🚽 “No Door?” — Hotels’ Disappearing Bathrooms. Davos’ T-Day. Amazon’s Maxxing Store. +See-through Lulu

Summary

Podcast Summary: "No Door?" — Hotels’ Disappearing Bathrooms. Davos’ T-Day. Amazon’s Maxxing Store. +See-through Lulu

The Best One Yet by Nick & Jack Studios
Hosts: Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell
Date: January 22, 2026
Episode Theme:
This episode dives into three quirky but revealing business stories: the odd trend of hotels removing bathroom doors, the drama and shifting significance of Davos in a new era of globalism, and Amazon’s ambitious attempt at mastering brick-and-mortar retail by building the third-biggest store in America—not for shopping, but for returning. Along the way, the hosts tackle a fresh Lululemon recall crisis and share some memorable birthday banter.

---

Story #1: The Disappearing Hotel Bathroom Door

Timestamps: [05:01]–[08:49]

Main Point:
Hotels are cutting costs and corners by eliminating real bathroom doors, swapping them for curtains, sliding panels, or nothing at all—revealing much about travel industry economics, regulations, and culture.

Key Discussion Points

• Both Nick and Jack have recently experienced hotel rooms with small closets, tiny desks, and—shockingly—no real bathroom door.
• Hotels are replacing doors with curtains, frosted glass, or just leaving the bathroom open to the rest of the room.
• Why? Cost savings: A single door can mean $100,000 across a 200-room hotel. There are also ongoing energy, maintenance, and labor costs (e.g., guests leave lights on; doors get jammed).
• Consumer pushback: A woman who had a hotel room without a bathroom door while staying with her dad started a campaign, listing 500 hotels (including major brands) with this issue.
• Not just money: ADA regulations (Americans with Disabilities Act) require wide, expensive doors; removing the door sidesteps these requirements.
• Deeper cause: Business travel hasn’t bounced back post-pandemic, so hotels are squeezed to control costs. As Jack puts it, it’s “a microcosm of travel, of post-pandemic business norms, and of our construction red tape.” ([08:32])

Notable Quotes

• “The disappearing hotel bathroom door is actually a microcosm of our economy.” — Nick, [00:45]
• “Does my bathroom not even have a door?” — Jack, [05:35]
• “You'd rather have a guest complaint or two from a mom who books a hotel room with her kid than miss your earnings print because of a bathroom door?” — Jack, [07:39]
• “Bring the eye mask and earplugs any time you travel.” — Jack, [08:42]

---

Story #2: Davos’ T-Day and the Crisis of Globalism

Timestamps: [08:49]–[13:40]

Main Point:
The World Economic Forum at Davos just had its most dramatic day, dominated by AI, geopolitical upheaval, and ex-President Trump’s attention-grabbing moves. But underlying it all: growing doubts about the future of globalism.

Key Discussion Points

• What is Davos? The World Economic Forum, an annual gathering of global leaders and corporate elites in a Swiss ski town, designed to promote “cooperation within business, government, and civil society.” ([09:15])
• Over time, Davos developed into “Burning Man for billionaires” ([10:15])—all about high-profile deals, parties, and “moral urgency… if you have to ask, you clearly haven’t been.”
• This year’s headline moments:
  • AI takes center stage: Dario Amadei (Anthropic CEO) compares selling US AI chips to China to “selling nuclear weapons to North Korea” ([10:55]); he predicts AI could concentrate the world’s wealth among just 10 million people.
  • Microsoft’s Satya Nadella backs policies to ensure AI’s spoils are fairly distributed.
  • Big shifts in trade: Canadian PM and EU call the US unreliable; President Trump gives a “taco moment” ([11:59]) by canceling tariffs on eight European countries after claiming a framework for a Greenland treaty.
  • The spectacle is so wild it “would have made Andy Cohen blush.” ([12:13])
• Takeaway:
  • Davos represents globalism—but “globalism is in crisis,” undermined by rising populism and America-first policies.
  • Forum themes like climate, diversity, and stakeholder capitalism are retreating.
  • Larry Fink (BlackRock) is now Forum president; next year’s Davos will look very different if it wants to stay relevant.

Notable Quotes

• “There’s more drama in Davos right now than a Bravo series reunion.” — Nick, [00:59]
• “Burning Man for billionaires.” — Nick, [10:15]
• “All those themes are in retreat with the rise of populism across the globe.” — Jack, [13:04]
• “Davos and the World Economic Forum are a symbol of globalism. But globalism is in crisis.” — Jack, [12:33]

---

Story #3: Amazon Builds (Yet Again) — The Ultra-Super-Megastore

Timestamps: [15:12]–[20:13]

Main Point:
Amazon is opening the country’s 3rd largest retail store, but this four-football-field-sized behemoth isn’t about shopping—it’s about making returns ultra-easy, revealing Amazon’s obsession and struggle with physical retail.

