The one and only Ron Thurston is my extraordinary guest for this episode, recorded live in person together for the first time at the NRF Big Show in New York. Ron is a retailers' retailer, a veteran store leader that turned his passion into a best-selling book, Retail Pride, which became an epic tour across America with an F150 and an Airstream to meet retailers where they live and tell their stories. I sat with Ron in the MarketDial podcasting studio to hear his story and learn his lessons from the Retail In America tour. Let's listen in now!
Hello, and welcome to the Voice of Retail podcast! My name is Michael LeBlanc, and I am your host. I believe in the power of storytelling to bring the retail industry to life. Each week, I'll bring insights, perspectives, and experiences from some of the retail industry's most innovative and influential voices. This podcast is produced in conjunction with Retail Council of Canada.
The one and only Ron Thurston is my extraordinary guest for this episode, recorded live in person together for the first time at the NRF Big Show in New York. Ron is a retailers' retailer, a veteran store leader that turned his passion into a best-selling book, Retail Pride, which became an epic tour across America with an F150 and an Airstream to meet retailers where they live and tell their stories. I sat with Ron in the MarketDial podcasting studio to hear his story and learn his lessons from the Retail In America tour. Let's listen in now!
About Ron
Ron Thurston is a highly accomplished retail leadership Executive, Board Advisor, and Amazon Bestselling Author with extensive experience leading retail operations for America’s most prominent brands.
He is adept at turning around underperforming businesses, developing and implementing innovative growth strategies, architecting improved training programs, building high-performing and dedicated teams, launching new brands, expanding brands into new markets, and ensuring customer growth and satisfaction.
For the last three years, Ron has been named one of the top 100 most influential people in retail, is a former board member of GOODWILL NY/NJ, and currently sits on the advisory boards of several emerging retail technology brands, including Reflex Careers and IMMERSS.
In early 2022 Ron launched his audio and video platforms for a year-long tour called “Retail In America,” live from an Airstream trailer to discover the real retail heroes across the country.
About Michael
Michael is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc. and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada and the Bank of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, Today's Shopping Choice and Pandora Jewellery.
Michael has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. He has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions with C-level executives and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels. ReThink Retail has added Michael to their prestigious Top Global Retail Influencers list for 2023 for the third year in a row.
Michael is also the president of Maven Media, producing a network of leading trade podcasts, including Canada's top retail industry podcast, The Voice of Retail. He produces and co-hosts Remarkable Retail with best-selling author Steve Dennis, now ranked one of the top retail podcasts in the world.
Based in New York, Conversations with CommerceNext is a podcast focusing on retail eCommerce, digital marketing and retail careers with episodes talking with C-level executives operating in the U.S. and internationally.
Based in San Francisco, Global eCommerce Leaders podcast explores global cross-border issues and opportunities for eCommerce brands and retailers.
Last but not least, Michael is the producer and host of the "Last Request Barbeque" channel on YouTube, where he cooks meals to die for - and collaborates with top brands as a food and product influencer across North America.
Michael LeBlanc 00:05
Hello and welcome to The Voice of Retail podcast. My name is Michael LeBlanc, and I am your host. I believe in the power of storytelling to bring the retail industry to life. Each week I'll bring insights, perspectives and experiences from some of the retail industry's most innovative and influential voices. This podcast is produced in conjunction with the Retail Council of Canada.
Michael LeBlanc 00:19
The one and only Ron Thurston is my extraordinary guest for this episode, recorded live in person together for the first time at the NRF Big Show in New York City. Ron is in retailers' retailer, a veteran store leader that turned his passion into a best-selling book, ‘Retail Pride’, which became an epic tour across America with an F150 and an Airstream to meet retailers where they live and tell their stories.
I sat down with Ron in the MarketDial podcasting studio to hear his story and learn his lessons from the Retail In America tour. Let's listen in now.
Ron Thurston, welcome to The Voice of Retail podcast, or should I say welcome back to The Voice of Retail podcast.
Ron Thurston 01:03
But the first one in person, (crossover talk), you and I never met in person until this very moment.
Michael LeBlanc 01:08
I know. I tell you it feels familiar yet strange, because I've known you for three, four years. But again, the first time we've ever met. So thanks so much for,
Ron Thurston 01:22
Thank you.
