do for our show and I'm hoping that people that are listening can help us. I have not talked to you about this, but I bet you would agree. I want to get the mayors of both of the towns pay attention to a lot. Minneapolis and St. Paul, Melvin Carter and Jacob Fry. I want them to become friends of this show.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And I want them to call us up and talk to us when something is going well in St. Paul or Minneapolis. Okay.

[B]

I could get behind that for sure.

[A]

Yeah, I think you could. Right. And I want to assure them that we just want to.

[B]

I want, once they hear my name, we might not have a shot, but go ahead.

[A]

You know, Reavers, I think we are becoming one. Make America one again. I think we actually are pendulum swords swung one way, now it's swinging dramatically the other way. And I think we're going to end up in the middle. I really do. I think we're going to end up in the middle.

[B]

I hope you're right.

[A]

And I think the way you and I can bring that to Minnesota. I'd like to know Jacob Fry to the point where I Could say Jake, call me. We want to talk to you about the Olympic trials that are coming at.

[B]

You know how we can start. You know what the icebreaker can be?

[A]

What's that?

[B]

Reavers has made you a drink at the Exchange nightclub.

[A]

There you go. You have.

[B]

Which is true, right.

[A]

I've serviced Melvin Carter at the store, right. He comes in. So. And I want to know Melvin Carter. I don't know if he goes by Mel. I don't know what Vin. I don't know what he goes by. I want to have them become friends of this show. So when something fantastic happens in the Cities, Minneapolis or St. Paul, you guys have positive Thursdays on Garagelogic podcast, right? Get Mike Schooner over. He talks about positive things. Joe has a sunny disposition almost for seven whole minutes on Positive Thursday. Right? I want to have positive Minneapolis and St. Paul stories for. From the mayors themselves.

[B]

All right?

[A]

And I know people that are listening to the show know Melvin Carter. I know they do, because a lot of frat packers are my buddies and they went to school with him. Right. And I know people that are listening to this show know Jacob Fry. Please, if you can. I spent some time today trying to get a message out to Jacob Fry via his normal channels, right. His people. I just want to have him come on and tell us something that's working. And you and I will be respectful. We'll be honest with them. And I want to say, oh, Jacob's on the phone. Let's hey, Jake, what's up? And see what he says, because I think we can do that. I was looking at the pictures of him, Reivers, and I don't know, maybe I'm going through menopause. I don't know what it is. I see pictures of him. He looks like a nice guy. He's got a wife and a kid, right? I think that was his wife and his kid.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And they just looked like a sweet, nice, kind family. I do not believe that he's trying to destroy Minneapolis. I do not believe Melvin Carter is trying to destroy St. Paul. I don't believe that about them. I think they genuinely want to have the best for their cities. And some things are working in both of those cities, and I want to have them tell us about it on this show. I'd say it's kind of a crossover for them. Right. This would be a different world. We're a little bit more to the right than their average show that people are listening to that they'd be on. Right. They'd be kind of a more NPR thing where they'd have to swing their pendulum over to us a little bit. But if we promise to say tell us what's great and we'll talk about it and we'll tell you how proud we are of you, I think that would be great. I think we can do that. I don't know if Joe can do that. I don't know if you'd get that done on gl.

[B]

Probably not.

[A]

Right. Because that would be a little tougher. But I think we could still do it.

[B]

And I could tell you we've attempted to do that. Our requests have just flat out not been answered.

[A]

Well, I'm going to ask.

[B]

I like that idea, though.

[A]

The frat packers that are out there, the people who are listening to the show, if you're in the frat pack 5000 or you're listening to the show and you know the mayors of those two towns, please reach out to me, reach out to Reavers and let's see if we can get them on the show.

[B]

Thank you, Michael. Hey, you've been hearing about my friend, Mr. Money Talk, Josh Arnold for years on the radio and of course on the garagelogic podcast. And here's the deal. We've been talking about this for months. It's a volatile time right now in the stock market. So what you need to do is give Josh a call today at 9255608 to book your no cost, no obligation, 48 minute financial consultation. And you'll be really glad that you did because you can benefit from Josh's years of experience navigating different market and economic conditions. And he will always give you the straight talk. He will never give you the sugar coated advice. In fact, I just spoke with Josh for a few minutes this morning. His information is spot on and he's really good and I've been using him for years. And you'll be happy with your decision to use Josh as well. So give him a call today. 952-925-5608. He is Mr. Money Talk. The weekly scramble will be right back. Investment services offered by Josh Arnold Investment Consultant, llc. A security investment advisor. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. All investments involve risk. All comments and opinions are Josh Arnold's and do not constitute investment advice. Chris Reivers is a paid endorser. You know me too well. All right, you want to talk flaming hot Cheetos.

