Shows
Full CartsThe Old-Time Apothecary Shopping ExperienceAfter a stop at See’s Candies, Devin and Andy visit America’s oldest apothecary, C.O. Bigelow. Will the drugstore soda fountain please come back? Does Bigelow represent peak tortoiseshell? Are swanky manual toothbrushes bought exclusively for apartment photo shoots? Will the dream of Smell-O-Vision in every home be realized? What’s the best health-to-beauty ratio for a pharmacy? Are those real vices, or are you vice signaling? Deuce Bigelow trailerJust a Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody video by David Lee RothPOH (Personal Oral Hygiene)Sun Bum...2025-08-011h 02Full CartsThe Minor League Baseball Game Shopping ExperienceDevin, Andy, and guest Jared Selsberg head to a Brooklyn Cyclones game in Coney Island and report on the experience. What is the meaning behind the more whimsical minor league team names? Is a bobblehead or a baseball cap the ideal promotional item? How about jewelry or a spirit towel? Do we miss the stadium parking lot ticket reseller? How about roving food vendors, whose numbers seem to be dwindling? Will minor league food concessions catch up with the majors in quality? Have they already caught up in price? Should Maimonides Park hand out souvenir copies of Rambam’s Gu...2025-07-181h 11Full CartsThe Locavore Variety Store Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy visit The Locavore Variety Store in the West Village, Manhattan: a shop where nearly everything for sale is made within 100 miles. Is the artist as pencil sharpener present? Is the pencil the last honest object? Is there room for a nut company that doesn't use suggestive nut puns? What weird things do people want to do with/to a barrel of pickles? Do we need a movement to bring back the community bulletin board? Who is using the tester lip balm??The Locavore Variety Store siteNYPost story about...2025-07-1159 minFull CartsThe Infomercial/Home Shopping Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy visit and revisit classic infomercials and Home Shopping sales pitches. But wait, there’s more! Is the infomercial dead, or has it simply been struck down and gone on to become more powerful than we can possibly imagine? Will a new Ron Popeil or ShamWoW Vince rise to sell us on gadget bliss? Is something a true scam if (almost) everyone knows it’s a scam? Probably! Does the rich satirical culture bequeathed by the infomercial make its flaws worthwhile? Are we doomed to forever search for devices that make food preparation slightly more convenient? Are oper...2025-06-281h 08Full CartsThe Uniqlo Shopping ExperienceDevin, Andy and guest Leslie Price (co-founder of Gloria) discuss Japanese clothing brand Uniqlo after a cold, cold open. Is Uniqlo’s Lifewear catalog a pretty decent magazine? Does the Uniqlo checkout, whether conscientiously handing back a credit card, or utilizing RFD tags, indicate a considered peak of customer service? Is a flagship a different store, essentially? Can an app’s sizing tech ever approach an actual changing room? Has Uniqlo digested Prep values—from Take Ivy to The Official Preppy Handbook to J. Crew—and created a superlative version of the style? Is their website confusing, or is any prob...2025-06-111h 21Full CartsThe Millenial Gift Shop Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy go to the Lower East Side and visit the new gift/souvenir/smoking paraphernalia store from Nashville, A Shop of Things. Is it broadly true that Millenials and X-ers like charms, and Gen-Zers like stuffies? Where do you stand on seasonal soda varietals? Has ACME solved the express lane sign conundrum? Is there a Betty Boopissance happening? If you were to wear a cap with a food written on it, what would it be? Would you sign a petition for a store to carry Sonny Angel? What are cigarette themed goods pointing towards? Is that a...2025-05-301h 07Full CartsThe Vintage Clothing Store Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy check out vintage clothing resellers 2nd STREET and Buffalo Exchange. Should people approach the attempt to sell their beloved things to a secondhand store as a kind of therapy, wherein the ego is stripped bare? Do we care about getting top $, or do we mostly want to be told our stuff is special? What should we do with all the negative-star reviews we write in our heads? Shouldn't Depop have been discussed? Is wearing the clothing of others a form of connection? Should Andy get that satin Pepsi jacket??