Key Discussion Points

• The concept: A 230,000-square-foot Amazon store is opening in Orland Park, Illinois—bigger than two Targets, could hold 200 homes, “231 Starbucks.”
• The context: Amazon’s past in physical retail is full of failures:
  • Amazon bookstores: all closed.
  • Whole Foods acquisition: not a success story.
  • Amazon 4-Star stores: closed.
  • Amazon Fresh: still open, but “in reevaluation status.”
  • Amazon Go: half have closed.
  • Amazon Style clothing stores: opened and closed in one year.
• Why try again? Because 80% of US retail sales still happen in-person ([18:48]).
• The real aim: Amazon’s “Super Megastore isn’t about buying things. It’s about returning things.” ([19:08]) Online purchases have a high return rate (15–40%). By co-locating a store and a distribution center, Amazon can facilitate easy, instant exchanges and process returns more efficiently than ever before—a potential physical-digital retail game-changer.

Notable Quotes

• “Amazon is protein maxing to the extreme. They’re maxing retail right now.” — Nick, [17:03]
• “Amazon does clicks, they don’t do bricks.” — Nick, [17:18]
• “Their obsession with the white whale of physical retail is borderline Captain Ahab.” — Jack, [18:27]
• “[This store] isn’t about buying things. It’s about returning things.” — Jack, [19:08]

---

Rapid Fire: Other Things You Need To Know

Timestamps: [21:06]–[22:35]

• Las Vegas Sphere’s developer is building a smaller version (“hemisphere”) in Washington, DC, and another in Abu Dhabi.
• College admissions offices are using AI to review applications. Plot twist: AI is also being used to check if students used AI.
  • “OpenAI found a way to sell AI that will make sure students didn’t use OpenAI’s AI.” — Jack, [22:00]
• Manchester City FC, after losing a big soccer match in Norway, refunded fans for tickets and travel—a gesture of sports humility.

---

Fun & Personality Moments

Timestamps: Scattered throughout

• Lululemon’s latest disaster:
  They had to recall the “Get Low Leggings” after they failed the “squat test”—another saga in the brand’s see-through-leggings history.
  “Oops, I did it again.” — Nick, [01:44]

• Birthday banter:
  The pod starts with Nick’s “brown birthday” (a nod to his Brown University lacrosse days).
  “Host the party you wish you were invited to.” — Jack, [22:52]

• The Tiki Bar / Mai Tai fact:
  The Mai Tai was invented in California, incidentally named by a Tahitian for being “out of this world”—the same spirit as the pod’s tagline, “the best one yet.” ([23:41])

---

Memorable Quotes Highlight

• “Bring the eye mask and earplugs any time you travel.” – Jack, [08:42]
• “Burning Man for billionaires.” — Nick, [10:15]
• “Amazon does clicks, they don’t do bricks.” — Nick, [17:18]
• “Amazon’s obsession with the white whale of physical retail is borderline Captain Ahab.” — Jack, [18:27]
• “The Mai Tai basically is a Polynesian term for the Tea Boy. What are the odds of that?” — Nick, [23:44]

---

Takeaways Recap

Timestamps: [20:25]–[21:02]

• Hotels: No more bathroom doors—pure cost efficiency.
• Davos: Globalism, long the mission at Davos, is in retreat.
• Amazon: Giant new store, but the magic is in frictionless returns, not sales.

---

Episode Tone & Style

• Energetic, witty, light-hearted, and full of inside jokes (e.g., “taco moment,” “Burning Man for billionaires”)
• Conversational but packed with sharp business analysis and memorable pop culture crossovers
• Quick banter, rapid transitions, and playful ribbing between co-hosts

For more details and the best business conversations, catch the full episode of “The Best One Yet.”

Transcript

[Jack]

This is Nick. This is Jack.

[Nick]

It's Thursday, the new Friday, January 22, and today's pod is the best one yet. This is a T boy.

[Jack]

The top three pop business news stories you need to know today.

[Nick]

Jack, I already blew out my breakfast. Birthday, cupcake, candle. It's already happened.

[Jack]

Wait, this is your brown birthday, isn't it? Yetis, Nick played lacrosse at Brown University. No big deal. And guess what his jersey number was on that team. 38.

[Nick]

Yes.

[Jack]

Which is the birthday you're celebrating today. It's your brown birthday, Jack.

