Sorry, It's Discontinued: Celebrating Retail Associates, Retail History, and Community
Welcome to Sorry, It's Discontinued — a podcast about the human side of retail.
Hosted by Hilary Nichols, a former luxury beauty manager with more than 25 years of experience in retail, beauty, and fragrance, this show explores the journeys, experiences, and stories that shape retail associates and the communities they serve.
Through conversations with retail associates, beauty advisors, fragrance specialists, makeup artists, freelancers, entrepreneurs, and retail professionals, we highlight the paths that led them to their passions, the challenges they've faced, and the lessons they've learned along the way.
In solo episodes, Hilary shares honest reflections on the reality of retail from the perspective of retail associates — the good, the bad, the funny, the frustrating, and the unforgettable — while celebrating the brands, products, stores, and history of retail that made the industry special.
Whether you're a current retail associate, a former retail associate, or simply someone who loves retail, retail history, retail nostalgia, beauty, fragrance, and customer service, this podcast is a place to connect through shared experiences and stories.
💄 Have a seat, hit follow, and join me as we explore the heart, humor, and humanity of retail.
🎙️ New episodes every Thursday.
Sorry, It's Discontinued: Celebrating Retail Associates, Retail History, and Community
Latest Episodes
Bloomingdale’s: The Big Brown Bag, Splash & the Magic of Retail
What made Bloomingdale’s one of New York City’s most iconic department stores?In this nostalgic episode of Sorry, It’s Discontinued, Hilary looks back at the history of Bloomingdale’s—from its beginnings in 1872 an...
American Girl and How Retail Becomes Part of Our Family Story
What happened to American Girl since the days of those magical catalogs?In this episode of Sorry, It’s Discontinued, Hilary looks back at the history of American Girl—from Pleasant Company and the original historical d...
Can Record Stores Help Save Retail? The Record Store Comeback: Why We Still Want to Shop for Music
Episode DescriptionRemember when buying music meant spending an hour inside a record store, flipping through CDs, vinyl and cassettes, talking to employees and discovering your next favorite artist?In this episode of Sorry, ...
The Mall and Store Escalator: Retail’s Most Dramatic Coworker
Retail workers have a love-hate relationship with mall escalators. When they’re working, they bring shoppers directly to our departments. When they stop, every associate is suddenly expected to become an escalator engineer. And when children, s...
The Teenagers Keeping Retail Alive| Why Retail Associates Need to Look at the Teenage Shopper Differently
In this episode of Sorry, It's Discontinued, Hilary explores a growing trend that many retail associates are noticing: teenagers are becoming some of today's most passionate and knowledgeable fragrance shoppers.Fro...
