B (4:11)

So Peter, of course a lot of conversation on SNAP and ebt. So I'm back with the latest on SNAP benefits from Grocery Dive Six more states have received approval for waivers allowing them to amend the statutory definition of eligible food under SNAP and exclude actually more products from the program, the USDA announced on Wednesday. The additional states are Hawaii, Missouri, North Dakota, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. That brings the total number of states with snap waivers to 18 states as the administration allows states to limit how consumers can spend the SNAP funds. The grocery industry has raised significant concerns that the state by state differences in SNAP eligibility will confuse consumers and burden retailer operations and we understand that better than anybody on the CPG guys. SNAP participants nationwide aren't allowed to use their benefits to buy alcohol, tobacco, hot and prepared foods and personal care products. The waivers allow states to exclude additional items like candy, soda, energy drinks from SNAP eligibility. Nebraska, which was the first to receive a SNAP were waiver earlier this year, will no longer let people use SNAP funds to purchase soda and energy drinks starting January 1, 2026. Items borrowed from SNAP eligibility under the waivers vary from state to state. Some, like West Virginia and Utah, parse off drinks a soda, while others prohibit a wider range of items. Florida's eliminating soda, energy drinks, candy prepared desserts from SNAP eligibility, while Tennessee is restricting processed foods and beverages such as soda, energy drinks and candy. While pilots and waivers may have an important role, it's critical not to create chaos and confusion both in individual stores and and through a jumbled mixture of varying state requirements, creating new program inefficiencies, longer grocery store lines and customer frustration, fmi President and CEO Leslie Saracen, president of fmi, the Food Industry association, said in a statement earlier this year, the National Grocery association, or nga, said that impacts of all waivers should also be thoroughly evaluated during and after implementation to determine whether their goals are being met without negatively affecting access to nutritious food. What's next?

A (6:04)

Peter well, Sri As 2025 winds down, one retail truth becomes crystal clear when consumers tighten their belts, value and discount channels don't just survive, they thrive. And no one is capitalizing on that trend quite like Aldi. The German discount grocer is capping off a banner year with an aggressive Pre Christmas expansion 22 new stores opening across just two Thursdays in December. On December 11, 17 stores will cut their ribbon simultaneously across 10 states. One week later, on December 18, five more Florida locations will join the family. The Sunshine State emerges as Aldi's clear priority, capturing 12 of the 22 new openings, more than half of the total footprint expansion, According to aldi website, these December 18th openings will mark the final new source for 2025. Consider it the calm before the storm. Forget rearranged aisles and seasonal product rotations. The changes Aldi has planned for 2026 make those look like minor tweaks. We're talking about a complete transformation, one that will reshape the American discount grocery landscape. Aldi is currently executing a massive $9 billion US expansion strategy designed to add 800 locations nationwide by 2028. While Midwestern Northeast shoppers might notice a handful of new stores, the real action is happening in the Southeast and one of the boldest moves in recent grocery retail history. At least 2024 acquisition of Southeastern Grocers means that 220 Winn Dixie and Harvey supermarket locations will soon bear the Aldi stamp. This isn't just growth Sri it's conquest. And then there's a Manhattan movement. New York's Times Square will get its first Aldi in 2026, a 25,000 square foot store nestled inside the Ellery, a new luxury residential building on 42nd Street. Talk about going up stale street. But Aldi isn't stopping at store expansion. Every single product. But Aldi isn't stopping at store expansion. Every single product under its sprawling in house umbrella is getting a comprehensive united under a sleek, unified Aldi logo. Out with the confusing maze of obscure brand names that Aldi owned anyway. In with cohesive, recognizable brands that scream hey, we're Aldi. Don't panic. Fan favorites like Clancy's Specially Selected and the beloved Simply Nature Organic lines aren't disappearing. They're simply getting a facelift with an Aldi original prominently displayed beneath each brand's name on the packaging. Think of it as Aldi finally taking credit for what it's been doing brilliantly all along. Perhaps the most charming change, Aldi is renaming products based on what customers actually call them. Case in point, Kirkwood breaded chicken breast fillets, a frozen aisle staple, will officially become Red Bag Chicken, the affectionate nickname already used by devoted shoppers. According to Aldi representatives, this move is designed to show customers just how much their loyalty matters. It's rare to see a major retailer embrace fan culture this directly. And it's exactly the kind of of authentic touch that's made Aldi a cult favorite. With inflation still squeezing household budgets and consumers increasingly conscious of every dollar spent, Aldi's aggressive expansion and customer centric rebranding couldn't be better time. The discount grocer isn't just growing. It's betting big that American shoppers are ready to make value lifestyle not just a temporary shopping strategy. 26 isn't just another year for Aldi. It's the year discount goes mainstream. Sree want to close this out?

B (9:29)

Yeah. Kirkwood has a little bit of a cult following. Peter, it's the red chicken breast bag. As you correctly pointed out, it's been at Aldi forever. We have shopped it in the past life, but I'll close this out with again the word of the year, artificial intelligence. As more consumers turn to third party AI tools in their shopping journeys, let's start talking about who is actually now honing in and owning that experience. Retailers are turning to partnerships with AI providers. Walmart is working with OpenAI. So let shoppers purchase items from Walmart using ChatGPT. Etsy became a partner for ChatGPT's instant checkout feature. Target launched an app in beta on chatgpt. And furniture company Ashley is partnering with Perplexity so shoppers can buy directly from the AI platform. Nearly a third of consumers are now willing to let an AI agent purchase an item, according to a Content Square survey release Monday. The survey findings also indicate that consumers are more interested in AI that enhances existing brand experiences. While 38% of consumers say they have no plans to use AI or intentionally avoid it, 43% of consumers say they willingly engage with AI when it's seamlessly embedded into the retailer's customer journey. There's a banding together to make sure they don't lose the experiences and relationships with consumers is Agentic Commerce grows every day Many early AI interactions begin without recognition of the brand loyalty, order, history, shopping intent or preference, as the coalition said in the press release. Not only can this create friction, it eliminates any sense of relationship the customer had with the brand. The Shopper Context Protocol would provide context and enable customers to choose where and how their shopping context is shared. The Retail AI Council describes Shopper Context Protocol as an open, privacy preserving standard that avoids proprietary lock in and requires only lightweight implementation. The goal of this working group is to drive adoption of the protocol, which it says builds off the Agent E Commerce protocol co developed between OpenAI and none other than Stripe. Without a shared standard protocol for Shopper Context, many retailers will struggle to unlock the power of AI agents while being effectively blind to conversations shoppers have within tools like ChatGPT, Matt Howland, Chair of the Shopper Context Protocol Working Group, said in a prepared statement. SCP ensures retailers can participate meaningfully in these moments instead of being cut off them. Peter AI shopping a third of consumers. It's only going to grow. Don't be that Luddite that avoids it, folks.

A (11:44)

All right, needed to slip that word in. Thank you Sree. As we wrap up reminder to catch up with our recently released episodes, we have one with Brian Leach, CEO of iBotta, Joe Muller from Kellanova, now Mars Snacking and Wayne Purboo from Amazon Streaming tv, which we recorded live at Unboxed. All right, that's our take on relevant commerce happenings from so many announcements this past week we thought were meaningful and could not be passed on for a riff. We hope you enjoyed it. Please do click like our posts on all platforms. Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok and now YouTube. See you next week. The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGuys, LLC or the individual author, hosts or guests. Nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter, reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGuys LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own, and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or or any entity they represent. The views expressed by CPTGuys LLC do not represent the views of their employers or the entity they represent. CPTGuys LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or other damages arising out of any individual's use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we present in this podcast.