[Nick]

I see what you did there. Always round up. But we got three fantastic stories for today's pod. Jack, what do we got for the birthday? T boy?

[Jack]

For our first story, have you noticed that hotel bathrooms sometimes don't even have a door anymore?

[Nick]

The disappearing hotel bathroom door, it's actually a microcosm of our economy.

[Jack]

For our second story, Davos just had the biggest day in its 55 year history, including President Trump's big speech and his tariff cancellation.

[Nick]

There's more drama in Davos right now than a Bravo series reunion. So Jack and I, we're not there, but we dove in.

[Jack]

And our third and final story is Amazon, because it's building the third biggest store in America just outside Chicago.

[Nick]

Bigger than Walmart, twice the size of Target, this thing is 230 Starbucks.

[Jack]

But Amazon's very big box, Mega Superstore, isn't actually about buying, it's about returning. But Yetis, before we hit that wonderful mix of stories. Fantastic mix.

[Nick]

Love the mix. For the new Friday check.

[Jack]

Happy birthday, Nick. I do have a present for you, but it is not Lululemon leggings.

[Nick]

Yeah, I'm gonna ask for a hold on the Lululemon butt hugging leggings, Jack.

[Jack]

Because Yetis, Lululemon has done it again. They're recalling leggings because they're see through.

[Nick]

Oops. I did it again. Shares of Lulu are down 6% because the new Get Low leggings, they're just a little too low.

[Jack]

According to Bloomberg reporting, Lululemon stopped the sales of their Get Low Leggings just two days after launching because they didn't pass the quote unquote squat test.

[Nick]

Basically, you sat, they showed you stretched, the seam stitched while you were resting. The pants were revealing.

[Jack]

And Lululemon actually has a long history of being short on material or to.

[Nick]

Whip out a thesaurus. Jack. On being transparent when they should have been opaque.

[Jack]

Eighteen months ago, we covered it on this pod. They had to pull their breeze through leggings for unflattering fits that resembled a whale tail.

[Nick]

2013, Lulu lost 60 million bucks in sales on a sheer pants recall.

[Jack]

And who could forget? The original CE CEO got booted from the company after a scandal that began with see through leggings.

[Nick]

Ah, well, now Lulu is dealing with glute gate yet again.

[Jack]

And we're not sure who is more hurt wearers or shareholders.

[Nick]

Yeah, and as a shareholder here I am feeling hurt. Yet if you're in a changing room right now, don't forget the squat test.

[Jack]

And yes, this applies to khakis, too.

[Nick]

If you know they ripped, you know.

[Jack]

Full disclosure. One time I was wearing a suit on a business trip and it failed the squat test. Thank God nobody noticed.

[Nick]

That's why you do it in the mirror, Jack. That's why you do it in the mirror, Jack.

[Jack]

Let's hit our three stories.

[Unidentified Host]

Fifteen years before this song, two boys from the northeast met in the dorm. They had an idea that caused a cultural storm. It's the best one yet, but the best is the norm. Jack. Nick, that's it. I don't even think they need to practice. 50%. That's a fat tip. T boy city on your at Liz. If you know, you know. Cause we read to go. We can't wait no more.

[Nick]

So just start the show.

[Unidentified Host]

Start the show.

[Nick]

First, a quick word from our sponsor.

[Fin AI Sponsor]

AI is transforming customer service. It's real and it works. And with Fin, we've built the number one AI agent for customer service. We're seeing lots of cases where it's solving up to 90% of real queries for real businesses. This includes the real world. Complex stuff like issuing a refund or canceling an order. And we also see it when FIN goes up against competitors. It's top of all the performance benchmarks, top of the G2 leaderboard. And if you're not happy, we'll refund you up to a million dollars, which I think says it all. Check it out for yourself at fin.AI.

[Raj]

Hey, it's Raj and Noah.

[Noah]

And we're back with a new season of Am I Doing It Wrong? The show that explores the all too human anxieties we have about trying to get our lives right.

[Raj]

Because we're still doing a lot of stuff wrong.

[Noah]

But who isn't? That's why each week we're talking about the topics to be. We could all use a little helping hit with. Whether it's making new friends as an adult, managing our emotions, or even dreaming.

[Raj]

We'Ll be talking to experts in their fields who are definitely doing things right. So the rest of us can be a bit wiser and a lot better equipped to handle whatever life throws at us.

[Noah]

Subscribe now and listen to new episodes of Am I Doing It Wrong? Dropping every Thursday starting January 1st, wherever you get your podcasts.