[Note: This...2025-05-2359 minFull CartsThe Printemps New York Shopping ExperienceDevin, Andy, and Claire Hamilton visit the new Printemps store on Wall Street. What and who is a department store for, now? Is this really a supersized boutique? Is the best department store the one with the most seating? Will this place foment a revolution, or be a cool place to meet someone for snacks and people watching? What does it take for a store to set you dreaming??Novel excerpt: Playworld by Adam RossDepartment store classic: Corduroy by Don FreemanAbout Charging Bull sculptureAbout the...2025-05-101h 25Full CartsThe CVS Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy check out CVS, one of two big drugstore chains standing. Do Mini Melts and Dippin' Dots need their own Twizzlers vs Red Vines style debate? How important is the condition of the actual floor in a chain drugstore experience? Would you be up for some throwback Consumer Value Stores merch? Would people be buying Fubbles Bubble Blasters if they were 25 dollars? How about $100? Does Rewind It need better photos for their packages? What’s your theory about cereal sales? Did the PooPourri woman and the Squatty Potty guy ever get together??Fu...2025-04-2355 minFull CartsThe Wonder Emporium Shopping ExperienceDevin, Andy, and guest Claire Hamilton visit Art of Play: a puzzle- and game-forward toy shop with a secret theater for close-up magic. Will Andy learn how to pronounce Printemps before they get there? Can magic be new? What do magicians mean now, culturally? How far back did Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium set the cause of irl wonder emporia? Is it a puzzle? A fidget? A toy? An executive desk sculpture? What is the ideal length of time for a top to spin??David Blaine levitating on St. Marks PlaceTangrams...2025-04-051h 17Full CartsThe Zumiez Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy drop in and visit Zumiez. Is it a shoe store, a clothing store, or a skate store? What is the meaning of “mallthentic”? How does this place triangulate with Spencer’s and Hot Topic? What clothing or accessories did your school forbid? How is Lord Nermal related to Garfield’s Nermal, if at all? Is Nirvana pure merch now? Was everyone at least skater-adjacent in the 90s?Keep A Breast braceletsFree Stuff for Kids book (1979)Zumiez free stickers guideKiller Acid sweaterRap Snac...2025-03-2154 minFull CartsThe Newsstand Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy consider the state of the Newsstand in New York City. Have newsstands taken some of that big OTB energy? Is it true newsstands aren’t allowed to sell anything for more than $20? Are newsstands slowly working their way back into the subways? Are Corn Nuts health food? What pivot could restore this essential street-level retail to glory? How does sound sculpture fit into all this? Assorted sources:Primark pronunciationHyundai x Amazon ad2022 Newsstand article in City and State NYMap of Newsstands in NYC2025-03-101h 00Full CartsThe Brooklyn Made Shopping ExperienceAfter a stop at the Apple Genius Bar, Devin and Andy visit Brooklyn Made, a two-location gift shop celebrating Brooklyn goods. What’s the difference between a gift shop and a self-gift shop? Are all Chambers of Commerce at least a little menacing? Should NYers be mocked for their bodega love? What was the Brooklyn Maker Movement, and how was it related to the aughts hipster? What does the Brooklyn “brand” mean these days? Should Brooklyn chocolate covered pretzel specialist Fatty Sundays do a collab with Saturdays NYC??Bodega Cat book (a triumph!), Bodega cat sh...2025-02-2851 minFull CartsThe Primark Shopping ExperienceAfter a discussion of the evolution of the CVS app and a trip to free some men’s underwear from TJ Maxx, Devin and Andy break down a visit to Primark, a discount clothing chain founded in Ireland and currently expanding in the US. How cheap is too cheap? How impressive is the Primark adaptive clothing selection? Is this a Mickey Mouse operation? Does Primark have the best variety of team gear outside of the leagues themselves? What does it mean when ice cream in the food court costs more than a hoodie??Dirty Un...2025-02-0846 minFull CartsThe Coffee Equipment Shopping ExperienceHistorian, author, and brother-in-law of the podcast Jon Grinspan joins Devin and Andy to talk about coffee making and coffee drinking methods, as well as the coffee maker buying experience. What are some of your personal coffee canon events? How did the Civil War change the coffee game? Is making coffee the simplest or most complicated thing in the world? Are you a bean skeptic or bean believer? Is it always iced coffee weather for Gen Z? Is the beauty of hot coffee in that contradictory mix of comfort and stimulation??
How Coffee Fueled...2025-01-311h 10Full CartsThe Vintage Record Store Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy check out Black Gold Records to take the pulse of shopping for used vinyl. The store also has a coffee bar and antiques; is coffee + cool things to browse the retail model that makes the most sense now? When and where are we listening to music? What else are we looking for at a record store: books on the occult? VHS concert tapes? Rare jazz? A vintage PIG shirt? Wall pieces? Useful flyers? Kindred spirits? A time machine? Is writing about leaving Spotify the new writing about leaving New York?
