Podcast · 26 episodes
Retail in America
by Ron Thurston · English
RETAIL IN AMERICA is a conversation about running stores and leading people. Ron Thurston talks with the executives, founders, and frontline retailers shaping where the industry goes next: what they're building, what they got wrong, and what it takes to grow a business at store level. Retail leadership, store operations, customer experience, culture, and the technology underneath it. Season 3 is about the human edge of selling — how the best retailers win with people, presence, and craft. Ron Thurston is an NRF Retail Voice, a Top 100 Retail Technology Influencer, a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert, and a two-time #1 bestselling author. New episodes regularly.
Latest episodes
Connection Is a Performance Multiplier with Blake Devillier“Connection is a performance multiplier” in retail and QSR: why human leadership matters when algorithms/AI handle the easy parts, and how psychological safety plus interpersonal alignment drive…29 Sep 2026 · 42 min
The Frontline Associate Is the Store of the Future with Juan Molina from RallywareThe episode argues that retail’s “AI” focus misses the biggest conversion lever: the in-aisle decision moment where a frontline associate must respond in milliseconds to a customer’s intent.22 Sep 2026 · 37 min
Nobody Buys Software Off a Demo: How Deals Actually Start — with Eric Aubertin, TrueLynkHow B2B deals actually start—argues that nobody buys retail software from demos; they buy after trusted people vouch for it.8 Sep 2026 · 36 min
All episodes
Connection Is a Performance Multiplier with Blake Devillier“Connection is a performance multiplier” in retail and QSR: why human leadership matters when algorithms/AI handle the easy parts, and how psychological safety plus interpersonal alignment drive…29 Sep 2026 · 42 min · 18 chapters
The Frontline Associate Is the Store of the Future with Juan Molina from RallywareThe episode argues that retail’s “AI” focus misses the biggest conversion lever: the in-aisle decision moment where a frontline associate must respond in milliseconds to a customer’s intent.22 Sep 2026 · 37 min · 16 chapters
Nobody Buys Software Off a Demo: How Deals Actually Start — with Eric Aubertin, TrueLynkHow B2B deals actually start—argues that nobody buys retail software from demos; they buy after trusted people vouch for it.8 Sep 2026 · 36 min · 14 chapters
Balance Is Bullsh*t: Cut Your Life From 25 Things to 5 with Loretta SoffeBurnout and “work-life balance” as a flawed goal; how to realign life and leadership using Loretta Sov’s “self-architect” framework (define success, audit, rebuild, align, expand).21 Jul 2026 · 41 min · 14 chapters
The Human Edge, Amplified with Tulsi Keshkamat, Microsoft TeamsHow Microsoft Teams for Frontline Workers makes frontline work more valuable as AI arrives—by reducing cognitive overload, improving onboarding, enabling faster communication “from and to the floor,”…30 Jun 2026 · 46 min · 21 chapters
Selling Without a Script — with Daria TcherkachinaSelling without a script—how retail teams win customers using human connection rather than transactional scripts or closing techniques.16 Jun 2026 · 33 min · 19 chapters
Why AI Is Making Human Selling More Valuable, Not LessWhy AI should increase the value of human retail selling by coaching face-to-face sales teams, focusing on “leading behaviors” that drive conversion and average order value, rather than replacing…2 Jun 2026 · 29 min · 12 chapters
How to Stand Out as a Candidate When Everyone Uses AIHow to stand out in a crowded, AI-assisted job market by using “human voice” instead of generic polish.4 May 2026 · 18 min · 5 chapters
From Facts to Impact: The Art of Storytelling in InterviewsHow to move from listing facts to describing real impact in interviews, using four “story” questions (leadership impact, proactive problem-solving, standards set, and what would be worse without you).30 Apr 2026 · 14 min · 5 chapters