Michael LeBlanc 01:24
For taking the time we're here at the NRF Show. You just rolled off the stage, chitin and chattin and I want to get to this whole rolling across America tour. It's so interesting. But for those who may not have heard our first interviews, tell us a little bit about yourself.
Ron Thurston 01:30
Sure, I'd love to, so my name is Ron Thurston, I currently host the Retail In America Tour, and the Retail in America podcast after, after you Michael. But maybe more importantly, longtime retailer, head of stores for brands like INTERMIX, St. Laurent, Tory Burch, Bonobos, just some great, great brands,
Michael LeBlanc 01:41
Yeah.
Ron Thurston 01:42
That I've had the pleasure of leading and I grew up in stores, and to spend all of my life in sales, store management, multistore management and the joy of leading frontline teams really came to this point in my life where I said, I need to write a book about this,
Michael LeBlanc 01:49
Yeah.
Ron Thurston 01:50
Too, that inspires people to really think differently about what it means to work in retail. So, in October of 2020, that's when my book Retail Pride: The Guide to Celebrating Your Accidental Career came out, which turned into this tour, which turned into traveling across the country. And speaking to retail teams. I know we'll speak more about that. But It's been a career of joy and people and brands and growth. And I've been like, incredibly lucky.
Michael LeBlanc 02:45
Now how do you describe yourself when people ask? I know, you know, for most of your career, I'm a retailer. I'm an operator, when people say, you know, on the elevator Hey, Ron, what do you do for a living? How do you describe yourself?
Ron Thurston 02:56
Yeah. So, for a long time, I would say like a longtime retailer currently running X-brand. You know, today, it's a little bit more like the voice of the frontline field. And so, that sounds very strange and vague.
Michael LeBlanc 03:11
Yeah.
Ron Thurston 03:12
And then someone would say, Well, what does that mean? Well, I travel across the country? I host a podcast, I live on the road, I go and meet frontline teams and hear what they have to say.
Michael LeBlanc 03:23
Like, would you describe yourself as an advocate for or a supporter of retail? I mean, you know, if I say that's how I think of you, right is, is, you know, both a profit, I'm also a prophet, by the way I saw this coming. And our important stories are gonna be so you know, you timed it, you couldn't have timed it better. You're an author, or you're a podcaster. Like we all wear many hats. I guess, right.
Ron Thurston 03:46
We do. And I, and that has evolved over time, because it started with the book. But the book gave me the platform to then do other things.
Michael LeBlanc 03:54
Yeah.
Ron Thurston 03:55
It's like this idea of well, how do I, how do I get to the masses of frontline retail? And while I certainly don't claim to say that, you know, they all have my book at home.
Michael LeBlanc 04:08
Sure.
Ron Thurston 04:09
What I can say is between the podcast and the book and the tour, that the message is bigger than ever.
Michael LeBlanc 04:11
Yeah.
Ron Thurston 04:12
And that feels good. And so maybe, to your question, advocate feels like a good word. You know, but I don't propose myself as you know, the leader.
Michael LeBlanc 04:25
Ambassador, I mean, all (crossover talk) these words come to mind when I think of you right? Like, like the, the, the role you take and, and, and the work you do. Now let's talk about the NRF. You just rolled off the stage what brought you, it's a funny question of what brought you here. It's a big retail show, it would be natural, it looks like a black hole that you would be drawn to at the NRF Show. But specifically, like why do, what, you know it's probably not your first one. What, what do you come here to meet people, to learn, like talk about your experience here so far?
Ron Thurston 04:51
Sure. So, this was my third and my first one was as a head of stores you know, looking for new ideas. meeting some people. I didn't know a lot about what was happening here. Last year I was here, mostly listening to keynotes. But doing some book signings, like on a small scale, because this was not the size that it is today.
Michael LeBlanc 05:03
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Ron Thurston 05:05
This year, it's a whole different game for me. It's a real ecosystem. right? I mean, you know, part of it happens here where we are on the floor, we're in the MarketDial booth. And the rest of it happens in and around this big ecosystem, right? Because I know you've been here and you've been in other places, right? That's true. And being able to then, this year be invited on stage?
Michael LeBlanc 05:19
Yeah.
Ron Thurston 05:20
You know, it's an evolution of this tour. I'm saying, could I host something? Could I do panels? Could I speak? Definitely, there's seven different book signing events that are happening this week. So, like, I get to meet all the people who are maybe advocates in their own way, or they work in technology, but have an appreciation for the fine line.