Reddit...2025-01-241h 02Full CartsThe Abercrombie & Fitch Shopping ExperienceDevin, Andy, and special guest Leslie Price (check out the excellent Hello Gloria newsletter!) explore some meanings of Abercrombie & Fitch: from its 1890s founding as an upscale sporting goods store through the dizzying and problematic Mike Jeffries horny-prep aughts to the more inclusive rebrand of today. How does Leslie’s experience of working at A&F in 2000 shape her sense of the brand? Was working there more of an MLM-lite scheme than a job? Why were they punching piles of cargo pants? How was it different from working at the Gap? What does the current A&F NFL line me...2025-01-111h 27Full CartsThe 8-Bit Christmas ExperienceFor a holiday episode, D&A discuss 80s nostalgia (and Xmas shopping) movie 8-Bit Christmas (2021): toy fads, malls in movies, old school video games…. Was the inclusion here of Rampage an artistic or executive decision? How have bullies and gendered boots changed since 1988? What does cursive mean now? Has the age of manias around fad toys come to an end? What does it mean that Steve Zahn's dad character is a fan of Steely Dan? Are most mall scenes shot at Toronto’s Woodbine Mall and Fantasy Fair?? Would the in/famous Pretty in Pink test screenings play differently now? Sho...2024-12-251h 00Full CartsThe Japanese Grocery and Gift Shop Shopping Experience: Part 2In part 2/2, Devin and Andy dig into the grocery half of Ten Ichi Mart. Would you rather have a poster of Gursky’s 99 Cent, or of this story’s lead ramen image? How about both?? Do you know the backstory of Cafe Du Monde canned coffee? Have you ever had hot canned coffee from a vending machine? Do you need to study this tutorial on how to open onigiri as much as Andy does? Are you curious about Big, Raw Pepsi? If you find a product like Laoganma Spicy Chili Crisp transformative and want to share this information with a fr...2024-12-1948 minFull CartsThe Japanese Grocery and Gift Shop Shopping Experience: Part 1In part 1 of a two-parter, the Full Cart Fellows check out the Gift Shop half of Ten Ichi Mart, a Japanese Grocery/Gift Shop. “Don’t Call It An ‘Ethnic’ Grocery Store,” urges the NYTimes (also: can we get a framed print of that lead image of an array of ramen??) Is a Zojirushi rice cooker worth it? What’s the difference between a variety store, gift shop, and “treat store”? How much stuff is too much stuff, and who would decide how many hoodies or magnets everyone gets? Is that a banana slicer in your shopping basket? What’s the coolest back...2024-12-1131 minFull CartsThe Fishs Eddy Shopping ExperienceAfter a stop at lunch hotspot S&P, Devin and Andy check out eclectic New York dishware shop Fishs Eddy. Should all stores have their own graphic memoir? Where do you fall on the cheeky-to-bawdy scale? How much should an irregular dinner bowl cost? Should prices correspond directly to display style? Are we at peak pet portrait? How best to commemorate the Metrocard as it is sunsetted? How cool is it that instead of being a gift shop inside of a museum, Fishs Eddy is a great store for gifts that has its own museum??
2024-12-0459 minFull CartsThe YETI Store Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy visit the YETI NYC store and meditate on cult coolers and insulated drinkware. What if it turns out the bear from the company that tests products for bear-proofness is just someone in a bear suit? Is Texas band Khruangbin (whose name is the Thai word for airplane, which Devin started to say) the ideal in-store music for Yeti? How big can the Yeti tent get without collapsing? What color is your Yeti Loadout bucket, metaphorically? Is Yeti Rambler vs. Stanley Tumbler our most vital rivalry??
2016 SBNation article on Yeti
...2024-11-2449 minFull CartsThe Five Below Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy visit allowance store/doodad emporium Five Below. Is it succeeding at its napkin-writ founding mission statement of “You can always say ‘yes’ to the trendiest coolest high-quality stuff that you just gotta have”? Does the Dribble Zone, an in-store space where ball-bouncing is encouraged, show that we can exist freely and follow rules, a kind of mini social contract in action? What should a Scrub Daddy cost? Could the cozy-coded seasonal section win over Grinches? Is this in fact the best candy store chain in the country, and are they intentionally putting the old-coded candy behind a pillar...2024-11-1059 minFull CartsThe Wilson Flagship Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy check out the new(ish) Wilson Sporting Goods flagship in SoHo. Is figuring out a way to play tennis in NYC a sport in and of itself? How cool is the playground/park in this store? Can more than one guy in a neighborhood be retro-headband guy? What do we think of lounge spaces in stores? Are the books in back for sale, and do you have a copy of Budge on Tennis?