Empowering Your Job Search: Three Essential QuestionsHow to avoid “wrong yes” decisions in a scarce job market by using three pre-offer questions: (1) identify three non-negotiable values, (2) ask the right questions to evaluate the employer, and (3)…27 Apr 2026 · 20 min · 8 chapters
The Three Edges You Already Have“The Human Edge in the Job Market” on-ramp episode arguing that, amid skills-based hiring, candidates already have three advantages: judgment, relationships, and story—assets no algorithm or…20 Apr 2026 · 16 min · 8 chapters
The Retail Manager is the Moment.The episode argues retail “middle management” layoffs and flattened org charts created a leadership investment gap, producing silence and distance on the frontline; it claims managers—not…15 Apr 2026 · 9 min · 5 chapters
Your Training Is Working. Your People Are Leaving.How retailers waste training investment by measuring completion instead of capability, leading to high turnover and lost talent; contrasts “Company A” (completion-focused) vs “Company B”…9 Apr 2026 · 9 min · 4 chapters
Young People Are Lonely. Your Frontline Team Is the Answer.The World Happiness Report 2026 finds U.S. people under 25 are dramatically less happy than 15 years ago, linked to increased social media use; the episode argues Gen Z’s return to physical retail is…7 Apr 2026 · 7 min · 4 chapters
The Three Things Your Hiring Process Isn't Testing For.How retail hiring and onboarding are misaligned with the “experience economy” Gen Z wants—arguing most processes test for transactions, not connection.31 Mar 2026 · 16 min · 8 chapters
You Don't Understand Why Gen Z Loves Physical RetailGen Z is buying more in physical stores because they want human connection (“third place”), while retailers risk losing them by automating away frontline staff.27 Mar 2026 · 13 min · 5 chapters
The Strategy Meeting is Over. Nobody Told the Store Manager.“Peak ambiguity” in retail—uncertainty from macro conditions (mortgage rates ~7%, weak consumer sentiment, geopolitical supply-chain disruption, rising retail bankruptcies) and how unclear leadership…23 Mar 2026 · 14 min · 5 chapters
You're Deploying AI Faster Than Your Customers Trust ItThe “trust gap” in retail AI—customers accept AI for fast transactions but want humans for judgment, nuance, and help.19 Mar 2026 · 12 min · 4 chapters
The Turnover Tax — What Retail Is Really Paying for NeglectRetail turnover as a “turnover tax” driven by leadership neglect, not wages; the hidden costs of constant churn and the gap between boardroom policy and frontline reality.16 Mar 2026 · 13 min · 7 chapters
Inside Walmart’s AI Transformation: Empowering Work Across 1.5 Million AssociatesWalmart’s enterprise AI transformation to empower over 1.5 million associates, using a federated “super agent” front door routing to many domain “nano agents,” plus real-time translation, automation,…20 Jan 2026 · 27 min · 15 chapters
Microsoft on the Frontline: Retail Intelligence in Action Part 2Microsoft Experience Center “Frontline AI in Action” Part 2 shows how Dynamics 365, Copilot, and Teams support retail associates with inventory, live requests, POS checkout, and…8 Jan 2026 · 16 min · 7 chapters
Microsoft on the Frontline: Retail Intelligence in Action Part 1Microsoft’s “Smart Workplace Live” at the Microsoft Experience Center (NYC) explains how Teams, Copilot, and Viva help frontline workers communicate, operate, and reduce stress/burnout.6 Jan 2026 · 15 min · 10 chapters
Microsoft Part 3: How AI Streamlines Scheduling and Onboarding for Frontline TeamsIn this third installment of the "Voices from the Frontline: AI in Action" series sponsored by Microsoft, host Ron Thurston discusses how AI can address longstanding challenges in frontline work,…17 Dec 2025 · 11 min
Microsoft Part 2: How AI Agents Deliver Faster, Smarter Support for Frontline TeamsHow Microsoft Copilot and “AI agents” are changing frontline work by delivering instant, outcome-focused support—faster answers, consistent guidance, and safer, more secure access to organizational…15 Dec 2025 · 11 min · 4 chapters