Behind Door Number One: Not What You Expected?

Screens are everywhere. They're on gas pumps, taxi headrests, airplane seats, even department store mirrors. It was only a matter of time before retail outlets tried screens on freezer doors, imagining they should glow too. What happened instead was a series of flickering displays, mislabeled shelves, and, at one point, freezers so opaque that employees taped up paper signs reading “Drinks Inside.”

This episode of Decisions at the Fulcrum dives into what happens when innovation chases spectacle instead of substance. From a six-store pilot stretched far beyond solid evidence, to the December 2023 “blackout” where Cooler Screens pulled the plug on over 100 stores, this is a story of misplaced optimism that iced over into lawsuits. When the screens finally came down, Walgreens went back to reliable glass door. Sometimes the best decision is the one you can see all the way through. 

This podcast cites Carr's January 16, 2025 article in Bloomberg. The introduction bit is *not an ad* for any real product (there is no hydro-deluxe as far as I know). It's for entertainment and storytelling.