Theme music by Jed Becker, cover art by Margaret Flatley, music files cut and pasted artfully in by Skye MacLeod
Contac...2024-10-1946 minFull CartsThe H&M Shopping ExperienceAfter a thrilling cold open, Devin and Andy discuss Swedish clothing chain H&M. How important is a store’s soundtrack? How much weight should you give a brand’s ranking from Good on You, a website that assesses fashion label ethics? (A food version of this is Yuka.) Is this a great time for panda dupes? Why are children's clothing departments so much more fun than what's out for adults? How is an H&M store like Central Park? Who’s up for a pillow basketball league?
Theme music by Jed Becker, cover art by Margaret Flatl...2024-10-1039 minFull CartsThe Target Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy go to TARGET. Is the 2004 opening of the first Brooklyn Target a perfect encapsulation of a certain slice of aughts culture, with multiple Sevignys, as well as albino snakes? Where would fashion be without designer x mass retailer collaborations, started by Target and Isaac Mizrahi? What is the ideal size for a Target? (Hint: prob not 200,000 sq ft.) Do Target groceries make sense? Will the Lego be locked up indefinitely? Where did that guy get that tiny ICEE cup, and can the science fiction of Ray Bradbury help us here??
Theme...2024-10-0353 minFull CartsThe Dave & Buster's Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy discuss a visit to Dave & Buster’s. Is the Times Square D&B a perfect fulcrum between seedy 1970s Times Square and the Disneyfied Times Square of the aughts? How much fun is too much fun? Are we in it for playing games or winning tickets? Which prizes are a good deal? Should Dave & Buster's have quiet time? Have we hit on the ideal blend of ancient carnival games with dazzling modern tech? Did Devin just coin the phrase “corporate folk wisdom”?
Theme music by Jed Becker, cover art by Margaret Flatley, music placement by Sky...2024-09-1951 minFull CartsThe Appliance Store Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy visit P.C. Richard & Son and consider stereos, recliners, mattresses, T.V.s, and appliance stores in general. Can anybody beat The Wiz in cultural references? Will anyone beat Crazy Eddie’s 7,500 commercials? (Inspiration taken from this list of defunct retailers.) Have you ever been disappointed because you were geared up for a hard sell but didn’t get one? Do Studebaker retro music players do it for you? Is it time for a 1980s re-imagining of the radio scene from That Thing You Do set at The Wiz or P.C. Richard & Son? Do you prefe...2024-09-1154 minFull CartsThe US OPEN Merch Shopping ExperienceTennis t-shirts, anyone? Devin and Andy go online and check out the popular US OPEN merch. What celestial body could a stack of souvenir Honey Deuce cocktail tumblers reach? What’s the best kind of ball for getting autographs? How do The Matrix and The Hudsucker Proxy fit into all this? Do you maybe just need a tee promoting the New Rochelle Challenger, sponsored by Phil’s Tire Town? Should the US Open online store take some inspiration from the Vacation sunscreen site??
Theme music by Jed Becker, art by Margaret Flatley (check out her Sketch Pad about Art Museum Etiquette in...2024-09-0841 minFull CartsThe Economy Candy Shopping ExperienceD&A head to Economy Candy on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and make a side visit to IT’SUGAR in Coney Island (check out their candy cans). Would you do business with a candy sleuth calling himself “The Candyman”? What rare candies would you have him track down: Tangy Taffy? Gatorgum? A Hi-Chew flavor that you maybe only dreamt of? How are your Pez-loading skills? Are imported candy bars as good as their reputation? Any brands you’d like Leaf to resurrect? Were you ever soothed by the food factory tours of Unwrapped? Should Haribo gummy mustard strings...2024-08-191h 01Full CartsThe Pickle Store Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy head to The Pickle Guys on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, on a street once known as Pickle Alley, where Guss' Pickles once dominated. Would you be ready to name your favorite pickle if queried by a pickle person? (check out the video!) Are we at Peak Pickle? Is pickle merch ascendant over pickle flavor? How important is human interaction when shopping? Who's eating all the pickled tomatoes??
Music by Jed Becker, art by Margaret Flatley, production assistance by Skye MacLeod. Contact FullCartsPod@gmail.com2024-08-1246 minFull CartsThe Staten Island Mall Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy head to the Staten Island Mall! What can a Food District do that a Food Court cannot? Has there been a better time to hit the mall for novelty socks? Can robots make cotton candy as well as humans? Are kiosks stronger than ever? What is the relationship between Hot Topic, Spencer’s (née Spencer’s Gifts), and Newbury Comics? Is the presence of Apple and Lego a reliable indicator of mall health?