Michael LeBlanc 05:43
Yeah.
Ron Thurston 05:44
Or they think about their industry in a way that maybe isn't as intentional or kind of connected as I am. So that, there's, there's this emotional bond that I have with stores that I think is very appealing to people that don't come from stores. (Crossover talk), there's something about it.
Michael LeBlanc 06:12
And this morning, you were on the stage. What were you talking about? Just give us an example of what you were talking about or hosting this morning.
Ron Thurston 06:16
Yeah, so this morning's panel was really about being a responsible retailer. What does that mean? So, in this year of understanding that there may be some budget constraints,
Michael LeBlanc 06:25
Yeah.
Ron Thurston 06:26
You know, we are trying to be conscious, but with a, with a, conscious about cost, but still with a conscience. Meaning you can't just strip away all of the programs that you had, you can't just throw away all the work and say, well, this is a year about cutting costs. And what was really clear is that brands, to the best of their ability, have said yes, this is a year, we need to be fiscally responsible. But we're not going to give up on our goals, we're not going to then de-invest in stores. And so, what I have heard today from some of the panelists was some of the savings that we have in other categories. We're putting all that back in stores, which,
Michael LeBlanc 07:10
It is a real paradox, right? Because you, as an operator, you would know sometimes if you're looking to trim up and get productivity, that means you're going to cut hours, that means you're going to cut programming. And the irony, of course is the more you do that, the experience starts to waver and get a little bit wobbly if you're not careful. And on the one hand retailers tell me my God, my goodness, I can't find anybody. Where did everybody go? We talked about that. And I'm like, but what do you do to keep them? And you know, that's where the rubber hits the road in the productivity stuff, right?
Ron Thurston 07:38
Exactly right. And so, I, between being on stage yesterday with some great brands like CVS and Lowe's and Nordstrom, the conversation is about reinvestment in the frontline, because what has happened is, the conversation about being very difficult to hire is real. There are more jobs than people. And what that creates is the ability for the candidate to choose who to work for.
Michael LeBlanc 07:43
Yeah.
Ron Thurston 07:44
And then the candidate says, well, if, if 25% of the stores in my local mall have a hiring sign, where do I want to work? So, we've shifted from brands choosing the candidate to the candidate choosing the brand. And I love that because of the idea of really embracing your power, like, I'm a really good retail leader. And I want to work for a brand that has doing things with a conscious, but still investing. So, doing things that are right for the earth, doing things that are right for stores, and when the candidate can learn more about, (crossover talk).
Michael LeBlanc 08:39
And oh, by the way, give me full hours for my week and make sure that it's kind of fairly consistent, right. I mean,
Ron Thurston 08:45
All of that.
Michael LeBlanc 08:47
Probably the number one issue that I, when I talk to store associates, you know, I don't, I need my hours to be consistent. I don't want to have five different jobs. And anyway, we don't want to go down the rabbit hole of all that and all these things.
Ron Thurston 08:56
And flexibility.
Michael LeBlanc 08:57
And flexibility (crossover talk) and all these other things.
Ron Thurston 08:58
You know, there's no work from home option in,
Michael LeBlanc 09:01
Yeah.
Ron Thurston 09:02
In the field.
Michael LeBlanc 09:04
That's right, that's right.
Ron Thurston 09:06
There never has been.
Michael LeBlanc 09:08
Yep.
Ron Thurston 09:09
And, but they deserve some level of flexibility to take care of their life, just like people that work in corporate worlds too.
Michael LeBlanc 09:16
Sure.
Ron Thurston 09:17
I think we're having really important conversations today. I've heard a lot this week, more about people. more about the frontline than I did in the past.
Michael LeBlanc 09:22
Yeah, I agree.
Ron Thurston 09:24
And that makes me feel really good. I don't take credit for that. What I do get to do is again,
Michael LeBlanc 09:27
Advocate and (crossover talk).
Ron Thurston 09:29
Advocate and host these conversations and make sure that people are having them. That gives me a lot of my own, my own kind of personal pride about the work in that, in the leadership in this industry. That is putting people first.
Michael LeBlanc 09:39
Yeah.
Ron Thurston 09:40
There's no question about it.