[Raj]

And for the first time ever, we're going to have full video episodes on YouTube. Because as long as there are things to get wrong, we're going to be right here to help you do them better.

[Jack]

Love you.

[Nick]

For our first story, strange phenomenon. Hotels are getting rid of proper bathroom doors.

[Jack]

And this disappearing hotel bathroom door phenomenon is actually a microcosm on the travel industry, the post pandemic business norms, and even our housing crisis.

[Nick]

Basically our whole economy. You see yetis Jack noticed this the last time he was visiting San Francisco. And over the long weekend I noticed it at our hotel down in Carmel, California.

[Jack]

The closets have gotten really small in hotels. The desk is really small. But hang on a second. Does my bathroom not even have a door?

[Nick]

We're sorry, but that's a trend. No longer is there a fully closable opaque door between the restroom and the bedroom. And yes, we just said opaque for the second time on the pod.

[Jack]

Sometimes instead of a bathroom door, hotels are installing a curtain. Sometimes it's a frosted glass door, and sometimes it's a sliding door or a pocket door.

[Nick]

Sometimes, Jack, it's just an open voyeuristic adventure.

[Jack]

Honey, turn up the volume because I have to go to the bathroom door. No more.

[Nick]

To save money, hotels are now eliminating proper bathroom doors. It's a fact.

[Jack]

That's the trend. Which means there's nothing to contain the noise, the view, or the smell of your BM's.

[Nick]

So besties Jack and I got curious. We jumped in t boy style. And it all begins with the Wall Street Journal and one woman who was horrif.

[Jack]

Well, she was horrified because she booked a hotel room for herself and her dad. Two twin beds. And then she discovered there was no bathroom door and she was staying in the room with her dad.

[Nick]

So that woman launched a crusade to shame hotels that do this. And so far she's got a list.

[Jack]

Of 500 of them, including hotels owned by Marriott, Hyatt and Starwood.

[Nick]

But besties. It's not just that the average door costs $500, right, Jack?

[Jack]

And it's not just that for a 200 room hotel, we're talking $100,000 in door costs for the bathrooms.

[Nick]

And it's not just the one off installation costs of the doors either. Now, what we find fascinating is that it's also the ongoing operating costs of a single door.

[Jack]

Because think about it. A windowless bathroom in a hotel is cut off from all natural light, which means you must have the light on to do anything in there.

[Nick]

So the hotel's energy bill goes up.

[Jack]

And since it's not your house, it's a hotel, you're more likely to leave the lights on when you leave your hotel.

[Nick]

So that energy bill goes up even.

[Jack]

More and more light means you have to replace the light bulbs more often.

[Nick]

Which means higher mater.

[Jack]

And with constant use of that hotel bathroom door, the door gets jammed.

[Nick]

So labor costs go up too.

[Jack]

So if you're a cfo, that single bathroom door is a silent solid slab of costs.

[Nick]

It's the opposite of this.

[Jack]

So you'd rather have a guest complaint or two from a mom who books a hotel room with her kid than miss your earnings print because of a bathroom door?

[Nick]

I can see the shower head from the head of the bed and I'm giving it one star. Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over in the hospitality industry?

[Jack]

The disappearing hotel bathroom door actually reflects our economy.

[Nick]

Yet it's not just the microeconomics of a door on the P and L statement, it's also the macroeconomics of that door.

[Jack]

The reason hotels are going to such lengths to save money on bathroom doors is that business travel is not back.

[Nick]

Look, while leisure travel is all time high right now, business travel still below pre pandemic levels.

[Jack]

Another reason for the disappearing bathroom door at hotels is regulations.

[Nick]

That's right, the ADA Americans with Disabilities act requires wide doors which require a big space to swing open. But not having a door avoids that.

[Jack]

So this story is about so much more than an 80 inch wooden frame. That is a door.

[Nick]

That is right, Jack. The disappearing hotel bathroom door is a microcosm of travel, of post pandemic business norms and of our construction red tape.

[Jack]

And on the importance of bringing the eye mask and earplugs anytime you travel.

[Nick]

For our second story, Davos was the center of the world yesterday. Heads of state, CEOs all making world changing announcements in one Swiss ski town. And yeah, the fondue wasn't free.

[Jack]

But what actually is Davos and where is it actually going? We're going to dive into the history.

[Nick]

Yetis Davos the short name for the World Economic Forum created by Klaus schwab back in 1971.

[Jack]

No relation to Charles Professor Klaus Davos Schwab believed that quote unquote, lasting progress requires cooperation within business, government and civil society.

[Nick]

So Schwab chose Davos, a ski enclave nestled in the Swiss Alps, because, well, private jet pilots, they already knew the route.