[A]

So you might not know this about Fraterloni's, but we sell a ton of Pokemon cards like in our stores.

[B]

You know why I did know that.

[A]

How do you know that?

[B]

I remember years ago you got broken into. Broken into. The only thing they stole was Pokemon cards.

[A]

Pokemon cards.

[B]

I remember how. Wait, let me tell this story. You know you said this on the show, right?

[A]

Yeah, I'm sure I did. Yeah.

[B]

I remember you being pissed that they broke your very expensive front glass window. And all they took, like at least take a dewalt drill.

[A]

Something more than Pokemon cards.

[B]

Pokemon card. You were actually mad that all they stole was Pokemon cards.

[A]

Well, you know why they do it is because like some of the Pokemon cards out there could be a $20,000 card, right? So they're like. It's like they think there's $20,000 sitting on that displayer. Which maybe there is. Who knows, right? Maybe come over there and buy all the Pokemon cards. But I don't know if you saw this. Are you a fan of flaming hot Cheetos?

[B]

I am, but I can't eat them on their own. But I can explain.

[A]

Yeah, it hurts my belly too.

[B]

But I do like them. In fact, they're really good. There's a baked potato dish that I make you scrub them up and it's really good that way. You know what? I'm gonna send your pick the recipe. Cause she was nice enough to share me a recipe.

[A]

So there is a flaming hot Cheeto that's shaped like a Pokemon. This, I'm not saying it. Charizard. Charizard I think is the name of the Pokemon and it's sold at auction for how many dollars do you think a flaming hot Cheeto that's shaped like a Pokemon character, Charizard. How much does that sell for in America? I'm not saying any other country in the world like in America.

[B]

What does it sell for? Well, you said some of them can go up for 20, so I'll say $10,000.

[A]

Some cards could go up for 20,000. Right. This is just the Cheeto. But just. I don't even know why I asked you, because that's just mean. It sold for $87,000.

[B]

Wait, a singular Cheeto.

[A]

Imagine a 3 inch long flaming hot Cheeto that looks like a character. It went viral in 2024 for its unique shape. Sold at auction for $87,840.

[B]

I would do the same thing to this that I would do to the banana. That was a piece of wall art. I just say you would eat it.

[A]

And you'd be out that 87 grand. I mean, I go back to why people hate Americans right here.

[B]

This could be a Perfect example.

[A]

There's some guy in some little town saying, if only I had eight or.

[B]

Seven dollars, I sure would like running water.

[A]

It would be so good to poop in something besides a pail, right? And he's just begging for it. And then some doofus says, I'll spend 87,000 bucks on a Pokemon card.

[B]

Do you know the story behind the flaming hot Cheeto? Do you know why it came to existence and why it became so popular? No.

[A]

The actual flavor of Flamin Hot Cheetos?

[B]

No.

[A]

What happened?

[B]

So all of this I'm willing to be corrected on. But I remember reading about this. Cause it resonated with me because there was a guy, and he was a Hispanic fellow, and he was a custodian at the Cheetos manufacturing plant or whatever it was. And one day on his lunch break, he was in the lunchroom, and he would put either hot sauce or some type of hot. Like paprika. Whatever it was, it was some type of substance on a regular bag of Cheetos while he ate his lunch. And somebody in management or marketing or whatever came by and said, what are you doing? And he just said, well, I like these with some spice to them. And then they said, well, that's interesting. And they started to make like, hey, let's try this. They must have sent it to some type of. What you call it, a. A focus group.

[A]

Yeah, a demographic focus group.

[B]

And it became so freaking popular that they made this guy this custodian. They made him a executive of some type. And they. Because Cheetos made. Or Frito Lay, I should say, made so much stinking money off this product. Said, well, we can't let this guy go anywhere. We got to make him.

[A]

We got to do something for him.

[B]

We got to make him a big shot.

[A]

That reminds me, you've seen the movie Good Will Hunting, right?

[B]

It's one of my three favorite movies of all time.

[A]

And so Will is this incredibly smart guy that's the custodian, and he figures out this math problem that no one else can figure out. Maybe this guy was. What's the Spanish word for William?

[B]

That's a good question.

