👻 “Paranormal profits” — Horror’s box office record. Starbucks’ delivery biz. Gov Shutdown’s 2nd month. +KPop (Lehman) Hunters

Summary

The Best One Yet — “Paranormal profits”: Horror’s Box Office Record, Starbucks Delivery, Government Shutdown Month Two & K-Pop (Lehman) Hunters

Podcast: The Best One Yet
Hosts: Nick & Jack Studios (Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell)
Date: October 31, 2025
Episode Theme: Business trends with a fun, Halloween twist—how horror movies are scaring up record profits, the second month of the government shutdown and what it really means, Starbucks’ surprising delivery-fueled rebound, and the business costume contest.

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Episode Overview

This special Halloween episode dives into three major business stories, each with a fresh and witty take:

1. The horror genre’s unprecedented success at the box office
2. The real economic pain behind the ongoing government shutdown
3. Starbucks’ growth—delivered piping hot (or cold) straight to your door

The hosts also celebrate Halloween with their annual business-themed costume contest (K-Pop Lehman Hunters, anyone?) and keep their trademark playful banter throughout.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Horror Movies Dominate the Box Office (06:07–09:46)

• 2025: Record Year for Horror

  • Horror films have raked in an unprecedented 17.2% of the US box office in 2025, a record high and a 70% increase from last year.
    • “Horror has taken in a record 17.2% of the United States box office this year.” — Nick (07:36)
  • Big horror hits:
    • Black Phone 2 ($27M opening weekend in October)
    • Sinners ($367M, sleeper hit)
    • The Conjuring 9 ($500M, #2 horror movie of all time)
  • Series like Five Nights at Freddy’s and 28 Years Later launch at various times of year—horror is now year-round, not just for Halloween.

• Why is horror blowing up?

  • “Calendar creep”: Horror movies are marketed and released year-round (“like how Home Depot sells those 15-foot skeletons as early as July”).
  • Audience division is fueling growth:
    • Most-hated AND fastest-growing genre: 22% of Americans hate horror (per YouGov), “but viewers give it two thumbs up on Rotten Tomatoes.” — Jack (09:19)
    • This divisiveness itself is the engine of profit, the “divisive dividend”: People love-to-hate horror, and that controversy drives viewership.

• Takeaway

  • “What divides us, also sells.” — Jack (19:34)
  • Divisiveness works as a business strategy (also seen in social media and fashion).

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2. Government Shutdown: When Food Stamps Stop (09:53–13:30)

• Backdrop: 31 days and counting

  • The shutdown is now the second-longest in history.
    • 700,000 federal employees working without pay; another 700,000 furloughed.
  • Critical tipping point: SNAP (food stamps) will not be funded after Nov 1—for 42 million low-income Americans.
    • “42 million low income Americans are gonna stop receiving government assistance to buy food.” — Nick (10:43)

• What’s the shutdown really about?

  • Healthcare: Democrats demand Republicans restore $1 trillion in health care funding cut in the “Big Beautiful Bill.”
    • Cuts include stricter Medicaid work requirements and slashed subsidies for people on ACA (“Obamacare”) insurance plans.
    • 24 million Americans who buy their own insurance will lose subsidies, facing an average 26% premium increase next year.
      • “Imagine if your grocery bill rose 26% overnight.” — Jack (12:23)

• Grocery vs. Healthcare Prices

  • Americans spend the same % of budget on groceries as on health care (8%), but health care prices have outpaced groceries 2.5x over the last 15 years.
    • “Health care prices have gone up two and a half times more than grocery prices in the last 15 years.” — Jack (13:06)
  • But because healthcare costs aren’t as visible, people become “numb” (call it “psychonomics”).

• Takeaway

  • The government shutdown’s biggest impact will be hunger AND a looming “shock” in healthcare costs.

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3. Starbucks’ Delivery Turnaround (15:31–19:16)

• Starbucks Rebounds

  • First quarter of sales growth (1%) after a nearly two-year slump.
    • “For the first time in nearly two years, Starbucks just announced sales growth.” — Nick (16:11)
  • Context: “Fast-casual recession”—brands like Chipotle, Sweetgreen struggling because young consumers are pulling back.
  • New CEO Brian Niccol formerly of Chipotle is leading the turnaround.