[Jack]

Over time, Davos became an off site of the rich and powerful to make deals and determine the winners of the future. At least that's how it seemed from the outside.

[Nick]

Which is why every big tech company set up glitzy parties, sponsored events, and has a 7 minute walk become a 45 minute Escalade security convoy.

[Jack]

Salesforce alone has a building that's called the Davos Agentic Innovation Center.

[Nick]

Okay, but Jack, I'm sorry, not to be confused with Salesforce's lodge at Davos.

[Jack]

As well, which is across the street from the Salesforce chalet, which is also at Davos this year.

[Nick]

Yeah, they say the Rolexes feel better when you get them fresh from the factory next door.

[Jack]

Jack Zuckerberg is probably at that chalet showering some Prime Minister with champagne. So he doesn't regulate Instagram. That's what happens at Davos.

[Nick]

Add it all up. And that's why we call it Burning man for billionaires. Jack. Don't forget the dress code, by the way. Patagonia inner vest, Moncler outer vest. And a strong sense of moral urgency.

[Jack]

Moral urgency. I love how ambiguous that is.

[Nick]

If you have to ask, you clearly haven't been jacked.

[Jack]

But besties?

[Nick]

This is what we find fascinating. Many people are questioning if Davos is still relevant after all these 55 years.

[Jack]

But this Davos was more relevant than ever. And the headlines were about AI, Trump and Davos itself.

[Nick]

All right, Jack, let's jump in T boy style and start with AI. Specifically, Dario Amadei, the CEO of Anthropic.

[Jack]

He made headlines on Tuesday after saying that the United States selling its top AI chips to China is like selling nuclear weapons to North Korea. Something we probably shouldn't do.

[Nick]

Yetis that bold statement puts the anthropic CEO at odds with Nvidia and the Trump administration.

[Jack]

And Dario also said that if left unregulated, AI would result in the future in a world where just 10 million people own all of the world's wealth.

[Nick]

Another huge hot take. And then Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella agreed that policy must ensure that riches of AI get spread out among people.

[Jack]

But Nick, the headlines weren't just about AI. They were also about geopolitics and trade.

[Nick]

The biggest headlines on those topics in a year. Like we told you yesterday, Canada's Prime Minister and the European Union declared the United States no longer a reliable partner.

[Jack]

And they said that at Davos and on Wednesday, President Trump finally made his big speech.

[Nick]

He showed up. He actually got a literal red carpet and said he would get Greenland one way or another, but ruled out using military force to do it.

[Jack]

And to those who hoped for a taco moment yesterday, including us, we got a taco moment.

[Nick]

Yeah. The news, Trump said that he has a framework, quote, unquote, of a future deal on Greenland. So he's canceling his tariffs on eight European countries.

[Jack]

To those who think Trump always chickens out, that kind of happened. The stock market rebounded yesterday and all.

[Nick]

Of that happened in like, 24 hours. That would have made Andy Cohen blush.

[Jack]

Andy Cohen was probably at Davos, wasn't he?

[Nick]

It feels like he should have been there, Jack. But besties Trump and his America first policies are bringing the entire World Economic Forum into question. Which leads to our takeaway. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies? Pardon it up over in Davos.

[Jack]

Davos and the World Economic Forum are a symbol of globalism. But globalism is in crisis.

[Nick]

You see yeti Every year, the World Economic Forum announces a theme to reflect the biggest global issue of the day.

[Jack]

In 2002, the World Economic Forum held their meeting in New York City to show support to New York Post 9 11. It's the only time the Yemet has not been in Davos.

[Nick]

In 2018, the theme was gender diversity on corporate boards. And in 2019, the theme was climate.

[Jack]

Post Covid, it was stakeholder capitalism. That is, corporations shouldn't just be focused.

[Nick]

On profits, but you see, besties. All those themes are in retreat with the rise of populism across the globe.

[Jack]

Globalism is about countries cooperating and collaborating together and using trade as a force of peace.

[Nick]

And the assumption was that the private jet crowd would determine that future.

[Jack]

Well, Larry Fink, the CEO of BlackRock, has taken over as the head of the World Economic Forum this year.

[Nick]

And if we know Larry Fink, we know he knows that globalism is in crisis. So he's trying to make changes at Davos.

[Jack]

So next year's Davos will probably be a lot different than this year's. That is if Davos wants to remain.

[Nick]

Relevant, if it even stays in Davos. Now, a quick word from our sponsor.

[Boost Mobile Representative]

Big news. Boost Mobile is now sending experts nationwide to deliver and set up customers new phones at home or work.

