At Walmart’s annual meeting last year Doug McMillon took the stage and made a cocktail. He poured a can of Coca-Cola into a glass of cumin, black pepper and lemon juice to make an Indian masala coke.
“Can you start to imagine what that tastes like?” he asked.
Mr McMillon, head of Walmart’s international business, needed a guinea pig: “Where is Mike Duke?” he asked. “Mike, c’mere.” Mr Duke, his boss and Walmart’s chief executive, came forward, took a long slurp, and declared “fantastic” – unconvincingly. As he returned to his seat, Mr McMillon said: “You know that taste you have in your mouth right now? That taste is gonna be there for about 48 hours.” The audience of Walmart employees burst into laughter.