Michael LeBlanc 09:45
It's so interesting because that you know, when I talk to retailers and I write a quarterly report for Retail Council of Canada and over the COVID era, we had a big focus on supply chain, big problem, you know, the top thing to address and that's kind of waned fortunately and kind of gone away. But now it's people, right? And people have always been on the front, top five, top three. Even now it's number one, right? Finding people. So, it's the right place at the right time. All right let's take a step back. I want to hear all about it, tell the people all about this tour. So, you're running a retail store, and then decide you're going to buy an F150 and an Airstream and cross the country. Tell me about, tell me about how that idea first popped into your head, like, where did that inspiration come from?
Ron Thurston 10:28
Yeah.
Michael LeBlanc 10:29
Tell me about that.
Ron Thurston 10:31
So, my husband and I were in, here in New York City, the entire pandemic, both working full time, I didn't have a Hamptons home that we escaped to. We were working in New York City. And over the course of those couple of years, you know, there was this moment of is this where we want to stay? Is this what we want to do?
Michael LeBlanc 10:52
Now, where, where are you from originally? Are you from the New York area?
Ron Thurston 10:54
No, I'm from California originally.
Michael LeBlanc 10:56
Okay.
Ron Thurston 10:57
But I've been here about a decade, I moved to New York from Lobitos,
Michael LeBlanc 11:00
Right.
Ron Thurston 11:01
And we just had this moment of what would it look like if we traveled? What if we just took a year off? And the company I was working for was in the process of being sold to private equity. I'm like, maybe this is our time.
Michael LeBlanc 11:15
Right.
Ron Thurston 11:16
He was doing something that he could wrap up. And I said, like, let's just take a year off. And then I started to tell people, this was the summer of 2021, I started to tell people like, we're going to buy an Airstream the day I left my job we went to the airstream dealership and placed an order. But it takes a year to get them.
Michael LeBlanc 11:29
Right.
Ron Thurston 11:30
You don't just walk into a dealership and buy an Airstream. And so, we spent a year planning. And then I started telling people what we were doing. And then it was well, could this be a book tour? Could this be partnerships with other brands? So, brands like UBIK and KWI and Spotify came in and said, well, we'd actually love to help. We'd love to be involved in this, in the work that you do.
Michael LeBlanc 11:59
And is that, where the inspiration to tell people's stories. Because you, you know, traveled you set up a pod-, a fun podcast studio. But more than that you were out, in my mind as I watched who you interviewed, and I loved your podcast. So, congratulations on that. You were telling, you were helping them tell their stories. And you were telling the stories of the, of the people that matter in retail, right?
Ron Thurston 12:18
Exactly. And the goal of traveling was I want to go to you. I don't want to try to do this.
Michael LeBlanc 12:20
Yeah.
Ron Thurston 12:21
Without really understanding what you do. The challenges that you may face outside of New York City, because you don't really understand it.
Michael LeBlanc 12:33
Yeah, (crossover talk).
Ron Thurston 12:35
You can't live like that.
Michael LeBlanc 12:38
With all due respect to the NRF Big Show, interviewing someone from a retail store here is a very different experience. You know, then it would be sitting in their, in their location or even in their own city, right? Because you traveled. Now where, what, which, give us a quick, how many cities did you get to? Because you went too big and small. And you planned it really, I had to like you planned it really well Where you watched the weather, right? I do not want to be in cold weather cities.
Ron Thurston 12:42
A 100% true.
Michael LeBlanc 12:43
In cold weather months. So, let's get ourselves West. Yeah, because if you are going to do it. Why not do it well? Why not do it well? You're the epitome of that, my friend.
Ron Thurston 12:51
Thank you.
Michael LeBlanc 12:53
A question for you. So, of all the traveling you did. And of all the people you met, what are the kind of the lessons you learned? Like what surprised you on the road? And I mean, some of your interviews were just very inspiring. I found listening to people share their lives. But what did you learn and what inspired you?
Ron Thurston 13:25
You know, I learned I was, the message for me was reinforced about the pride that people have working in this industry. Because the news would tell you something different. The news would say, no one wants to work in retail, the news, I saw a statistic on Saturday, and you know, 50% of all frontline workers are looking to leave the industry. And you know, for me, those are just stories that are meant to cause disruption. And what I was most surprised about is everywhere I went, every small town, big city, big brands that they work for, or small family owned or tech startups, all of these people, they love this industry. They're proud to work in this industry. And that wasn't a surprise, but it was almost like
Michael LeBlanc 13:48
Reaffirmation was it, (crossover talk).