[Jack]

Wait, we're going on tour?

[Boost Mobile Representative]

Not a tour. We're delivering and setting up customers phones so it's easier to upgrade.

[Jack]

Let's get in the tour bus and hit the road.

[Boost Mobile Representative]

No, not a tour bus. It's a regular car we use to deliver and set up customers phones at home or work.

[Nick]

Are you a groupie on this tour?

[Boost Mobile Representative]

We deliver and set up phones. It's not a tour.

[Jack]

Oh, you're definitely a groupie.

[Boost Mobile Representative]

Introducing store to door switch and get a new device with expert setup and delivery wherever you're at.

[Jack]

Delivery available for select devices [e-mail] hey.

[Raj]

It'S Raj and Noah.

[Noah]

And we're back with a new season of Am I Doing It Wrong? The show that explores the all too human anxieties we have about trying to get our lives right.

[Raj]

Because we're still doing a lot of stuff wrong.

[Noah]

But who isn't? That's why each week we're talking about the topics that we could all use a little helping hit with. Whether it's making new friends as an adult, managing our emotions, or even dreaming.

[Raj]

We'Ll be talking to experts in their fields who are definitely doing things right. So the rest of us can be a bit wiser and a lot better equipped to handle whatever life throws at us.

[Noah]

Subscribe now and listen to new episodes of Am I Doing It Wrong? Dropping every Thursday starting January 1st, wherever you get your podcasts.

[Raj]

And for the first time ever, we're going to have full video episodes on YouTube. Because as long as there are things to get wrong, we're going to be right here to help you.

[Nick]

For our third and final story, Amazon is opening its biggest store ever just outside Chicago. This thing is bigger than Walmart. It is the size of two targets.

[Jack]

But Amazon's first big box store isn't going to be about buying. It's actually going to be about returning.

[Nick]

Ah, Yetis. Everyone knows the suburban shopping plaza smorgasbord. Even if you grew up in the big city.

[Jack]

Huge parking lot in the middle with like six big box stores. Mine is called Mapletree Plaza, probably owned by private equity.

[Nick]

You got a Bob's Discount Furniture on.

[Jack]

The left, huge store.

[Nick]

You got a Best Buy on the right.

[Jack]

Even huger, you got a Walmart right down the center, usually the hugest in the whole plaza.

[Nick]

Maybe we'll hit Home Depot. I don't know if we'll have enough time, Jack.

[Jack]

And right next to Dick's Sporting Goods and Petco is going to be a huge new store with the word Amazon on top.

[Nick]

Voila, Yetis. That will soon be true in Orland Park, Illinois, which just approved a 230,000 square foot Amazon store.

[Jack]

To be clear, it's Orland park, not Orland Park. Although being near Chicago, I Get why you made the mistake.

[Nick]

You never know. Jack, could you Please sprinkle on 230,000 square feet of context for us though.

[Jack]

That is the size of four football fields or three New York City residential blocks. It could hold 200American homes inside that store.

[Nick]

Or 231 Starbucks Yetis. This Amazon Super Megastore will be the third largest store in America behind just.

[Jack]

Macy's New York City flagship location and Walmart's biggest store, which happens to be in Albany, New York.

[Nick]

Now besties. Amazon made headlines on Tuesday for admitting that tariffs are raising prices on Amazon.com.

[Jack]

That should not be a shocker. But this headline was a shocker. Amazon is trying once again to crack the code on physical retail.

[Nick]

Amazon is protein maxing to the extreme. They're maxing retail right now.

[Jack]

But Nick, pause the pot. Physical stores have been Amazon's Achilles heel for over 10 years. They're great at E commerce. They're terrible at regular commerce.

[Nick]

Amazon does clicks, they don't do bricks. They have so many failures. We would include more, but we have a 20 minute pod. We got to keep this thing short, Jack.

[Jack]

Amazon's physical retail journey began with 24Amazon bookstores, all of which have been closed.

[Nick]

And Then came Amazon's $14 billion acquisition of Whole Foods, widely seen as a GMO free failure.

[Jack]

Have you ever visited an Amazon 4 star store? This is a store only with items rated 4 stars or higher on Amazon.com. well, guess what, they're all closed now, Jack.

[Nick]

How about an Amazon Fresh store? What about those?

[Jack]

These days it's a grocery store that awkwardly competes with Whole Foods in a sibling rivalry.

[Nick]

And they are still open, but officially they're in reevaluation status by Amazon management.

[Jack]

Amazon, Go. That's the innovative just walk out technology with no cashiers.

[Nick]

Yeah, half of those have been closed too.