[A]

Probably Jose. It's something really. I mean, it's gonna be something totally different. Let's look that up. But Jose was there, and he was like, they're gone. And he's on the chalkboard in the room saying, please add a little flavor, too. The Cheetos. Cause I can't eat them just like this. I need a little hot sauce, because he loves it.

[B]

Hot Guillermo.

[A]

Guillermo. Guillermo's like, I need a little flavor in this. So he was the will in Good Will Hunting, right? But for Cheetos, hopefully he made himself a billion dollars. I think it's like very few companies can come out with something secondary. Like Doritos came out with Cool Ranch that does as much business as the Flaming Hot Cheetos have done.

[B]

Well, I'll give you a bit of inside information on that very subject. Frito Lay is owned by Pepsic, PepsiCo Brands. They have a hand in Starbucks, well, the distribution rights to Starbucks products. But they own a ton of stuff.

[A]

Pizza Hut and a bunch of things like that.

[B]

One of their business models is always think about what's next, right? So you'll see. That's why you see 15,000 different flavors of Dr. Pepper. Because they're always trying to find the next big gimmick that consumers are going to want to buy.

[A]

Pepsi's Aquafina mug, Root beer, Cheetos, Ruffles, Dr. Pepper, Starry Fritos, Doritos, Doritos, Pepsi AM, which sounds good. Lay's Crush Slice, Quaker Oats, Mountain Dew. When was the last time you had a Mountain Dew?

[B]

Sadly, yesterday.

[A]

Really?

[B]

Well, Diet Dew, does that count?

[A]

Yeah, but I think I was at a bar yesterday in Mendota and they said, I ordered a Diet Coke and they said we have Diet Pepsi. And I said, okay, is it real Diet Pepsi or is it like one of those Diet Zero Pepsi's that has something in it that I'm allergic to? And they're like, well, we also have Diet Mountain Dew at this bar. Like a full size bar with Diet Mountain Dew. And I thought by the time I drank a full Mountain Dew as an adult, man, it would be out of me in about five seconds because I have honed my body into a well oiled machine. And it would say, what does that.

[B]

Green stuff you mean we don't need this crap?

[A]

Go ahead, open the gates, let this out. It would whip right through me. So if you, you don't even smoke. But every guy that I've ever seen who drinks Mountain Dew as an adult, like you, you're an adult smokes, right? Because that's what their lunch break is. A couple cigarettes and a Mountain Dew. Diet Mountain Dew normally.

[B]

Okay, so good for.

[A]

I always think those guys are the cockroaches of men. You know why? Because nothing can get them. Nothing's gonna kill those guys, right? They just keep going.

[B]

One of the reasons I love Good Will Hunting and why I love the Frito, Cheeto Flaming hot Cheetos story so much is. My grandfather was a custodian at Saint Olf. And every day it was coke on the way to work, Coke for lunch, and Coke on the way home, Right? He loved regular. The classic regular.

[A]

Didn't he get fired for drawing boobs on one of the chalkboards?

[B]

Oh, that wasn't.

[A]

He's like. Instead of doing math problems, he's, like, drawing boobs.

[B]

But I will tell you, a lot of my work ethic derived from basically having to ride in the pickup truck with him, right? Where it's. Yeah. Guess what I get to do today? I get to spend eight straight hours on the lawnmower. You know how the St. Ol Campus do. You know how it kind of lays out?

[A]

That guy's way up on the hill today?

[B]

That's what he has to do for eight hours today is he's gotta mow the entire grounds. Like, that's his job.

[A]

It's a lot of work.

[B]

And then he comes home to farm, because that was his other job, is he had to come and farm.

[A]

Did he smoke cigarettes?

[B]

He did not. But he loved his Copenhagen.

[A]

Oh, he loves. Okay, so he had that thing. So he had a dip and a Coke, right? And he's like, I'm good. He only ate one meal a day. Or he had a little bit of breakfast and then came home and had a big dinner.

[B]

Well, he'd always have a bologna sandwich or a summer sausage sandwich.

[A]

Did you say sandwich?

[B]

Did I say sandwich?

[A]

I think you did.

[B]

He would have either a bologna or summer sausage sandwich.

[A]

There you go.

[B]

With lunch every day and maybe a bag of chips or something. And then it was. Yeah, it was whatever Grandma made that night. But I was going somewhere with that. But the day before he died, okay. We were helping move some stuff out of the farmhouse, and I remember saying goodbye to him, and he just kind of gave me the nod, like, you.

[A]

Know, he had a dip in.

[B]

He had a dip in 93 years old.

