This week we dig into Amazon's physical store strategy as it ups the ante with the expansion of its mainstream grocery store concept (Amazon Fresh), convenience stores (Amazon Go), and an initial foray into brick-and-mortar apparel (Amazon Style). We ponder why Whole Foods has gotten worse under their leadership and whether the company's tendency to see most everything as an engineering problem keeps them from delivering the emotional content and artistic side of retail they will need to succeed in the future. We get Steve's full report on his store visits and reprise how important it is to understand "buying" vs. "shopping."But first we open up with the retail news that caught our attention this week, including lots of scary macro-economic news. We also discuss the dire surprise warnings from Walmart and Best Buy, as well as a dismal earnings report from Shopify. Then we try to unpack Amazon's earnings, which we found less than stellar, despite Wall Street's ebullience. ********************************************************We look forward to seeing everyone at Grocery ShopTwo of Steve's Forbes articles on this week's topicAmazon's Future May Soon Be Tied to Brick-and-MortarHere's Why Amazon Should Buy Kohl'sJohn Oliver "This Week Tonight" Episode on InflationAmazon Fresh's Latest StoreInside The First Amazon Style Store About UsSteve Dennis is an advisor, keynote speaker and author on strategic growth and business innovation. You can learn more about Steve on his       website.    The expanded and revised edition of his bestselling book  Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption is now available at  Amazon or just about anywhere else books are sold. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a      Forbes senior contributor and on       Twitter and       LinkedIn. You can also check out his speaker "sizzle" reel      here.Michael LeBlanc  is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice.   He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career.  Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada’s top retail industry podcast,       The Voice of Retail, plus  Global E-Commerce Tech Talks  ,      The Food Professor  with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois and now in its second season, Conversations with CommerceNext!  You can learn more about Michael   here  or on     LinkedIn. Be sure and check out Michael's latest venture for fun and influencer riches - Last Request Barbecue,  his YouTube BBQ cooking channel!