Ron Thurston 13:50
Reaffirmation and it makes me want to work harder. It makes me want to say there's more of you out there than people know, and how can I share your story? That, for me, is incredibly inspiring. And yet when you listen, I've intentionally chosen people, not just that, run big brands, and have kind of their speech. I want to actually hear the real story of what's happening. And the real story is, if you come from stores, almost always that there's someone in their life that has inspired them. Someone, they had a leader who saw something bright, who saw some skills and brought them forward. It's a very consistent pattern of, I had a, I had a district manager and even I had a store manager who saw something. And that is, again reinforced the importance of leadership, an investment in training, and all of the things that we know make retail great. We can never, ever forget, (crossover talk).
Michael LeBlanc 15:20
It's such a powerful lesson because it really, it really communicates that you can have such a difference in people's lives for the rest of their lives at you know, as a retail experience at the beginning of their experience, because you interviewed all from (inaudible) to, to major retailers, right. In fact, I think on our last podcast with Steve on Remarkable Retail you were sharing. I learned so much about Walmart because you know,
Ron Thurston 15:45
It's true.
Michael LeBlanc 15:46
It's a whole, you know, it's a whole you think of these large behemoths with literally 100s, 1000s and 1000s of people, but it does get down to the individuals, right. And you find prat-, you found pride with, you know, associates for all companies.
Ron Thurston 15:58
All of it. When I was in, we took the Airstream to Phoenix for Thanksgiving, because my family had never been together, that spread out across the US on Thanksgiving.
Michael LeBlanc 16:04
Wow.
Ron Thurston 16:05
I said we're going to come here, there's family in Phoenix, and you're all gonna meet us there. So, the first Thanksgiving ever for my like secondary family.
Michael LeBlanc 16:11
Wow.
Ron Thurston 16:12
And so, I said, Well, we're in Phoenix, where's the Walmart? Where's the nearest Walmart to the RV park?
Michael LeBlanc 16:15
Right.
Ron Thurston 16:16
That's where I'm going to spend Black Friday. And so, I was there on Black Friday, watching, listening, speaking to the managers. They were so happy that day. They were like, you could tell they had done an overnight, the night before to prepare. The shelves were well stocked, they were smiling, wearing Santa hats, having fun you know, can I help you find anything? It's not a high-tech service.
Michael LeBlanc 16:27
Sure, sure.
Ron Thurston 16:29
But you know who's running the store.
Michael LeBlanc 16:42
Yeah, yeah, yeah. (Crossover talk)
Ron Thurston 16:46
I said to you, I could never have had that experience any other way except being in the middle of the store, not as the manager but as an observer.
Michael LeBlanc 16:56
Yeah.
Ron Thurston 16:59
And that is, you can't replace that you can't replace being there in person.
Michael LeBlanc 17:08
Let's, let's shift our conversation a bit to lessons learned in the context of giving some advice. So, lots of retail is listening to the podcast. And, and I'm sure they'd love to ask you a million questions about whether it's a formula or you've already given it and shared some insight, and let's frame it in two starts and one stop.
Ron Thurston 17:15
Okay.
Michael LeBlanc 17:16
So, two things the retail leaders should start doing and one thing that they should stop, maybe the stop is something that just doesn't work anymore. Or maybe you just see it as a habit. But two things from your tour that you've learned that they should start doing.
Ron Thurston 17:27
Okay.
Michael LeBlanc 17:28
Today.
Ron Thurston 17:43
Number one, get back into stores. If you are working from home, or you spent less time traveling the last couple of years, the best thing you can do is to go back into stores. And I don't just mean flagships here in New York City, I mean, the smallest, lowest volume versions of your brand, the medium sized versions, those leaders in those stores have a lot to say. And I can tell you having traveled across the country, that's not happening. They don't see the leaders of their company, they may see their district manager once in a while, they may see some sense of leadership. But,
Michael LeBlanc 18:22
And they don't need to be seen, you're not describing seeing them on a screen for a conference call.
Ron Thurston 18:26
Not a screen.
Michael LeBlanc 18:28
You need to walk through that door, shake the hands,
Ron Thurston 18:30
Right.