[Jack]

Which brings us to Amazon style. Two fashion stores were opened in 2022. Two fashion stores were closed in 2023.

[Nick]

Amazon style basically went out of fashion.

[Jack]

So you got to give Amazon some credit for failing fast.

[Nick]

Totally, Jack.

[Jack]

It's better to kill your losing experiments quick than let them drag out and generate losses.

[Nick]

But besties, Amazon's obsession with the white whale of physical retail is borderline Captain Ahab. Right now.

[Jack]

It's six previous attempts have all failed. And now instead of like moving on to something else, they're trying again with the third biggest store in American history.

[Nick]

So, Jack, we all get asked, why is Amazon obsessed with this white retail whale?

[Jack]

It's because 80% of retail sales in this country are still done in person according to data from the US Census.

[Nick]

But besties. Jack and I think this Amazon Ultra Super Megastore is actually about the opposite of buying.

[Jack]

It's about the other side of the transaction.

[Nick]

So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies maxing over at Amazon?

[Jack]

Amazon's Super Megastore isn't about buying things. It's about returning things.

[Nick]

Yetis. Look, you don't use Amazon for groceries. You use it to buy USB cords and curtain rods and batteries and vacuums.

[Jack]

And thytastrosal and slippers to wear in your gym shower. I don't know, stuff like that.

[Nick]

What's going on in that Jim shower jacket?

[Jack]

That was my most recent purchase on Amazon.

[Nick]

Well, guess what? Those kind of products, 15 to 40% of them get returned.

[Jack]

That's why this information from the Wall Street Journal's reporting is key.

[Nick]

Amazon's big box store is actually going to be 1/2 store, 1/2 distribution center.

[Jack]

And distribution centers aren't about retail at all. They're about logistics like return processing.

[Nick]

And that is why we think this Amazon Superstore will be able to do something never, ever done before. You'll be able to return your thing and swap it for the right one. Because there's also a distribution center, a.

[Jack]

Merging of Amazon.com and Amazon in person. That's never happened before.

[Nick]

And that is the real consumer problem that Amazon's physical stores just haven't solved for yet.

[Jack]

So when Amazon officially announces this store and opens it up next year, we'll know for sure.

[Nick]

But in the meantime, we think Amazon's Big Box Superstore isn't about buying things, it's actually about returning them. Jack, could you whip up the takeaways for us for the new Friday?

[Jack]

Hotels are eliminating bathroom doors to save materials, material costs, energy costs, repair costs and real estate costs.

[Nick]

Oh, the disappearing hotel bathroom door. It's actually a microcosm of today's economy.

[Jack]

For our second story. Davos has been the center of the world this week and stocks rose on Wednesday as Trump tacoed on tariffs.

[Nick]

But Davos is also a symbol of globalism. And globalism is in retreat across the globe.

[Jack]

And our third and final story. Amazon is building a 230,000 square foot super Ultra Megastore just outside Chicago.

[Nick]

Yeah, they're retail max. And our guess, the differentiator won't be the sale. The differentiator will be the returns.

[Jack]

But besties, this pod's not over yet. Here's what else you need to know.

[Nick]

Today. First, the company behind the Las Vegas Sphere is building another one in Washington, D.C. it's a sequel.

[Jack]

It is a sequel. The Sphere is a giant performance venue shaped like a sphere with screens on the inside and on the outside. Okay, but this DC one, it's going to be smaller.

[Nick]

They call it a mini sphere. We call it a hemisphere.

[Jack]

It should be called a hemisphere. It's got 6,000 instead of 18,000 in Vegas.

[Nick]

And by the way, Sphere is actually a publicly traded stock worth 4 billion bucks. And they're making another big one over in Abu Dhabi in the Middle East.

[Jack]

Second, according to Bloomberg, the newest user of artificial intelligence is college admissions offices.

[Nick]

That's right. Admissions officers are using AI to read your essays, review your transcripts, and see who you are.

[Jack]

The goal is to speed up the application process so that they can let you know if you got in in, like, December instead of waiting until April.

[Nick]

But here's the plot twist. Colleges are also using AI in the application process to make sure you didn't use AI in the application process.

[Jack]

So OpenAI has found a way to sell AI that will make sure that students didn't use OpenAI as AI.

[Nick]

And finally, wouldn't it be nice if you got refunded for tickets when your team loses the game?

[Jack]

Well, that's happening because Man City, a top tier football club in England, had to travel all the way to the Arctic Circle to play a club up in Norway.

[Nick]

A epic Champions League game. But then Man City shockingly lost to a much lower team, three to one.