[A]

He didn't have a spitter. He didn't. At that point in time, he never didn't even create spit for me.

[B]

Well, yeah, it was just like, why? What's the point?

[A]

Yeah, I'm just gonna swallow. And he had a dip in at 93 years old. And it said. And his name, if I'm not mistaken, was Guillermo. William.

[B]

No, that was my dad's dad.

[A]

That was your dad's.

[B]

My mom's dad. And his name was Ludwig.

[A]

Ludwig.

[B]

Yes, Ludwig.

[A]

What was his. Short, luddy, wiggy.

[B]

What did they call him? For short.

[A]

That's a great question, Jack or something, right?

[B]

No, I don't. I don't know what his nickname was.

[A]

Bach, maybe?

[B]

Well, honestly, everybody associated with him, this is no joke, just called him Grandpa.

[A]

Really?

[B]

Even people that weren't related to him because he was just that.

[A]

Even Chantel down at the bar. Hey, Grandpa, what's up?

[B]

You're back. Anyway, did we accomplish anything?

[A]

I don't know where we went on that story, but I do think we have some taxes to talk about.

[B]

Oh, we do, and I'm glad you mentioned that, because our friend Linda Keller and kellertaxservice.com is here for you. Here's the deal. We're getting close to being a month out, and if you listened to the garagelogic podcast earlier today, and I know you, you probably haven't had a chance to listen to this Mike, but we learned that the Minnesota state fiscal budget is predicted for fiscal year 2027 to be $6 billion. Short.

[A]

Short. We were just over $12 billion. $18 billion. That's a $12 billion delta.

[B]

So guess what's going to happen to you?

[A]

Taxes.

[B]

Your taxes are going up. So here's the deal. You got to get on that schedule because. I don't know, I should have checked in with her today, but I'm not quite sure if she still has weekend appointments. But you need to get on the schedule, and you can do that right at her website, which is kellertaxservice.com and she's the best. She's been doing my taxes for years. And it doesn't matter what type of financial situation that you're in, what type of return you happen to be filing, whether you own a business or not. She does all types of returns. And like I said, I can't recommend her highly.

[A]

She's just a really sweet, kind gl. Er. Weekly scrambler. She's just a really, really nice person. And if you're. Let's pretend you're going to do your taxes this year, right? And you don't have somebody call her because she's just us.

[B]

Here's the thing, too. And what makes her service so great, you don't even have to go to her. You can just send her your stuff.

[A]

She can get you a sign, though.

[B]

She can, but. But you send her your stuff and she normally turns it around within a week. Yeah, that's unheard of.

[A]

She knows what she's doing, but I don't know. I don't know how to express what a kind person she is.

[B]

Oh, she's wonderful.

[A]

And that she's one of us. You might as well pick one of us.

[B]

Why not?

[A]

Why not?

[B]

She's got a frat pack number for.

[A]

She'S got a frat pack and posts on the frat pack.

[B]

Yes, she's one of us.

[A]

You might as well use the people that we know we're going to like.

[B]

And the ones that listen to the show just like you do. So once Again, go to kellertaxservice.com youm can also go to that website too, by the way, and see up to date tax information and changes with some of the tax laws. Because she does a really good job of updating her website in that regard as well. But once again, she's the absolute best. So book your appointment with Linda Keller and Keller Tax Service and please let her know that you heard about her on the weekly scramble podcast. We'll be right back. All right. Two things that I wanted to get to before we run out of time this week, Michael. One of them is I was going to ask you this because this came up on GL the other day and Joe had asked aloud to the group, do you have a year that you love that line of cars? So for instance, Joe had brought up I love every car that was basically made in the year 1967 because it was the best version of this car. The best version of that car. I think we brought this up. I think Ford versus Ferrari. Isn't that based upon the 1967 models of those two cars?

[A]

I think so, potentially.

[B]

But he had brought that up. I thought that's kind of interesting. We got a lot of email reaction for that. But I was. Because you're a car guy.

[A]

Yeah. That is really funny. Anything from the years where I was in. So from 85 to 89.

[B]

Nostalgia thing.

[A]

Yes, it's definitely nostalgia. And I think that's when cars were really first of all, name a car and a poster. Can you name a car and a poster? If I asked a million guys to name a poster car, they would probably name my favorite car, which I do not own, but it's one of my favorite cars is a Lamborghini Countach.

[B]

Okay. I was thinking. Cause one of my uncles always had a Corvette calendar, even though I don't think he ever owned a Corvette. But he had a Corvette calendar that always sticks out when you ask about car calendars.