• Starbucks’ secret weapon: Delivery

  • Delivery coffee orders grew 30% last quarter, surpassing $1B for the first time.
    • “Revenue for delivered Starbucks grew 30% last quarter, hitting $1 billion for the first time ever.” — Jack (17:00)
  • Attachment rate (food added to drink orders through delivery) is 40%—bigger ticket sizes per order.

• Tension: Delivery vs. In-Store

  • While delivery is hot, the CEO wants customers to “dwell” in-store—Starbucks prides itself on being a “third place.”
    • But visits longer than 10 minutes dropped 20% last quarter.
      • “Unfortunately, the number of Starbucks visits that lasted longer than 10 minutes fell by nearly 20%.” — Jack (18:42)

• Takeaway

  • Starbucks faces a dilemma: Profitable delivery orders boost the bottom line, but erode its in-store community experience.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Funniest/Cleverest

• Halloween Costumes (01:22–03:16)
  • “K Pop Lehman Hunters, the pop culture superhero. This economy.” — Nick (01:32)
• Audience Engagement: Costume Contest Finalists
  • Gina as a Google office bed bug (“Back to the office — and so are the bugs!”)
  • Amanda as a “dupe diva” (Lululemon lookalike, Kirkland label)
  • Savannah as a “terrifying tariff” (“Nothing scarier than a 30% import tax.”)
  • Betsy as a “double click” (corporate jargon couples’ costume)
  • Joe as an “identity thief” (burglar costume & name tags)

Best Framing of Business Trends

• “The new normal date night: Paranormal Activity 6.” — Nick (07:22)
• “We're numb to the price increase of X-rays, but we are not numb to the price increase of eggs.” — Nick (13:14)
• “Are you ordering delivery because you fondly remember the brand through its store experience? Or does the store have nothing to do with it and the next generation is just ordering coffee, store be damned?” — Jack (19:16)

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Important Timestamps for Segments

• Horror’s Box Office Record: 06:07–09:46
• Government Shutdown & Health Care: 09:53–13:30
• Starbucks’ Delivery Boom & Dilemma: 15:31–19:16
• Halloween Costume Contest (Best Business-Themed): 01:22–03:16

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Extra Business News (Quick Hits)

• US–China De-Escalation: Trump and Xi meet, pledge more soybean buys, US cuts tariffs by 10%—but similar deals have crumbled before. (20:08–20:35)
• Big Tech Earnings:
  • Amazon stock up 13% (cloud computing)
  • Apple: Huge iPhone 17 cycle
  • Reddit & Coinbase stock beat estimates
• Levi’s New ‘Blue Tab’ Premium Jeans: New line at $300+ a pair (21:16–21:22)

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Episode Tone & Style

Nick & Jack infuse their reporting with playful, pop-culture-laced banter, celebrating Halloween, ribbing each other about costumes (“Jamie Dimon is reportedly also a K Pop Lehman Hunter this year”—Nick, 01:36), and using clever business lingo (“profit puppy,” “rom comonomics,” “divisive dividend”). The episode is upbeat, quick, and punchy, making dense business news feel approachable.

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Summary Takeaways

• Horror movies are thriving because division drives dollars—a “divisive dividend.”
• The government shutdown’s deepest pain is in health care, with a stealth cost crisis looming for millions.
• Starbucks snaps its slump thanks to delivery coffee runs, but at the cost of its cherished role as a community hub.

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For more fun, check their Instagram (@tboypod) for the costume contest and community votes!

Transcript

[A]

This is Nick.

[B]

This is Jack.

[A]

It's Friday. The real Friday. Halloween day. And today's pod is the best one yet. This is a T Boy, the top.

[B]

Three pop business news stories you need to know today.

[A]

Jack, can I just say, you look fantastic over there?

[B]

Nick, I want to stream you right now.

[A]

I mean, when did you get bangs? We got to talk about it. And we will talk about it. Besties, more on the costumes in a sec. But, Jack, three fantastic stories for today's pod. What do we got on the T.

