Carol's back with another Retail Heat Map episode, connecting the dots between seemingly random retail headlines to reveal the bigger patterns reshaping retail. From Target's operational disasters and identity crisis to Netflix's ambitious physical retail gambit to Temu and Shein’s spiral to Mexico's cross-border rescue mission, these aren't isolated stories – they're collision points where old retail strategies are meeting new market realities. 

Drawing from her recent media commentary and expert analysis, Carol reveals three major shifts happening right now: The identity crisis hitting some of retail’s biggest players, massive shifts in consumer behavior that nobody saw coming, and a global market deal that is completely rewriting the rules (in a good way). 

While some retailers struggle with basic execution and strategic drift, others are making billion-dollar bets on cross-border innovation that could reshape North American commerce.

Key takeaways:

• Vision beats operations every time – Target's apparel chaos and leadership drift prove that without clear vision operational fixes are futile 
• Consumer behavior has fundamentally shifted – Amazon's "record" Prime Day still felt disappointing as consumers kicked into treasure-hunting mode.
• Mexican retail is hitting high notes – El Puerto de Liverpool’s grande investment in Nordstrom validates Mexican retail’s strength and shuts off Wall Street’s glare.
• Resource-eating media might hamper merchandising hopes – Netflix's retail gamble has built-in advantages but Tik Tok and YouTube got to the good stuff first.

The retailers winning right now recognize that collision isn't always destruction – sometimes it's the force that creates something completely new (and better). 

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