I think The Clash said it best: "Should I stay or should I go?" That was the question heard round the retail world leading up to NRF 2022, as the Omicron variant of Covid-19 spiked in New York City, home to the Javits Center and the NRF Big Show, leaving hospitals overwhelmed and potential attendees and exhibitors fearful of getting sick and stuck in quarantine in a city not their own. In the end, some selected the former and some the latter, which made for lower attendance and some wide-open vistas on the exhibit floor, but also created the opportunity for a less frenetic pace, with longer, more in-depth conversations and a place to sit down to have them. Surprisingly, Omicron did not keep all international visitors away. Many small groups traveled the show speaking Spanish, Portuguese, German, French.