[B]

Boy for Our first story? 2025 is the best of all time by far when it comes to horror movies. Oh, yeah. 17% of the US box office is booze.

[A]

The horror movie numbers are so scary. You're gonna have to close your eyes for this story.

[B]

For our second story, the government shutdown enters month number two tomorrow, which actually means no more food stamps.

[A]

The whole debate, it's about the biggest silent force of inflation your doctors built.

[B]

And our third and final story, for the first time in nearly two years, Starbucks actually grew last quarter.

[A]

Starbucks. It is all thanks to one single Starbucks order, the delivery coffee haul.

[B]

But yetis, before we hit that wonderful mix of stories.

[A]

All right, who wants in on an Uber Eats cappuccino?

[B]

If you're watching us on YouTube right now, you already know.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

Nick and I are wearing Halloween costumes.

[A]

And, Jack, what are we wearing this year? What's our costume? Let's tell the besties.

[B]

K Pop Lehman Hunters.

[A]

That is right. K Pop Lehman Hunters, as in Lehman.

[B]

Brothers, the investment bank that started the whole financial crisis? Yeah.

[A]

K Pop Lehman Hunters, the pop culture superhero. This economy.

[B]

And Jamie Dimon is reportedly also a K Pop Lehman Hunter this year.

[A]

That's true. Jake, you're wearing a purple wig. I'm wearing a red wig. I wonder what Jamie's gonna wear. I feel like he's a blue wig kind of guy, man.

[B]

But besties, even though Nick and I are gonna win an Oscar for best actor in a financial role, this isn't about us. This is the annual T Boy costume contest.

[A]

That's right. Which bestie had the best business themed costume idea? Who is it? Jack?

[B]

And thank you for all those who submitted. Here are the five finalists.

[A]

Okay, okay, Jack, the nominations, please.

[B]

Gina is going this year as a Google office bed bug.

[A]

Yeah, you're back to the office. And so are the bugs.

[B]

Amanda Whittem, the legend, is a dupe diva.

[A]

Yeah, she looks like she's decked out in Lululemon, but it's actually a Costco. Kirkland label.

[B]

Amanda knows what she's doing. Savannah Westwood. She is a terrifying tariff.

[A]

There is nothing scarier than a 30% import tax, my friend.

[B]

Betsy Mann rocked as a couple's costume this year. She's going as a double click.

[A]

Yeah, you dress up like corporate jargon. One of you goes as a computer mouse. The other one of you goes as a computer mouse.

[B]

And finally, Joe Marsh is an identity thief. This is clever.

[A]

He wore a burglar costume while holding a bunch of name tags.

[B]

He stole everyone's identity.

[A]

Yeah, including ours.

[B]

The winner, Yetis. It's actually up to you. Yes, it is.

[A]

We are putting this up for a vote.

[B]

And you can vote for us. By the way, Nick and I are putting our names in the hat too.

[A]

Yeah, K Pop Lehman Hunters. That's one of the things you can vote on as well.

[B]

The polls are open. You can vote on Instagram with your comments.

[A]

That's right. We got a poll on our T boy Instagram page. Eboypod.

[B]

Which Yeti has the best business themed Halloween costume?

[A]

Which bestie has the best costume yet? But in the meantime, Jack, jb, we got some demons to slay, baby.

[B]

I thought you were gonna start singing that golden song that's playing non stop on my Spotify.

[A]

I meant Lehman's. I mean, just like Jack. Let's hear three stories.

[B]

Fifteen years before this song, two boys from the northeast met in the dorm.

[A]

They had an idea that caused a cultural storm.

[B]

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%.

[A]

That's a fat tip.

[B]

T boy city on your at Liz if you know, you know cause we regret go. We can't wait no more so just.

[A]

Start the show.

[B]

Start the show.

[A]

Start the show. First, a quick word from our sponsor.

[B]

Framer Jack.

[A]

I remember it like it was yesterday because our buddy Timmy spilled all over me.

