The Economics of Everyday Things

Who decides which snacks are in your office’s vending machine? How much is a suburban elm tree worth

Episodes

Total: 96

American golfers lose 300 million balls a year — and all those bad swings are someone else’s busines

Before a guide dog can help a blind person navigate the world, it has to pass a series of tests, the

Behind that 70% off sign, there’s a liquidation consultant trying to maximize retailer profits. Zach

Picture day is an annual tradition for American families — and, for the companies that take the phot

They're not always the nicest places to go — but for their owners, portable toilets are a lucrative

You can be a top model and still not get recognized on the street — as long as you keep your cuticle

76. Hotel Art

2025/1/13

A watercolor of a harbor? A black-and-white photo of a pile of rocks? Some hotels are trying to do b

Before beef ends up at your favorite steakhouse, it passes through the hands of a trained specialist

How did a little green nut become a billion-dollar product, lauded by celebrities in Super Bowl ads?

Once a luxury good, the soft fiber is now everywhere — which has led to a goat boom in Mongolia. Zac

Behind almost every character you see displayed on a page or a screen, there’s a complex — and somet

73. Used Bookstores

2024/12/9

Americans throw away 320 million books every year. How do some of them find a second life? Zachary C

The tradition of sending cards to loved ones was in decline — until it was rescued by a new generati

It’s unreactive, lighter than air, and surprisingly important to the global economy. Zachary Crocket

How did Florida International University’s new football stadium come to be named after the rapper an

Mannequins may be made out of plastic or fiberglass, but for retailers they’re pure gold. Zachary Cr

Incarcerated people grow crops, fight wildfires, and manufacture everything from motor oil to prescr

It takes millions of giant green placards to make America navigable. Where do they come from — and w

When a zoo needs an elephant, or finds itself with three surplus penguins, it doesn’t buy or sell th

Tow-truck drivers: roadside rescuers or car confiscators? Zachary Crockett gets hooked. SOURCES:Bill