Links:
You Get What You Give by New Radicals (video shot in SI Mall)
Wei...2024-08-0559 minFull CartsThe ShopRite Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy head to a ShopRite grocery on Hylan Blvd. in Staten Island. Can you judge a grocery store by the quality of its vending machines? Is Freeosk the future of free samples? What and where are these Smart Carts?? Are nearly interchangeable grocery store chain names strategic? Are we all living in the Keebler tree, still? Are we going to go back here someday?
Music by Jed Becker, art by Margaret Flatley, production assistance by Skye MacLeod. Contact FullCartsPod@gmail.com2024-07-2957 minFull CartsThe Brooklyn Beach Shop Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy head to the Brooklyn Beach Shop on the Coney Island Boardwalk. How does current Coney Island express its heritage as the People’s Playground? How bad is stealing from beach stores? Does a boardwalk shop need a certain amount of kitsch? Might the parachute drop in fact be an interdimensional portal?
Links:
Weegee’s Coney Island (classic photo)
PBS Coney Island Documentary (1991)
Official page for PBS Coney Island documentary
Short video tour of the Brooklyn Beach Shop
“Coney” by Giuseppe Cautela (1925)
Ki...2024-07-1951 minFull CartsThe New York Aquarium Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy visit sea creatures and their gift shop at the New York Aquarium in Coney Island. Are sharks, rays, or jellyfish more soothing to watch? Is there a Jaws resurgence, and would it have been helpful if Devin and Andy had read this article about the 50th anniversary of the book before recording? How well do you need to know the works of Lil Big Stack to take Devin’s quiz? If you were a movie villain, what sort of creatures would you keep in your lair's aquarium? Should the Aquarium offer Icees in smaller sizes? Is a...2024-07-1258 minFull CartsThe Coke and Pepsi Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy get fizzed up about soda sizes and variations. Is the 7.5 oz mini-can the greatest modern soda innovation? Just how explosive are Devin’s theories about coffee snobbery and diet cola taste suppression? Is the 20oz bottle an abomination? Is the 3-liter a symbol of American overreach? Which friend of Pepsi inventor Caleb Bradham are you? Do we always look at soda as a time machine? Would you be ready for anything with a Party Pack of Coke balm?Music by Jed Becker, art by Margaret Flatley, production assistance by Skye MacLeod. Contact FullCartsPod@gmail.com2024-07-0347 minFull CartsThe Ace Hardware Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy visit an Ace Hardware in Ace’s centennial year. Will they find more truths or issues in a 1984 essay about why men like hardware stores? Is every purchase a miniature identity crisis? Are any salespeople more helpful than hardware salespeople? Does Whit Stillman's Barcelona have the most memorable critique of 1980s American consumer culture? How long until Korky Flapper gets a standup special on Netflix?
Music by Jed Becker, art by Margaret Flatley, production assistance by Skye MacLeod. Contact FullCartsPod@gmail.com2024-06-2748 minFull CartsThe 7-Eleven Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy visit a 7-Eleven on a warm afternoon. Is the Slurpee machine working? Can bodegas and 7-Elevens coexist? What do convenience stores mean? Will the roller grill ever be seen as legitimate? Is 7-Eleven’s website one of the best places for coffee info and Tetris merch? Do you acknowledge the difference between Frozen Uncarbonated Beverages (FUBs) and Frozen Carbonated Beverages (FCBs)? What’s your dream Icee/Slurpee flavor?
The Truth About Slushies Must Come Out (From The Atlantic)
How to Do Things With Video Games both by Ian Bogost
2024-06-2051 minFull CartsThe Michaels Shopping ExperienceDevin, Andy, and their first guest, Carlo, visit a Brooklyn location of the arts & crafts chain Michaels. Can crafting save us from ourselves? Is the seasonal section a compromise, or the heart of the Michaels experience? Is a pivot to a Perler beading podcast next? Will Carlo’s recent experience of a shiny suburban Michaels affect his cart score? Who will bring back latch hook kits? Do we need a Cricut press to make T-shirts that say, “I’d rather be browsing for arts and crafts supplies”? What does the "SH" sign on certain aisles mean??