[B]

2011 in our east Village apartment, we created a website for our startup using a template. We did. Our website looked like every other startup's website until Timmy's spaghetti spilled on it.

[A]

What we wish we'd had was Framer, the template bustin website designer that anyone can use.

[B]

Get this. Framer is the design first. No code website builder that lets anyone ship a production ready site in minutes.

[A]

It's free to start bold animations. Jack, can I say it's the sexiest website builder that we've ever seen?

[B]

I think you can. I think Framer would be cool with that. Framer is so Sleek. When we go on the website, you'll see it asks if I should build it for you.

[A]

One prompt, one page with a single click, you basically vibe design your brand's digital storefront.

[B]

By the way, I don't know if we're allowed to share this either, but Zillow, DoorDash, and SpaceX, they all used Framer to make their websites. Yeah, we found that ourselves in our own research. Yeah.

[A]

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[B]

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[A]

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[B]

Framer.com promo code T Boy. Rules and restrictions may apply. Airbnb.

[A]

Yetis full disclosure, we're already thinking about holiday vacation. You got to book these things early these days.

[B]

Are you kidding? I booked my holiday vacation like six months ago. I do it like the Germans right after my Christmas vacation. I book next year's Christmas vacation for 2028.

[A]

Okay, but also full disclosure, Eddie, I'm jealous here because I'm paying for my whole trip. But Jack, you have money from your Airbnb helping pay for yours.

[B]

It's my side. Hustle, Profit, puppy Besties.

[A]

You can host your entire place or just your extra space.

[B]

Really satisfying feeling. By the way, when my guest messages me that their first night went wonderfully, it just puts me at ease. And it's like, wow, I am making money right now and somebody's having a great time.

[A]

So you're going to give a day away for free?

[B]

No, I wouldn't say that yet.

[A]

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[B]

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[A]

For our first story. Perfect timing for Halloween. There is no genre thriving at the box office right now like horror.

[B]

Scary movies hit a record high this year because of the divisive dividend.

[A]

Now, yetis, a top story that Jack and I did last year was about rom comonomics. Jack, what are rom comonomics?

[B]

Because romantic comedies became a surprise profit.

[A]

Puppy, Mean Girls, the reboot, Anyone but you with Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney.

[B]

Rom coms, they have way lower production costs than Superman and way higher ROI than Wonder Woman.

[A]

But funny thing, besties in 2025, it's a different story at the box office, isn't it, Jack?

[B]

Horror movies are putting up scary good numbers.

[A]

Sit down, stand up and shield your face again. Because Black Phone 2 did 27 million bucks in their first weekend earlier this month.

[B]

The vampire movie Sinners. 367 million. It was a surprise hit earlier this year.

[A]

How about the Conjuring, which has done nine movies? The audience would be sick of this after that many versions, right, Jack?

[B]

Nope. Just like Fast and The Furious. The ninth one might have been the best 500 million at the box office. That's the number two horror movie of all time.

[A]

Yeties. The more the supernatural, apparently, the more the super numbers.

[B]

The new normal Date night. Yeah, Jack, is Paranormal Activity 6.

[A]

Yeah, don't worry, honey.

[B]

We're.

[A]

We're going to see Beetlejuice. I shouldn't say that word again, but.

[B]

Yet here's the hero stat. 2025 has been the best year for the horror genre of all time.

[A]

Get this. Horror has taken in a record 17.2% of the United States box office this year.

[B]

17.2% is a record high share in the film industry.

[A]

Jack, sprinkle on some context.

[B]

It's up 70% from last year and it's up 4x from 10 years ago.

[A]

It appears a greater percentage of US Americans are choosing horror. What does that mean? If you're Bob Iger, man, if you're.

[B]

Disney, Yeah, that haunts.

[A]

Oh, it freaks you out.

[B]

I don't think Disney's ever gonna do a horror movie.

[A]

Yeah, I think Tower of Terror has been turned into like a Moana ride now. But one key reason for this, Jack, is calendar creep. Right.

[B]

Since the pandemic, things don't just happen around the holiday that they're associated with anymore.

[A]

No. Horror films are now made and marketed all year round, not just on Halloween.

