And we’re back!

Nothing but blue skies ahead. Unless this happens again.

Before we jump in further…

If you’ve enjoyed this Millennial journey so far, please share this link on your socials/LinkedIns/wherever. If you are reading this online and/or this was passed onto you, join me for future editions by clicking on the subscribe button below.

I’d like to take a moment to thank the team over at Future Commerce for including this newsletter among its 39 Best eCommerce Newsletters list. I’ve only been at this for under two months, but seeing some recognition from peers I respect while being in great company puts a big smile on this writer’s face. Another thank you goes to you, the readers, for coming along this time traveling experience with me.

Deep(ish) Millennial Thought of the Week

Last week, I went to a physical Best Buy store in New Jersey and it turned my world completely upside down. The fact that the sky turned orange at the same time here on the East Coast made things particularly eerie.

You see, I, like many others, relied heavily on online shopping to fulfill almost any consumption need (and want) I had throughout the heavier stretches of the pandemic. To be honest, I still have issues shopping IRL. Between getting stuck in traffic, road rage incidents on the New Jersey Turnpike, and the crowds in stores, online shopping just feels so much easier. The system of shopping (and many times returning) products online worked during the darkest days of the pandemic and continues to work for me now. That is until I needed a new computer monitor to help with my productivity.

I’m not sure how many of you have ever purchased a monitor for a home office but to sum it up, it’s a terrible experience. With a purchase like this, online shopping simply doesn’t cut it. Despite inspiration from the Workspaces community, reading tons of online reviews, and watching hours of techies on YouTube, there was no substitute for seeing screens in-person to decide what my aging Geriatric Millennial eyes would feel comfortable with. So I closed my laptop, hopped in my car, and headed on over to the closest Best Buy near me. Here’s where it got weird.

The store was empty.

Like completely empty. Growing up, Best Buy had always been a place full of people and the latest tech gear. Now, Best Buy made me feel like I was lost on an abandoned out-of-date product island. The outside of Best Buy looked like it had years ago, unchanged. The inside however, felt like a post-apocalyptic movie scene, with way less zombies and way more open box items circa 2019 collecting dust. Virtually none of the latest monitors I had previously viewed online were present.

Best Buy recently announced nationwide layoffs. We’ve already lost Bed, Bath and Beyond. Malls are turning into pickleball courts. In a world where consumers have become so used to relying on Amazon, Target and Walmart to fulfill much of its shopping needs, where are the dominant major chains of our youth going?

While inflation isn’t helping, a lack of product innovation, a side effect of the pandemic, has made retail stores like Best Buy simply boring and spooky. Ultimately, this boredom, combined with a lack of any recent monitor on display, made my trip to Best Buy a complete failure. I ended up rolling the dice by test driving two monitors I ordered from Amazon. The experience did however get me thinking. Has the pandemic completely altered the in-person shopping experience at former retail kings like Best Buy to a point of no return?

I want to feel excited to go to Best Buy again. It used to be a place to explore new tech products, many times ending with a purchase to improve my life. There was an instant net gain to the visit with no waiting for future delivery. In a world where we are all desperately trying to connect more offline, I also ironically miss the crowds. There was some beauty in a collective buying experience in real life.

My fondness for Best Buy visits prior to the pandemic, despite the traffic and crowds, will always have a special place in my buying heart. It was a house of innovation. While the world is ready to move on from large chain brick and mortar stores, my own yearning to relive prime retail shopping days from the past can’t help but make me feel a little bit like Matthew Fox’s character “Jack” from ABC’s hit drama, Lost. This epic scene from the conclusion of Season 3 sums it up for me.

THE VERDICT: I hope traditional retail can figure out how to adapt to post-pandemic consumerism. “We have to go back” to Best Buy.

Less Deep(ish) Millennial Stuff of the Week

• YETI SELLS A $400 SKILLET. Yeah, you read this right. I’ve always been a huge YETI stan, but this one feels a little out of reach for most of us Millennials who can barely buy a house. That being said, the company they partnered with for this is pretty cool and you should check them out, if this is your thing. (Food & Wine)

• INSTANT POT INSTANTLY GOES BANKRUPT. The kitchenware giant Instant Brands (maker of the famed Instant Pot and Pyrex glassware) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week. Hopefully it just needs a little more time to cook to get through some tough economic headwinds. You should have bought less $400 skillets and more Instant Pots. (Yahoo!)

• THE MEDIA IS TRYING TO BLOW OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH BOOMERS. Don’t screw this up for us, Fortune. (Fortune)

• ELDER MILLENNIALS WANT TO LIVE IN AN INTERNET-FREE ERA. When asked if they preferred to live in a world without mass access to the internet and smartphones, 77% of Americans between the ages of 35-54 said they would. Let’s get rid of the internet and go back to simpler days, right? (Fast Company)

Millennial Product Spotlight

I’m a sucker for a good collab. It’s my favorite aspect of marketing. When you can join two brands in harmony and make it feel organic, it’s magic.

As a youngin’ I enjoyed two things greatly - juice boxes and Ghostbusters. Even at the ripe age of 3 years old, I knew a good partnership when I saw one and shouted for joy when I saw this commercial debut in 1989.

I’ll go as far to say that Hi-C Ecto Cooler may be the reason I entered a career in marketing and/or had some cavities as a kid. It was a merging of two worlds that were close to my heart. After these two companies teamed up, I knew anything was possible.

Here are some fun facts you may not have known about the green stuff.

• “Ecto Cooler” was not an original flavor, but a rebranded version of 1965’s “Citrus Cooler.”

• Coming off the success of 1984’s live-action Ghostbusters film, a deal was signed between Coca-Cola Telecommunications and Hi-C to cross-promote the The Real Ghostbusters animated series through the repackaged beverage.

• Ecto Cooler outlived The Real Ghostbusters (canceled in 1991) and stayed on shelves all the way up until 1997.

• Slimer was no longer featured on packaging after 1997, and the name was changed to “Shoutin’ Orange Tangerine" and later “Crazy Citrus Cooler.” Sans Slimer, the flavor was discontinued in 2007.

• Ecto Cooler made two comebacks. In 2016, it was re-released in limited supply to support the live action Ghostbusters reboot. In 2021, it came back to help promote Ghostbusters: Afterlife but was only available through Hi-C and Ghostbusters social media posts, angering many diehard fans. Secondary market prices for the drink were between $200-$500. That’s a lot of green.

Does Ecto Cooler have another run in it? Let us know on Twitter by doing the Twitter thing.

Millennial Album Spotlight

After sitting on the Curb Your Millennialism porch, we decided it’s time to share more on the music we love with our official “Still Rocks” stamp of approval for the best music of the greatest generation.

This week, we’re going back to 1991 and highlighting Toad The Wet Sprocket’s “Fear.”

The third studio album from the fellas that hailed from sunny Santa Barbara, California, not only is this one of the best albums of the early 90s, but even without listening to a song, its creators have one of the most fun band names to say out loud ever. Try it.

Standout songs include the band’s hit single “All I Want” and the smooth and melodic “Walk On the Ocean.” The whole album itself is perfect for leaving on in the background while sitting by a fire pit or soaking up rays on the beach.

This is alternative folk rock at its finest.

Listen here.

That’s all for this episode…

Before I go, a little about me:

I’ve been in omnichannel marketing, business development, sales and operations for startups and big brands alike for over 15 years now. If you’d like to talk with me about consulting, find me on LinkedIn or Twitter or reply to this email. Or you can get creative, I know you have it in you!

Thanks for tuning in. Until next time, keep your eyes on those blue skies.