[A]

Miami Vice made the Ferrari Tesla Testarossa calendar car. So that 1990s, late 80s, those were my favorite. And you know, certain cars like the Honda CRX from 1995, I've been looking for one of those Reavers. So that's one of the first cars I ever bought myself was a 19, like, 84 Honda CRX. No, it was probably 1986 Honda CRX Si. It was the fast one, and I love that car. And the problem is, cars that were inexpensive during that time period, people didn't keep really great care of because they drove them till the end, and then they just kind of got junked out. But I've been looking for Mitsubishi 3000 GTs. Do you know what that car is with the wing? I remember seeing that for the first time, thinking, that looks like a live Ferrari right here in St. Paul right now in 1989, 1990. And they're starting to gain a little bit of value. Acura NSX911s, all from that genre, that 80s and 90s. How about you?

[B]

Well, I'm not necessarily a car guy. I have an appreciation for them. I mean, for crying out loud. That's basically. I grew up in a family of people that that's all they did, and that's all they talked about is cars. It just never was really my thing. But I will always. Same like you. I will always have an affinity for the 1987 Pontiac Bonneville. Yeah, it was the very first car I ever had. And I'm not kidding. I drove that thing from high school to when I graduated from college and had my first radio internship out of. That's when it finally died. So that thing was with me through a lot of stuff.

[A]

You know what I feel bad for is kids today can't go out and get a running $1,500 car. There are no $1,500 cars anymore.

[B]

Not a chance. Right.

[A]

And that's a shame because that was kind of the rite of passage when you're like, okay, I'm gonna go out and try to buy my own car. When your parents, like some parents, you can't buy cars for people. Right. They didn't have the money to buy another car. So they said, hey, I'm sorry. Go ahead and figure it out. You're gonna ride a bike or you gotta buy a car?

[B]

Mike. To the point where I remember, because that car that I was just mentioning, we shared that car. So me and my two brothers shared that vehicle once they started driving as well.

[A]

Oh, no.

[B]

And I remember. So I would have been a. Was I a junior in high school? My little brother started. My younger brother started to drive, I think it was. So I was a junior it was the summer between my junior and senior year. That's exactly what it was. And it was, well, I want my own car. And dad said, well then go, good luck, go buy one. And I remember thinking, all right, I can get this car. My folks fronted me the cash and I would work all summer and pay them off. And it was $800.

[A]

Oh, wow.

[B]

And I bought some old lady that lived next to one of my dad's buddies. I bought her Plymouth Sundance. No. Was it a Plymouth Sundance? No, it wasn't a Plymouth Sunday. It was a Plymouth something or other.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

But it was a four door. It was a jalopy. It didn't even have FM radio, really. It only had an AM radio and an eight track.

[A]

That's why you love AM radio so much.

[B]

It might very well.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

I got the twins games. I was happy as hell.

[A]

That's all you really needed. Yeah.

[B]

And I listened to Joe and Rookie.

[A]

Isn't that funny?

[B]

You know, and honestly, that is why I started.

[A]

So what did those guys say? Did everybody have 60s, 70s?

[B]

Yeah. I mean Kenny's was, was a Mercury something or other. I can't remember what.

[A]

You were back in the 40s, 50s. That's one thing that's happening is guys that are Joe's age, right, little older, like past retirement age, they aren't out buying cars from the 50s and 60s anymore. Right. They're wrapping it up. And guys like me that love cars and go out and buy things, I don't buy 50s and 60s cars because that's too old a technology for me. I need that 90s and 80s and 90s cars.

[B]

This always comes up when we do back to the 50s out at the state fair because we're usually involved with them either from a advertising standpoint or doing the show out there once in a while because they're great people to work with. And it always comes up. Is the next generation kind of coming to these events? And sadly, in most cases, the answer is no.

[A]

A lot of my buddy.

[B]

But it's an unbelievably cool event. I think it's a really, really neat event. It's so cool.

[A]

But one of my good friends has a 65 Rivera, right? His dad had it, gave it to him. He has it. It's super, super, super cool. Is it his dream car? Probably not, because that was his dad's dream car, right? So that's not his. It's very cool and he loves his car. Don't get me wrong, it's still a dream that he has.

[B]

It.

[A]

Right. It's a very big deal that he has it, but I think there's newer cars that he'd much rather have. I don't know if you've seen the new Corvette reverse. There's a new Corvette that's. It just won.

[B]

Yeah. There was a Super bowl ad for it, wasn't there?