Michael LeBlanc 18:31
Meet the people.
Ron Thurston 18:33
Meet and listen. And you know, I
Michael LeBlanc 18:35
Two to one ratio, right? Two ears, one mouth, just listen. Listen.
Ron Thurston 18:38
And I have been on the other side, I understand what it means to have an entourage of people. I've been the leader of the entourage. And I've been a participant and they used to call me the Ron-tourage. And,
Michael LeBlanc 18:49
I liked that, their entourage.
Ron Thurston 18:50
But that's not, that's not the goal,
Michael LeBlanc 18:53
Right.
Ron Thurston 18:54
Today, 2023. It's not the Ron-tourage , it's the listening tour. And don't just say that. But be prepared. Start to listen to be prepared to act on what they say. Because the growth in stores is continuing. You know, there's a lot of conversation about eCommerce and you know, you and Steve speak about it often. You know, this store is where everything is happening right now.
Michael LeBlanc 19:11
Yeah.
Ron Thurston 19:12
So, you've got to get back, listen. So, start doing that. Start, I think similar to our conversation earlier, pay attention to the budget lines, and more investment back. So, what's the start? What would be, what additional training and development programs should you implement this year? What additional ways can you ensure that you retain those people?
Michael LeBlanc 19:46
Are you, are you happy with the state of technology for associates? I mean, there's lots of people here on the floor who offer lots of things from scheduling to whatever to communications. Are you, do you think we're farther ahead now than we were three to five years ago Are there still, let me ask the question differently if, on a scale of one to 10, you know, one being kind of where we were five years ago, 10 being the point of arrival, in your mind, where do you think we are? Are we, how far along, (crossover talk) in that journey are we?
Ron Thurston 20:13
I think we're still, like, four in many cases.
Michael LeBlanc 20:15
Okay.
Ron Thurston 20:16
And I think there are great technology solutions like UBIK that do this really well. That has then started to expand into hospitality and retail.
Michael LeBlanc 20:20
Right.
Ron Thurston 20:21
The idea of streamline and communication. How do I provide daily training and micro training? How do I prevent the workload? So, things like, you know, email and Slack channels and text messages, and all of the ways we communicate? How do you simplify that for stores? Because anyone who works in stores or lead stores knows, there's zero downtime?
Michael LeBlanc 20:39
Yeah.
Ron Thurston 20:40
There's zero time for me to check corporate communication from multiple platforms.
Michael LeBlanc 20:45
Yeah.
Ron Thurston 20:46
So, how do you make that, (crossover talk).
Michael LeBlanc 20:54
So, the proliferation of technology has actually made it worse, not better. So many,
Ron Thurston 20:53
(Crossover talk) In some cases that's true.
Michael LeBlanc 21:56
Because in some cases, that's true, right?
Ron Thurston 21:00
Because then there's technology, you've added BOPIS, there is new technology for that you've added chat functions or livestream. There's more apps, there's more everything that they have to do
Michael LeBlanc 21:11
More skills, more apps, more communication, when I was working with Rogers Communication, it's a big company in Canada, and, and a lot of folks in the call centers, right. So, I ha-, tried to handle, they were handing mobile phone packages. And they said, someone's very, very cheekily said, you know, we figured it out that we send basically the equivalent of To Kill a Mockingbird every week to every call center rep and expect them to read it. And it's no surprise that no one, you get three different answers when you call people because it's so confusing, right? So,
Ron Thurston 21:36
You're exactly right.
Michael LeBlanc 21:38
So, we're not, I don't think we're in your stops yet. But those are the clear kind of the starts. Is there anything that you would say, okay, all of you out there, you're visiting stores, you're communicating, clearly, you're focusing and investing in the right places. But what, maybe, they should stop doing?
Ron Thurston 21:54
The focus on eCommerce and kind of an Omni experience is really valid. But stop communicating that to stores as your primary goal for the company. And I think.
Michael LeBlanc 22:08
The role of the store isn't the distribution center for eCommerce. If I could reframe what you're,
Ron Thurston 22:13
That's true, too.
Michael LeBlanc 22:15
Right.
Ron Thurston 22:16
All, all of that. But I think what happens is the energy and the excitement go into all the fun, and the tools and new ideas around technology. And stores often sit and listen to all that conversation from senior leadership and say, well, but what about us? We need the tools and the shiny object of, of digital is,
Michael LeBlanc 22:37
Sure.
