01.10.24 | Shop Talk discusses the popularity of gift cards and how companies expect breakage to help their bottom line. Caught My Eye shares a story about a Burger King employee that received little recognition upon his 27-year tenure. Also, a United Airlines New Years’ Time Travel Flight was a bust. Thierry Hermes, founder of leather and luxury goods brand Hermes, is our Business Birthday.

01.09.24 | North Carolina and Montana are the latest states to ban adult websites like PornHub unless users provide a government issued ID for age verification, joining a list of others who have enacted similar restrictions. Then, toy maker Fisher-Price created a “Like a Boss” office activity center that sent one Mom off. Her complaint went viral on social media when she referred to the toy as “baby’s First Cubicle.” Finally, a technique to put meaning into New Year’s Resolutions that are not just about weight loss and financial health.

12.27.23 | Shop Talk shares tails of Holiday/Christmas parties gone wrong. Caught My Eye alerts us to the “new” spice of 2024 according to McCormick’s and a house is moved in Halifax using 700 bars of Ivory Soap. Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, former CEO of LEGO, is our Business Birthday. Happy 76th to Kjeld!

12.26.23 | Tennessee and Florida have both proposed legislation to ban all flags other than the Stars and Stripes and state flags. It is a way to ban the Pride and Trans flags without saying it, but we all know what’s going on. Then, Wrigley Extra Gum came under fire from a few consumers for showing a commercial that showed two women kissing. Finally, people who have grown tired of their pet goldfish have let them loose in the wild. The Great Lakes has perhaps thousands and they are upsetting the eco-system. The goldfish can live 25 years and grow to the size of a football!

12.20.23 | Shop Talk shares two new taglines that Connecticut will be using to rebrand itself away from being preppy and stuffy—wait until you hear what they picked! Caught My Eye covers an employee from Hooters suing the restaurant for false representation. She thought she had won a Toyota for selling the most beer, but… Also, Delta Airlines is trying to shed plastic cups after 70 years. Elsie de Wolfe, credited with creating the Interior Design profession, is our Business Birthday.

12.19.23 | Cher tells Kelly Clarkson that even if the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame offered her a million dollars, she would not accept induction into the body. Cher is the only female and solo artist to have had a number one charting song in each of the last 7 decades. Then, right-wing pundit Michael Knowles, believes that adult site Porn Hub is secretly serving up content that is making straight men gay or trans. Finally, LGBTQ+ support from fellow Americans is taking a hit due to the culture wars around drag queens, trans people, and book bans.

12.13.23 | Shop Talk looks at the correlation between the first letter of your name and your career. Caught My Eye finds an Ohio attorney who poops in Pringles cans and a license plate redo for Kansas. John Henry Patterson, founder of National Cash Register, is our Business Birthday. Patterson was also the first to provide social programs for factory workers, set-up the world’s first sales training programs, and “invented” direct mail.

12.12.23 | The Family Feud game show, hosted by infamous kisser Richard Dawson, required contestants take a herpes test according to a new book, “Outrageous: A History of Showbiz and the Culture Wars.” But first, Martina Navratilova proclaims that trans women are not lesbians. Then, the romance of being a nomad and camping under the stars brings reality home when this traveler spent many nights in Cracker Barrel and Walmart parking lots to save money.

12.06.23 | Shop Talk shares thoughts from Apple’s Tim Cook about what it takes to get hired and succeed as an Apple employee. Caught My Eye alerts us to a youth hostel housed on the top floor of a Vienna IKEA. Also, Snoop Dog “giving up the smoke” is one of this year’s best marketing plays. Irv Robbins, co-founder of Baskin-Robbins is our Business Birthday.