[B]

It's just like how Home Depot sells those 15 foot skeletons as early as July. Yeah, the Exorcist markets itself in July too.

[A]

Yeah. Some more examples we found Five Nights at Freddy' out in December. You're gonna have horror for Christmas.

[B]

28 years later, it came out in June. You had horror for summer too.

[A]

We don't know what Jordan Peele's working on right now, but we're gonna bet it has to do with a horror movie.

[B]

Around Easter, the Easter Bunny zombie pops out of the Easter egg hunt to feast on. Eats the kids, actually.

[A]

So, Beetlejuice, what's the takeaway for our buddies over in Hollywood?

[B]

The horror industry is making money on the Divisive Dividend.

[A]

Now, Yetis, maybe the most interesting stat about the horror movie surge is that the demand is driven by division.

[B]

Because no film genre has a greater number of haters than horror films. Yougov did a survey. 22% of American moviegoers hate horror movies.

[A]

I mean, no other category has 10% hate rates.

[B]

So it's the most hated by 2x over the rest of the films.

[A]

Plus, horror has the greatest divide between critics and viewers. Critics hate horror movies, but viewers give it two thumbs up on Rotten Tomatoes.

[B]

And it appears that all this divisiveness is a key driver to horror movies success.

[A]

And you know what, besties, we see it in other industries too. Social media, the content that does best, it's the dividing stuff in fashion, the.

[B]

Outfits that define the trends are the divisive ones.

[A]

And now in movies, the type of film driving the strongest reactions is also the fastest growing.

[B]

It's the divisive dividend. And the horror industry is banking on it.

[A]

For our second story, the government shutdown enters its second month tomorrow. And it's about to get very real for 42 million doll poor Americans.

[B]

But the debate is actually about health care.

[A]

Yes, it is.

[B]

Which is the quiet force behind rising prices.

[A]

Yetis, check the calendars. Today, day 31 of the federal government shutdown, second longest in history.

[B]

700,000 federal workers have been working without pay for over four weeks now.

[A]

Plus, Jack, we got 700,000 more who've been furloughed, not working and not getting paid.

[B]

Now, troops and federal law enforcement people have continued to get paid. President Trump and his administration have moved money around to prioritize them, but not.

[A]

For snap, the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, also known as food stamps.

[B]

That's why tomorrow, November 1st, brings a new era of hardship for this government shutdown.

[A]

And here's why. Besties, 42 million low income Americans are gonna stop receiving government assistance to buy food.

[B]

And with our most vulnerable potentially going hungry, pressure is gonna build on both sides to end the shutdown.

[A]

Plus, you've got absenteeism growing among the TSA agents at the airports across the country.

[B]

They've been working for four weeks without getting paid. I wouldn't be shocked if some call in sick to drive for Uber because they need some kind of income right now.

[A]

But besties, we're now entering our second month of the government shutdown. Why are we even shut down in the first place? Again, Jack?

[B]

As a reminder, according to Democrats, it's because of health care.

[A]

You see, yeti's desperate to push back on Trump's policies. Democrats have chosen that as the Hill to fight on.

[B]

They refuse to fund the government unless Republicans do one big thing. Undo the $1 trillion of cuts to health care that they passed with their Big beautiful bill.

[A]

Jack, can you jump in t boy style and tell us what exactly the cuts were in the big beautiful bill?

[B]

The big beautiful bill paid for some of its huge tax cuts by adding work requirements to become eligible for Medicaid.

[A]

Basically making it harder to get Medicaid. Also, the bill funded some of the tax cuts by cutting health insurance subsidies for people who have to buy individual health insurance.

[B]

Now, most Americans, including most of our listeners we know from our surveys, get health insurance through their employer.

[A]

And it's mostly your parents, older Americans who are getting health care from Medicare.

[B]

But 24 million people have to buy health insurance on the Affordable Care act marketplaces. And for them, the end of the subsidy means a huge spike in prices is coming next year.

[A]

And this month we finally learned how much. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for all our buddies who are looking at another month of government shutdown?

[B]

Imagine if your grocery bill rose 26% overnight.