Sp...2024-06-121h 02Full CartsThe Manhattan Mall-ish Shopping Experience.Devin and Andy visit The Oculus (elaborate transit hub with shops on the old World Trade Center lot) and Brookfield Place. People liked to complain about the blandness of mid-late 20th century mall architecture, but is it possible to to overcorrect? Could the pricey Davidoff cigar lounge day pass be worth it for those who are not cigar aficionados? Does Pop Mart out-funko Funko? Should malls hire roving teenagers to create a feeling of authenticity? Is New Stand in Brookfield Place the coolest mega-kiosk around, with NYC souvenirs worthy of use by locals? How important is a lived-in feeling...2024-06-0547 minFull CartsThe Swatch Store Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy visit a Swatch store in the Oculus. Has your wrist been taken over by a smartwatch? Are you a freewrister? What is more 80s than these old Swatch ads? Which Simpsons character would you like to see on a Swatch, and what would you like to see them doing? Is this Basquiat Swatch cringe or legit? Does anyone do neon better?
Music by Jed Becker, art by Margaret Flatley, production assistance by Skye MacLeod. Contact FullCartsPod@gmail.com2024-05-2939 minFull CartsThe Notebook Store Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy visit a Moleskine store and discuss notebooks. Has Moleskine fallen off, or do people just like to complain online? Is Field Notes still crushing it? Do we hold by Wirecutter reviews? Does a notebook store necessarily feel like a gift shop? How many products can be sold with Ernest Hemingway’s posthumous endorsement? Can you be legendary and iconic, or should you pick one?
Music by Jed Becker, art by Margaret Flatley, production assistance by Skye MacLeod. Contact FullCartsPod@gmail.com2024-05-2248 minFull CartsThe NYC Souvenir Store Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy head to a few NYC souvenir shops near Rockefeller Center. Why are we being followed? What’s the best way to show that you heart NY? Can the souvenir shop and its wares be modernized? What store would you hole up in?
Some souvenir/NY merch links:
We Are Happy To Serve You Cup
Official I Heart NY tee
Melamine state memento trays and plates (not NY, but cool)
Pretzel Hotdog NY beanie
NYC Pigeon Pin and Magnet
NYC Pa...2024-05-1548 minFull CartsThe FAO Schwarz Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy head to FAO Schwarz in Rockefeller Center. Will the Schwar(t)z be with them? Is this toy store overwhelming in a good way, just overwhelming, or not overwhelming enough? Are the toy demonstration vibes more state fair or uncanny sci-fi? Are you tempted by this magic snow? Does the floor piano live up to its star turn in Big? How cool is this McDonald’s wallet? Or this TMNT one?
Music by Jed Becker, art by Margaret Flatley, production assistance by Skye MacLeod. Contact FullCartsPod@gmail.com
2024-05-0859 minFull CartsThe Andy Warhol Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy discuss “Underwear Power,” the lively last chapter of The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (From A to B and Back Again). It's an essay about shopping for socks and underwear with a friend at Macy’s. Is buying more American than thinking? Is underwear shopping really that revealing? Does everyone have a four minute set about losing socks in the laundry? What would Andy make of our current world?
Music by Jed Becker, art by Margaret Flatley, production assistance by Skye MacLeod. Contact FullCartsPod@gmail.com
2024-04-3053 minFull CartsThe Gap Factory Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy visit a Gap Factory store and think about Gap. Does most of 90s pop culture emerge directly from Gap’s Khaki Soul (1999) ad? Are we still swinging to Khaki Swing (1998)? How crucial is pocket quality to a pair of pants? Does Gap Factory need the SNL Gap Girls to fold things into shape? What does the Gap arch logo on a sweatshirt mean these days? And what would it take for Gap to preside over the present as it once presided over the late 1990s, when it could just say (or sing) the word and have "ev...2024-04-1744 minFull CartsThe Grocery Market Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy visit Foodtown: larger than a corner store, smaller than a supermarket. Does anyone read into font choices like Devin? Can Andy figure out how to open the door? Will Devin find spiritual uplift in the soda section? Can you Do the Dew on only 7.5 ounces? Why all the breadcrumbs? Is anyone in the salad dressing aisle shipping Paul Newman and Ken?