Ron Thurston 22:38
And Metaverse and things like that are fun to speak about. But it's really not, it's not what stores want to hear.
Michael LeBlanc 22:45
So, wait, are you telling me you didn't see on your tour customers walking out of a store saying you don't have a Metaverse here. I'm leaving this store or I'm gonna go next door where I can shop your Metaverse. You didn't hear that?
Ron Thurston 22:52
I didn't hear that.
Michael LeBlanc 22:54
Just to be clear.
Ron Thurston 22:56
Never once. Never one. The N word never came up.
Michael LeBlanc 23:00
Last question: what's next for you? I mean, it's 2023. You've been on this big tour. Does the tour continue? How do you now reshape yourself and what are you looking forward to and what are you gonna do?
Ron Thurston 23:11
Yeah, so the tour continues. We have discovered that living in an RV park and wherever you want, whenever you want.
Michael LeBlanc 23:19
It suits you.
Ron Thurston 23:21
It is the best part of, it's the best part of life. If you can figure out how to navigate 180 square feet. Life is good
Michael LeBlanc 23:27
Listen congrat-, you know getting along with your husband for how many months in a RV, traveling around you guys are, you guys have got it going on. Congratulations.
Ron Thurston 23:35
We like each other pretty, (crossover talk).
Michael LeBlanc 23:38
Congratulations, that's a big achievement.
Ron Thurston 23:38
(Crossover talk). If not we, we have full intentions for the remainder of 2023.
Michael LeBlanc 23:42
What's it going to take to get you to Canada? Maybe an invitation?
Ron Thurston 23:47
I haven't had my passport out for a while. Maybe it's just that. Maybe it's an invitation.
Michael LeBlanc 23:51
Maybe it's (crossover talk) maybe it's time you roll up and, and come see a few stores up in, up in the Great White North.
Ron Thurston 23:57
Beautiful. You know par-, part of the journey is not just retail. It's also experiencing the outdoors. I think you and I spoke about that before.
Michael LeBlanc 24:03
Yeah. I think we spoke about it in a hailstorm. Actually,
Ron Thurston 24:05
We did.
Michael LeBlanc 24:06
Pinging off (crossover talk) what's going on out there. And that's right.
Ron Thurston 24:10
But living outside you have a different perspective of what it means to be sustainable, what it means of what is our personal impact you know if you spend time in the parks, spend time outside or choose places where you're, the balance is as much about nature and kind of self-discovery as it is about discovering retail. So, for me that's an equal part of the tour.
Michael LeBlanc 24:29
Yeah.
Ron Thurston 24:30
Is personal growth (inaudible) at this point, (crossover talk).Canada is a beautiful country.
Michael LeBlanc 24:39
Canada is a beautiful country. America is a beautiful country too, you've seen, but you've seen it, you know, time to go somewhere else. Anyway listen, I sense a whole other book and journey in all this. There's a lot of life lessons you've learned and shared. So, thank you for that from, from all of us. And I really appreciate you taking the time on a busy show to sit down and chat and chat with The Voice of Retail. It's such a pleasure to meet you and chit and chat and it won’t be last time and like I said, maybe we'll convince you to come up, come up to The Great White North.
Ron Thurston 25:04
We'll do it. We'll do some store visits together and some tours and go chat with some people. Thank you.
Michael LeBlanc 25:09
All right, Ron, thanks so much for joining me.
Ron Thurston 25:14
Thank you.
Michael LeBlanc 25:16
Thanks for tuning into this episode of The Voice of Retail. If you haven't already, be sure to follow on your favorite podcast platform so new episodes will land automatically each week. And check out my other retail industry media properties; Remarkable Retail podcast with Steve Dennis, The Food Professor podcast with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. Last but not least, if you're into barbecue, check out my YouTube barbecue show Last Request Barbecue with new episodes each and every week.
I'm your host, Michael LeBlanc, Growth Consultant, President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company and Maven Media and keynote speaker. If you're looking for more content or want to chat, follow me on LinkedIn or visit my website at meleblanc.co.
Safe travels everyone.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
stores, retail, people, airstream, podcast, tour, brands, Ron, big, retailer, frontline, year, leader, listen, traveled, Metaverse, New York City, conversation, ecommerce