[A]

Now, Yetis, according to government data, we spend exactly as much on groceries as we do on health care each year.

[B]

That's right in the cpi. Health care and food at home are both categories that take up 8% of the typical American's budget.

[A]

And now with the repeal of the Affordable Care act subsidies, 24 million Americans will have to pay 26% more next year on average for health care.

[B]

Nick, it's wild. Grocery prices pretty much determined the last presidential election.

[A]

They did. We said that's what it was.

[B]

But we spend exactly the same amount on average on health care.

[A]

Okay, and this is wild, Jack, but health care prices have gone up two and a half times more than grocery prices have in the last 15 years.

[B]

But since we don't buy health care every week like we buy groceries every week, we've become numb to the prices going up.

[A]

That's the psychonomics difference here.

[B]

We're numb to the price increase of X rays, but we are not numb to the price increase of eggs.

[A]

Exactly. So besties, imagine if your grocery bill jumped by 26% overnight.

[B]

Economic. That's exactly what's about to happen for 24 million Americans.

[A]

Now a quick word from our sponsor.

[B]

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[A]

Now, Jack, my mom does not use most of the products we promote. She's not building a website. She's not downloading a stock trading app.

[B]

No, she's not.

[A]

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[B]

It was Vital Proteins and their no sugar added collagen peptide products are delicious, especially the new 30 gram protein shake.

[A]

Now, I don't know if my mom's into the taste or the health benefits or she's trying to get jacked, but she's got healthy hair, skin, nails and joints right now.

[B]

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[A]

I just listened to a wild audiobook on my flight back to New York. Here's what it's called. Gods of New York.

[B]

It's about four men. The four men who ruled New York City the year that you were born. Nick.

[A]

I gotta give my parents credit, Jack. New York in 1988 was insane. It was like mob bosses, gang fights, and all these subway cars covered in graffiti. It's like seeing how the city was run when my mom was like pregnant with me. I'm blown away by this whole new imagination.

[B]

Now I listen to Audible all the time. Whenever I need a break from news podcasts, I escaped to an audiobook and simply push play wherever I left off.

[A]

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[B]

Explore bestsellers, new releases, or find a wild story that takes you back to the year that your mom gave birth to you.

[A]

Yeah, last night while I was doing the dishes, Jack, I listened to a story about the abysmal late 1980s New York Yankees.

[B]

Yeah, I feel bad for your dad. At least the Giants were winning back then.

[A]

Besties. There is more to imagine when you listen.

[B]

Sign up for a free 30 day and your first audiobook is free. So visit audible.comtboy.

[A]

For our third and final story. One year into Starbucks turnaround, it finally broke the falling sales losing streak.

[B]

Starbucks is bouncing back thanks to one thing. Delivered Starbucks coffee.

[A]

I don't get it. I don't get it. But we can discuss it more in a moment, Jack. In the meantime, Yetis, our story doesn't start with Starbucks. It actually starts with Chipotle.

[B]

Because Chipotle stock plummeted by 17% yesterday.

[A]

Chipotle sales, they fell because young people just can't afford their food anymore.

[B]

It's a fast, casual recession.

[A]

The unemployment rate for 20 somethings is up. Burrito orders are down.

[B]

And that's not good news for Chipotle. Sweetgreen Or Starbucks.

[A]

Oh, but pause the pod for a sec, Jack. For the first time in nearly two years, Starbucks just announced sales growth.

[B]

It was tiny growth. It was 1% growth. But still, the new CEO can label it a turnaround.

[A]

Brian Niccol. He actually left Chipotle 13 months ago to take over CEO ship of Starbucks.

[B]

And yesterday was the first time he's been able to say growth since joining Starbucks.

[A]

It's a good feeling, Jack. It's a good feeling.

[B]

Now, hilariously, Starbucks is really trying to make protein cream happen.

[A]

Yeah, Jack and I jumped in T boy style on the earnings call. Starbucks mentioned the word protein 19 times in one phone call.

[B]

Chasing trends, are you? But the real star of the earnings show wasn't protein dust. Pixie dust on top of a latte. It was delivery.