Links:
Tell it To My Heart by Taylor Dayne, Tig Notaro on Taylor Dayne, Parentheses by The Blow, 2010 NYT article about Foursquare mayoralties
Music by Jed Becker...2024-04-1045 minFull CartsThe Fast Food Merch Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy explore fast food merch sites and discuss their findings. The expansive McDonald’s selection (two sites!) includes some tempting Crocs, but shouldn’t they be called Krocs? Why is the current Taco Bell merch so serious, as opposed to their normally playful vibe? Could Chipotle pivot from burrito seller to clothing/accessory line? How many podcasts have started with an idea jotted down in a Little Caesars Cheesy Notes notebook? What does it mean that we as a culture have shifted from souvenirs to merch?And Devin was right: Arby’s did sell curly fry bowling balls...2024-04-0351 minFull CartsThe Comic Book Store Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy visit Forbidden Planet, a giant comic book & toy & more store in New York. Is Bazooka gum the original jaw enhancer? Has the comic book world gotten friendlier and more open? Is Forbidden Planet like being inside the best claw machine in the world? What patches are on your battle jacket?
Music by Jed Becker, art by Margaret Flatley, production assistance by Skye MacLeod. Contact FullCartsPod@gmail.com2024-03-2745 minFull CartsThe Marshalls Shopping ExperienceOff-price retailer Marshalls (no apostrophe), sister store of TJ Maxx, is the subject of this week’s Full Carts. Has the Golden Age of Discount Department Stores passed? Does coconut-based candy count as health (or at least healthy) food? Is Def Leppard more clothing logo than band at this point? How is this podcast like the NFL combine?
Music by Jed Becker, art by Margaret Flatley, production assistance by Skye MacLeod. Contact FullCartsPod@gmail.com2024-03-2044 minFull CartsThe Party City Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy visit Party City to gather material for the party that is this podcast. Can a store greeting embody the whole of its shopping experience? Does the party supply game always come down to balloons? Should a party store be intentionally bland so as not to upstage the actual parties they’re supplying? Can an impressive selection of Pop Rocks and Big League Chew make up for shortcomings elsewhere?
Music by Jed Becker, art by Margaret Flatley, production assistance by Skye MacLeod. Contact FullCartsPod@gmail.com2024-03-1335 minFull CartsThe Game Stop Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy visit a big Game Stop in Manhattan and offer their thoughts. Does every gamer reach a point when they can’t keep up with game technology? What is the meaning of the popularity of Funko Pop? What is the ideal show for a tiny TV? What would you add to this library of Mini Brand books? Why does this review of a Game Stop say so little about actual games?
Music by Jed Becker, art by Margaret Flatley, production assistance by Skye MacLeod. Contact FullCartsPod@gmail.com
2024-03-0631 minFull CartsThe Crane Claw/Gashapon Store Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy break down their visit to PARTEA, a store in the East Village with arcade crane claw games, toy vending machines, mystery boxes, as well as bubble tea and chicken sandwiches. Is this place selling stuffies, entertainment, food, or lessons in handling frustration? How high-concept can a store get and still be a store? What’s the ideal crane game inventory? Would Partea be better off going all-Gashapon?
Music by Jed Becker, art by Margaret Flatley, production assistance by Skye MacLeod. Contact FullCartsPod@gmail.com2024-02-2933 minFull CartsThe Antique/Vintage Store Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy gather & scatter some thoughts on the antique/vintage store shopping experience after a visit to Yesterday’s News in Brooklyn, New York. Does having things lead to satisfaction, or to just wanting more of those things? Are pop culture objects from the 90s the hot new vintage? Why are bottles and cups and flasks full not just of liquid, but of meaning? How is a vintage store like a party?
Select videos referenced in the episode linked below. Sure, you could find them easily, but it’s fun to have them all here:
Pi...2024-02-1642 minFull CartsThe Used Bookstore That Also Sells Pickles Shopping ExperienceHow much pickles would a bookstore sell if a bookstore could sell pickles? Devin and Andy visit and review Sweet Pickle Books, a used bookstore on Manhattan’s Lower East Side that also stocks pickles. Can a store cater to your cultural touchstones too precisely? Are used books inherently countercultural? How does merch fit into the bookstore experience? What psychology is at work on the Pay What You Wish shelf? Are the pickles good?? How do they compare to The Pickle Guys around the corner?
Music by Jed Becker, art by Margaret Flatley, production assistance by Skye MacLeod. Contact FullCartsPod@2024-02-0935 minFull CartsThe Closeout Store Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy visit the closeout store Lot-Less, but they have a Lot-MORE to say about it! Are odd store layouts in old spaces charming or disorienting? When can addictiveness be pitched as a positive thing? Are Bonne Maman jam and Peanut Butter & Co peanut butter really discount store staples?? How important is lighting to a store experience? What’s the ideal subject for a novelty sock?
(Note: Andy's two visits to Lot-Less were two weeks apart, which he probably should have mentioned in the episode.)
