Happy Saturday, Besties.

The greatest art gallery isn’t in a museum… It’s at Trader Joe’s.

• Julie Averbach just published a book called The Art of Trader Joe’s.

• Because each TJ’s employs an in-house artist, turning your grocery run into a gallery walk.

• The East Village TJs in NYC features nods to Rodin, Van Gogh, and Augustus Caesar - and 150 total pieces in the “collection.”

TJ’s is the new Guggenheim. Your move, Whole Foods.

🖥️ In Loving Memory of Skype (2003–2025)

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Skype, the original video call platform—before FaceTime, Zoom, or decent Wi-Fi.

Founded in 2003 by the creators of Kazaa (Napster’s dupe), Skype was the 1st tech company to become a verb—sorry, AOL. Microsoft acquired it in 2011 for $8.5 billion in its biggest deal ever at that point. But this May, Microsoft is shutting it down, moving all Skype accounts to Teams.

But Skype was one of the the most innovative startup in tech history: It exploded from 1M to 50M users in one year thanks to multiple growth hacks. Here are 3 of ‘em:

🔹 Social Proof – A green dot signaled on Skype which of your contacts were logged on. Before Facebook, Skype created a network effect that drove more growth.
🔹 Freemium Model – You had to pay to Skype phone numbers, but it was free to Skype other Skype accounts. In the era of expensive long-distance phone calls, the free option drove new users to sign up.
🔹 That Iconic Ringtone – A composer strategically designed an unique audio logo for incoming Skype calls, (based on waterfall & voice sound effects). It’s meant to hit a clever balance: Get attention, but not annoy.

But as we’ve said before, 2/3 of acquisitions fail—and Skype was no exception. The userbase has fallen 95% from its peak when it was bought by $MSFT. What Went Wrong?

🔹 Missed the mobile shift – It was built for desktops, not apps.
🔹 Got iPhoned & Gmailed – FaceTime & Google Meet made it obsolete.
🔹 The Acquisition Effect – After big Microsoft bought it, innovation stalled, and Skype faded.

The Takeaway: Skype may be gone, but its playbook remains.

Skype is remembered by its growth hacks—social proof, freemium models, & sonic branding—which are still shaping today’s biggest tech platforms.

🛍️ TJ Maxx Isn’t Just Winning Discount Retail—It’s Winning Retail, Period.

TJ Maxx is now a $127B company, more valuable than Nike and chasing just French fashion icons Hermès and LVMH in the clothing category. Here’s why:

#1. Bargain Shopping Always Wins

Unlike luxury brands, discount shopping never goes out of style (sales racks ain’t cyclical):

• After the 2008 financial crisis? TJ Maxx thrived.

• During the pandemic? Same story.

• In today’s inflation economy? Even more Maxxinistas are looking for deals.

📈 TJX’s annual sales today are nearly 3x what they were in 2010. No matter the economy, people love a bargain.

#2. TJ Maxx Is Tariff-Proof

Most retailers—Nike, Ralph Lauren, The Gap—pay tariffs on their China-made goods. But instead of sourcing from China, TJX buys up overstock from brands that couldn’t sell their inventory.

• Ralph Lauren pays the tariff to import a polo in China.

• TJX swoops in and grabs the unsold polos for cheap.

This makes TJX one of the few retailers with Trade War immunity—while still benefiting from Made in China low prices.

The Takeaway…

TJ Maxx doesn’t just win on price—it wins on relationships.

Employing 1,300 professional buyers across 4 continents, TJX is trusted by apparel brands to quietly handle overstock. If Ralph makes 1,000 too many polos, his first call is to TJX. Competitors can’t just “sell it cheaper”—they don’t have the army of pro buyers or the connections that TJX has built over the past few decades.

So TJ Maxx’s real edge? It’s not discount prices, it’s their 1300-strong buying network.

Financial Trickshot 📝

A low-cost, high-return strategy for maximum impact with minimum effort.

Groceries edition: Go all in on Kirkland - an entire private-label-themed shopping week. Scroll to the bottom for Jack’s latest Costco receipt.

Have you used any of our trickshots? Hit reply and let us know if you have.

👯‍♀️ Tell a Bestie:

These are the headlines from our “Headline Hammer” of potential stories for the show each morning that we just couldn’t fit on the pod:

• 📉 Stocks dipped Thursday into “correction” (down 10%) before rallying Friday in a tariff-whiplashed week

• 💍 Kerry Washington swipes right on wedding startup Cheersy with an investment

• 🏆 Gold hits $3K for the first time ever thanks to Trade War jitters

• 🚗 Carmakers are messing with gear shifts again… drivers are not amused

• 🎭 Gucci’s got more drama than a reality show—new Creative Director incoming

• 🚖 Waymo racked up 600 SF parking tickets last year (this is Nick, and I was actually in one when it happened)

• 🏋️‍♂️ CrossFit is up for sale—needs new leadership as gyms dropped from 14K to 10K. Burpees not included

• 🍜 General Mills just entered the ramen game—instant noodles, meet Big Cereal

The Best Idea Yet  🛒 

Costco almost called its private-label brand “Seattle Signature”. Today, Kirkland Signature is Costco’s profit puppy - it does more sales than all of Coca-Cola.

This weekend, listen to the untold origin story of Costco’s Kirkland Brand on The Best Idea Yet. New 45-minute episodes drop every Tuesday.

And one more thing. Hope your grocery run feels like an art walk, your bargains are tariff-proof, and your video calls aren’t on Skype.

BTW—what’s your all-time favorite Trader Joe’s mural? 🎨

Celebrate the wins ✨

— Nick & Jack