[A]

Delivery lattes. Revenue for delivered Starbucks grew 30% last quarter, hitting $1 billion for the first time ever.

[B]

Full disclosure, I've never ordered Starbucks by delivery. I didn't even know you could. But you can on the delivery apps.

[A]

Turns out you're hanging at home and ordering a double digit latte plus the delivery fee.

[B]

Or you're playing the office hero, organizing the whole team's giant order of Uber eats and then going down to the lobby to pick it up.

[A]

But here's the. Here's the key, besties. Delivery latte orders are bigger than in store orders because 40% of them include food.

[B]

It's called the attachment rate. 40% of drink orders are attached with a food order too.

[A]

And it looks like a profit puppy because delivery coffees are a haul.

[B]

Not just coffee. You toss in an egg, wrap a banana, and maybe a cake pop too.

[A]

The way we see it, you're basically treating your coffee order like a temu dress haul, Right, Jack?

[B]

You're filling up the shopping cart to justify that delivery. Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Like we said, it's a profit coffee. Now, personally, Jack, I do have to say I'm not a coffee guy, but I don't get delivery coffee because it messes with the most important thing, the latte art.

[B]

I'm a hot coffee guy, and that's why I don't get delivery coffee. I mean, it would be served lukewarm, but then I realized half of Starbucks coffee orders are cold.

[A]

But either way, besties, after two years, Starbucks has finally killed its losing streak.

[B]

Thanks to a billion dollars of delivery revenue.

[A]

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

[B]

Does a brand need to have a.

[A]

Physical Yetis the key to the new Starbucks CEOs? Back to Starbucks Turnaround plan is to get people to dwell in the stores.

[B]

It's really funny. Brian Niccol, he's obsessed with this.

[A]

He is.

[B]

He really wants customers not just grabbing a coffee and going, but chilling for like 20 minutes.

[A]

They measure this. The actual data is called the dwell number.

[B]

And unfortunately, the number of Starbucks visits that lasted longer than 10 minutes fell by nearly 20% last quarter.

[A]

So, besties, the bright side to the delivery coffee surge is bigger, more profitable orders for Starbucks.

[B]

The downside? It confirms that Starbucks isn't the communal hangout place that it used to be. It's not a third place anymore to.

[A]

A tough dilemma for Starbucks, Jack. Like, should it double down on these highly profitable delivery orders or should they not?

[B]

Because delivery further undermines the importance of the Starbucks store.

[A]

Are you ordering delivery because you fondly remember the brand through its store experience.

[B]

Or does the store have nothing to do with it and the next generation is just ordering coffee, store be damned.

[A]

Jack, could you whip up the takeaways for us for Halloween Friday?

[B]

Horror movies have taken 17% of the US box office this year. That is a record high market share.

[A]

Horror is cashing in on the divisive dividend. What divides us also sells.

[B]

For our second story. The government shutdown is 31 days old. Food stamps run out tomorrow. But this debate is about health care.

[A]

Imagine if your grocery bill jumped 26% for 24 million Americans. That's happening next year.

[B]

And finally, Starbucks announced quarterly growth for the first time in seven quarters. The losing streak is over.

[A]

Delivery coffee hauls are the highlight, which conflicts awkwardly with Starbucks pride in physical stores.

[B]

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

[A]

First, the big trade meeting. President Trump and President Xi of China met yesterday and de escalated trade tensions a bit.

[B]

There was no trade deal announced, no TikTok deal either, just verbal pledges to do a few things.

[A]

China said that they would buy more American soybeans. And the United States said they would lower tariffs by 10%.

[B]

Now, we should point out almost the same exact announcement was made in 2019 between President Trump and President Xi. But that deal fell apart just months later.

[A]

So we'll be watching. And second, more huge earnings from a big tech earnings week. Amazon. Their stock jumped 13% on just a huge big cloud computing business.

[B]

I guess that AWS outage didn't affect their cloud computing business at all.

[A]

Don't really have anywhere else to go, Jack. Apple stock rose too. Looks like the iPhone 17 is one of the biggest iPhone upgrade cycles.