Songs riffed on: Unskinny Bop-Poison, I’m a Man You...2024-02-0143 minFull CartsThe NYC Weed Store Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy visit a few cannabis shops in New York City, both legal and unlicensed. What’s shopping like in this new & evolving market?
Is stoner culture a lure or deterrent to smoking? Were Midwestern elementary schools in the early 80’s right to make sure 10 year olds lived in fear of angel dust? Are legal dispensaries fun? Does store security make you feel exasperated, or secure? Why are we still seeing one-hitters that disguise marijuana as cigarettes? What kind of relationships do people have with their local budtender?
Music by Jed Becker, art by Margaret Flatley, pr...2024-01-1639 minFull CartsThe Hershey's Chocolate World NYC Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy discuss and rate their visit to Hershey's Chocolate World in NYC, after a stop at the Krispy Kreme Flagship. How is a donut like cole slaw? How important are those fun-size bars Hershey hands out at the door? Can you tell if the employee vibe is genuine? Can fractals be explained by the point-of-purchase line at Hershey's, and vice-versa? Are these the most reasonable prices in Times Square? What's the real meaning of the debate over Twizzlers? Is Fruit-Stripe gum quick to lose flavor...by design? Is Reese's Puffs the best cereal...in the universe??
2024-01-0342 minFull CartsThe LEGO Store Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy discuss and rate their visit to the LEGO Store in Manhattan's Rockefeller Center, one of around 100 LEGO stores in the US. Does the store do justice to the brand?
When you step barefoot on a LEGO now, are you really stepping into a tradition, a community? Are we at Peak Lego? Is it okay to call them "Legos"? Were did all the hat and hair pieces in the minifig bins go? LEGO appreciation-wise, are you better off in the store, or with a cup of Ralph's Coffee, a LEGO character encyclopedia, and a view...2023-12-2937 minFull CartsThe NYC Nintendo Store Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy discuss and rate their visit to the Nintendo Store in Rockefeller Center. Is going to Ace’s Pizza like visiting The Oracle? What would John D. Rockefeller make of the disappearance of public seating in the center bearing his name? Should candy cigarettes be more realistic-looking? What can we divine from the curious balance of TV show merch at the NBC store? What if you could actually slide down the big Mario flagpole? Would you trust your device to the Donkey Kong charging barrel? Should it be The Legend of Link? How would an Atari flagship lo...2023-12-2636 minFull CartsThe Temu Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy discuss and rate their time browsing the online marketplace Temu. Is this whole site a dream? If so, who or what is doing the dreaming? Amazon? The web itself? The year 1987? An old comic book prize page that got mixed up with some infomercial DNA?
Are you more in the market for tiny spy cameras, or tiny spy camera detectors? Does this site contain the absolute zenith of melon-slicing gadgetry? Are you one jawline enhancer purchase away from becoming a GigaChad? Should grandparents convey love for their grandchildren via emotional poems on footballs? What's m...2023-12-2237 minFull CartsThe Old Navy Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy visit an Old Navy store around Halloween, but there's a lot of Xmas merchandise, so it feels like the winter holiday season. Do we miss when Old Navy had lunch counters, and sold sweaters packaged like ground beef? Are all the dad styles here for dads, or for kids biting dad style? Will Andy find a way to mention Razzles in every episode? Will Devin's theory about Simpson's tees undermine the very foundation of authentic licensed merchandise??
1995 NYT story about opening of Old Navy flagship
A couple Old Navy...2023-12-1934 minFull CartsThe Paper Source Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy pay an October visit to Barnes & Noble owned gift/stationery store Paper Source. They knock their heads against the question of whether gift wrap can itself be a gift. Are reviewers too hard on a tiny novelty turntable? What is the best item of clothing on which to announce an affection for bowel movements? Is Jenga more about competition, or cooperation?
Why do these two seem to think the royal memoir Spare came out years ago, when it was in fact early 2023? Is time not as consistent as calendars would have us believe? Are...2023-12-1530 minFull CartsThe Rite Aid Shopping ExperienceDevin and Andy review Rite Aid after a Halloween season visit. Will it live up to an adolescent love of chain drug stores? How long can these two talk about their seasonal aisle season rankings? Would you ask a store associate to unlock the toothpaste for you? Did America lose its way when front bench seats in cars started disappearing?
We'll also hear about Devin's ice cream "heist," and thoughts on Tato Skins and Tato Skins t-shirts.
Music by Jed Becker, Art by Margaret Flatley, production assistance by Skye MacLeod
Contact at FullCartsPod...2023-12-1133 min