[A]

I think not. This model they might have had. This is a Nuremberg ring winner. Like, it's the world's fastest production car, and it is so cool.

[B]

And.

[A]

And it's a little too expensive for me, but if I can meet the right person who wants to just front me 250,000 bucks, I promise I will make $250 payments every month. I won't miss a payment.

[B]

Right.

[A]

I'm good with making payments, but that would be a cool car.

[B]

I wanted to share this with you because this came to us from listener Joe Saying. Reeves and Mike, I know you guys like to tackle the tough topics here on the weekly scramble podcast, but you should be noted that today, March 6, is National Oreo Day.

[A]

Really?

[B]

And it's celebrated each year the popular Oreo cookie, which consists of two chocolate discs with a sweet cream filling. It's a day for cookie lovers to enjoy and share their favorite Oreo treats. Joe, I'm gonna tell you right now, I will celebrate. I'm gonna get the biggest cookies and cream Oreo blizzard that I can find.

[A]

Nice.

[B]

Cause my oldest has his last basketball practice tonight. Thank God.

[A]

That's gonna be your celebration, and that's how we'll celebrate.

[B]

We're gonna go to the Dairy Queen. Probably. We'll have to go to the one in New Prigg.

[A]

A couple things that I saw at a Dairy Queen. I'm gonna tell the story. I know you're gonna go get this pulled up to a Dairy Queen the other day out in Olivia, Minnesota.

[B]

Right. Okay.

[A]

Timeout was way out there.

[B]

What were you doing in Olivia?

[A]

I was working. Working out in Olivia.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Right. So I stop at this Dairy Queen, and I get the. Yeah.

[B]

Pause.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

That's a cool drive, though, when you go take 2:12 straight.

[A]

Just. Nice.

[B]

You know what you did?

[A]

What's that?

[B]

You pulled a little Reavers.

[A]

I did. I went out there, and I was like. And so I stopped at this thing, and they had a little sign. You know when they take the blizzards and they flip them over.

[B]

Yeah. Yep.

[A]

I am of the opinion that they don't need to do that. Right. Like, I get.

[B]

You're sold.

[A]

You had me at Can I get a Blizzard you don't need to flip it over. But they had a little sign saying, due to time constraints, we are only going to flip over one blizzard of any order. And I thought, do you have to say that? Or are people saying, hey, hey, hey, don't be short. You didn't flip my blizzard over. Because I, like, put my hands out. Like, they're gonna drop it every time. Like, the ice cream is gonna slide out of there.

[B]

Well. And honestly, I prefer you don't do it.

[A]

Yeah, it doesn't add value to me.

[B]

You're not gonna harsh my mellow by just handing me my blizzard.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

Like, I'm good.

[A]

I do. That's one of the few things that I can remember as a little kid. I used to go get the Peanut Buster parfait. Right?

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And I think back in the day, this was mid-80s, they were like, $1.79 or something. And I thought, how can people buy something like this? It's a little bit of ice cream for $1.79. And I bet you today they're nine bucks. I don't know what they actually are. They're probably five bucks or something. But that was my first memory of thinking, who are these rich people having these Peanut Buster parfaits? And they were so good. They were so good. Extra peanuts.

[B]

Now, tell me you stopped at some little hole in the wall on your drive and grabbed a nice greasy burger or something.

[A]

No, that was the burger that I grabbed. I grabbed the flamethrower burger, which is a great burger.

[B]

Burger. It is a really good burger.

[A]

I got that and a regular Coke and drove back to the cities. It was great. It was really a lot of fun. And then what happened is there's a map store out there, right? And I went up and picked out a world map, and I bought this big world map, and I went and put it on my wall at my house. Reverse. And I said to my wife, I said, hey, take this dart, honey, and throw the dart anywhere onto the map.

[B]

So you're talking about all over the globe, wherever you hit it doesn't matter. I will spare no expense because we.

[A]

Need to see the world wherever it lands. I'm taking you on vacation. It turns out, Reavers, that we are gonna spend the next three weeks behind the fridge. Reavers.

[B]

He does it again.

[A]

You are the best.

[B]

Thank you. Michael, please do us a favor. Rate and review the show wherever you happen to be listening to the weekly Scramble podcast. It does help other people find the show, and it also helps us out and we certainly do appreciate it. And we can't thank you enough for listening to this week's edition of the weekly Scramble Podcast. His name is Mike Fratelloni. My name is Chris Rivers. Thank you so very much again for tuning in. We will talk to you again next, next time. And until then, cheers.