[B]

Ever.

[A]

I actually did one.

[B]

And Coinbase and Reddit announced too. And both of their stocks jumped on beats as well.

[A]

And finally, Levi has a new plan to win the jeans market. They're going full fashion Runway.

[B]

Levi's just announced a new label of premium jeans. It's called Blue tab.

[A]

Yeah, not red tab like the tab they currently have. This is a blue Levi's tab for jeans that cost over 300 bucks a pair.

[B]

So if you see somebody wearing jeans with a blue tag on the butt, not a red tag on the butt, it means they spent a lot of money on those jeans.

[A]

I was gonna say you should get to know them. Now, time for the best fact yet. This one sent in by Rachel, a legendary yeti down in lovely Flagstaff, Arizona.

[B]

You know how if you go to google.com the word google is written in a different interesting way every single day.

[A]

And it's known as the Google doodle. They've actually been around since 1998, but in the year 2000, they made their first ever animated doodle.

[B]

And they did it on Halloween.

[A]

That's right. Halloween is the anniversary of the first ever animated Google doodle. What was it, by the way, Jack?

[B]

What was that doodle? The O's in the word Google were two Jack O' lanterns which flickered with a little bit of of 2000 era animation.

[A]

Nothing like a Google engineer with a little sense of humor. Yetis, you look fantastic today. Now remember to go to our Instagram page to vote for the best business themed Halloween costume yet.

[B]

Tboypod. Nick and I will be eligible to vote for yes.

[A]

We have nominated ourselves for this, you know, because if you commit insider trading, the K Pop Lehman Hunters, we will find you and we will lock you up in a white collar prison. Won't we Jack?

[B]

K Pop Lehman Hunters. The best part of the costume is the name.

[A]

I got the stapler. Jack's got a Bloomberg tournament. We will find you. And if we don't, Jamie Dimon will. He's joining us. He's got the blue wig on.

[B]

And if neither of us find you, we're gonna get a government bailout. Cause that's how Lehman rolls. Actually, Lehman didn't get a bailout.

[A]

Nevermind. Jack and I gotta go wash these wigs. Enjoy the bangs and we'll see ya on Monday. And before we go, a happy birthday to legendary Y Jason Geiger, celebrated in Buffalo Bills, New York.

[B]

Happy birthday to Keswick Chu, who's turning 28 in Toronto, Canada.

[A]

And Brandon Ang from Melrose, Massachusetts, heading up to Vermont to celebrate the big three five, which is further than just outside Boston.

[B]

Brandon, DM me. I'll give you my best wrecks for wherever you're going.

[A]

And Aaron Cahut in Columbus, Ohio is back to work after shoulder surgery. He's throwing faster than he ever has. Jack.

[B]

Happy birthday to Brook Morgan in San Diego, California.

[A]

And a congratulations to my legendary cousin Chun Schlesinger Free, who just passed the New York bar on her first try.

[B]

Your honor, she may approach the bench.

[A]

And Vinnie and Angie Sabatino and Esther of Florida have got a four year wedding anniversary. It's a hallowversary today.

[B]

And happy anniversary to Jack and Joan of Dublin, California who are celebrating five years together.

[A]

Congratulations, guys.

[B]

And to anyone else who celebrated something today, make it a tea boy.

[A]

Celebrate the wins.

[B]

This is Jack. I own stock of Reddit. Nick owns stock of Lululemon, and we both own stock of Apple, Chipotle and Spotify. What happens if you say Beetlejuice a third time?

[A]

Well, now we just did. Jack.

[B]

If you like the best one yet, you can listen ad free right now by joining Wondery and the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.

[A]

Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music.

[B]

And before you go, tell us a little bit about yourself by filling out a short [e-mail] survey.

[A]

We want to get to know you.

[B]

So I've been thinking. We see each other every day. I know you're passionate about me. I mean, let's be honest. You're obsessed with me. It's time. Let's put a label on it. Your brand is ready for the next step. At Avery, we make it easy to make it official with label labels, stickers and business cards that ensure your brand is more than a one time thing. It's the real thing. Avery ideas stick here.