[Jack]

It's a cool thing about European soccer. You can play against a team completely at a different level than yours.

[Nick]

Well, Man City was so embarrassed, they're refunding fans for their tickets and for their travel. Now, time for the best fact yet, which, because it's my birthday, I whipped up a little surprise for you in this one. You ready for this, Jack?

[Jack]

It's a T boy tradition. What do you got, Nick?

[Nick]

Jack can always like a good theme for my birthday. You know, host the party you wish you were invited to.

[Jack]

And.

[Nick]

And this year, it's a tiki bar, a Polynesian theme called the Tonga Room. This crazy place in San Francisco.

[Jack]

Yeah, it's in the Fairmont, which is the same hotel that Sean Connery stayed in in the movie the Rock.

[Nick]

So it's a classic. Well, I got curious about tiki bars, Jack. Turned out the tiki bar surged in popularity after World War II because American soldiers returned from fighting in the Pacific.

[Jack]

Makes sense.

[Nick]

But it also turns out that the Mai Thai Tiki cocktail, the one made with rumors, was also invented in the Bay Area. And do you know why this cocktail is called the Mai Tai?

[Jack]

Wait a minute. The Mai Tai is a cocktail that was invented in the Bay Area of California?

[Nick]

Well, it's because a visitor from Tahiti tried the Mai Tai cocktail and said the words Mai Tai roa I. And do you know what that means in Tahitian, Jack?

[Jack]

No.

[Nick]

Out of this world. The best one yet.

[Jack]

You're kidding me.

[Nick]

The Mai Tai basically is a Polynesian term for the tea boy. What are the odds of that?

[Jack]

Okay, let me tell you, at every one of our live shows this year, we're going to go to the after party and that's got to be like the house drink.

[Nick]

Besties, Mai Tai roi. Amazing Yetis. You're looking fantastic over there, Jack. Thank you for looking fantastic and remembering the fourth quarter birthday. I appreciate it, man.

[Jack]

Dude, happy birthday, man. I can't wait to see you in person so I can give you a gigantic bear hug.

[Raj]

I mean.

[Nick]

Well, Jack, you know what I wished for in that breakfast Cupcake candle. What? Hitting all time highs. I hope Kim Kardashian comes on the pod. I don't want guac to be extra. And I hope on your next flight over you don't get a windowless seat.

[Jack]

I think three of those four things.

[Nick]

Are definitely gonna happen, Kim, if you know, you know, Jack and I will see you tomorrow. And before we go, a happy birthday to all the other 20 tours out there. Madeline Sillinger is turning nine years old, Jack. She's over in Brooklyn. She's on the way to school and this is her best birthday yet.

[Jack]

Happy birthday to Royce Yossival, who's listening on the way to school but in Berkeley.

[Nick]

And Melody Bryant. Enjoy the best birthday yet down in Nashville, Nash City.

[Jack]

Happy birthday to John Luepke, who's pickleballing in Charlotte right now to celebrate.

[Nick]

And Brandon Lech celebrating a fantastic birthday over in Springfield, Illinois.

[Jack]

Happy birthday to the best girlfriend yet, Arcoli Vongalla in Seattle.

[Nick]

And Issy Sampson. Happy birthday down in Sugarland, Texas.

[Jack]

And happy birthday to Devin L. Devmeister lagloughlin who's turning 31 in New York City.

[Nick]

And a shout out to Katie and Derek Borelski with their son Nolan, who are celebrating Katie's birthday down in Denver.

[Jack]

And a big shout out to Rihanna Singh. Thank you for sharing the show. Hyh Tboy.

[Nick]

Have you heard the best one yet?

[Jack]

This is Jack. I own stock of Amazon, and Nick on stock of Lululemon.

[Raj]

Hey, it's Raj and Noah.

[Noah]

And we're back with a new season of Am I Doing It Wrong? The show that explores the all too human anxieties we have about trying to get our Libra right.

[Raj]

Because we're still doing a lot of stuff wrong.

[Noah]

But who isn't? That's why each week we're talking about the topics that we could all use a little helping hit with. Whether it's making new friends as an adult, managing our emotions, or even dreaming.

[Raj]

We'll be talking to experts in their fields who are definitely doing things right, so the rest of us can be a bit wiser and a lot better equipped to handle whatever life throws at us.

[Noah]

Subscribe now and listen to new episodes of Am I Doing It Wrong? Dropping every Thursday starting January 1st first, wherever you get your podcasts.

[Raj]

And for the first time ever, we're gonna have full video episodes on YouTube. Because as long as there are things to get wrong, we're going to be right here to help you do them better.

[Jack]

Love y'. All.