The Economics of Everyday Things
Who decides which snacks are in your office’s vending machine? How much is a suburban elm tree worth, and to whom? How did Girl Scout Cookies become a billion-dollar business? In bite-sized episodes, journalist Zachary Crockett looks at quotidian things and finds amazing stories.
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To get every show in the Freakonomics Radio Network without ads and a monthly bonus episode of Freakonomics Radio, start a free trial for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.
Episodes (52)
105. Light Bulbs
Why did it take so long to invent a longer-lasting bulb? Zachary Crockett finds the answer illuminating.
EXTRA: Emoji and the Law
How do courts interpret those little icons on your phone? Zachary Crockett brings down the hammer.
Home Staging (Replay)
How do you turn an empty house into a buyer’s dream home? Zachary Crockett pulls back the curtain.
104. Private Investigators
They expose fraud, catch cheating spouses, and track down missing assets — but they don’t come cheap. Zachary Crockett takes the case.
103. Satellites
There are now nearly 12,000 satellites orbiting Earth. What does it cost to put them there, and how do they make money? Zachary Crockett launches an investigation.
102. “The Starry Night”
How does a museum place a value on a priceless work of art? And how much does it cost to keep it safe? Zachary Crockett appraises the situation.
101. Street Performers
Performing for passersby takes more than talent. Buskers have to cope with hecklers, civic regulations, aggressive competitors — and uncertain pay. Zachary Crockett passes the hat.
Mobile Home Parks (Replay)
They’ve long been associated with crime and blight. Now, the investors are moving in. Zachary Crockett follows the trail.
100. Podcasts
What goes into creating an episode of The Economics of Everyday Things? And how do shows like this one make money? Zachary Crockett turns the mic on himself.
99. Emoji
We send 10 billion of them every day. Where do they come from? Zachary Crockett hearts this topic.
98. Police Sketches
When security cameras and facial recognition tools fail, law enforcement investigators fall back on a witness's memory and an artist's hand. Zachary Crockett's nose was a little bigger than that.
EXTRA: Fireworks Stands
How does an industry built on roadside pop-ups make billions of dollars in two weeks of the year? Zachary Crockett gets pyrotechnical.
Car Washes (Replay)
Why are these sudsy roadside stops one of the fastest growing industries in America? Zachary Crockett takes a look under the hood.
97. Elevators
Americans take more than 20 billion elevator rides every year — and keeping them safe is an expensive proposition. Zachary Crockett makes small talk.
96. School Buses
Districts across the country are facing shortages of school bus drivers. Can technology help? Zachary Crockett takes a seat in the back.
95. Airplane Food
Everyone loves to complain about it — but preparing a meal that tastes good at 35,000 feet is harder than you might think. Zachary Crockett will have the fish.
94. Fireworks Shows
Every year, America celebrates its independence with millions of dollars worth of explosives imported from China. Zachary Crockett lights a fuse and backs away quickly.
93. Pearls
These glistening round gemstones have come a long way since your grandmother's time, but procuring them is still a lot of work. The world is Zachary Crockett’s oyster.
Little League (Replay)
Youth baseball — long a widely accessible American pastime — has become overrun by $10,000-per-year, for-profit travel leagues. Zachary Crockett peers inside the dugout.
92. Data Centers
Where is “the cloud,” anyway? It’s in a bunch of nondescript warehouses all over the country. Zachary Crockett serves up the story.
91. Roller Coasters
A new thrill ride can cost an amusement park $20 million or more — but roller coasters attract customers like nothing else. Zachary Crockett must be at least this tall to host this episode.
90. Closed Captions
It takes a highly skilled stenographer — and some specialized equipment — to transcribe TV dialogue in real time at 300 words per minute. Will A.I. rewrite the script? Zachary Crockett tries to keep...
89. Locksmiths
The ability to get into any home, car, or safe can be lucrative — but fixing locks is a tough business. Zachary Crockett gets the key information.
88. Fortune Cookies
Those tiny treats that predict your future may come free at the end of a Chinese meal, but they’re big business (and not Chinese). Zachary Crockett will go on a long journey.
87. Ski Areas
When you hit the slopes, you might not be thinking about water rights, controlled avalanches, and liability insurance — but someone has to. Zachary Crockett shreds the pow.
86. Toothpaste
We reach for it twice a day — without thinking about the decades of research and engineering that went into that squeezable tube of minty goo. Zachary Crockett extracts the last bit.
85. Executive Recruiters
When a Fortune 500 company needs a new leader, it turns to a well-connected headhunter who assesses candidates with psychological tests and mock TV interviews. Zachary Crockett activates his network.
84. Mall Cops
Security guards make malls feel safer, but what can they do when there’s trouble? Zachary Crockett observes and reports.
83. Game Show Winnings
How do TV producers decide how much money to give away? A little psychology and a lot of math. Zachary Crockett phones a friend.
82. Chain Restaurant Recipes
A fast-food burger has to taste the same — and cost the same — thousands of times a day at restaurants across the country. Zachary Crockett mans the fryer.
Used Golf Balls (Replay)
American golfers lose 300 million balls a year — and all those bad swings are someone else’s business opportunity. Zachary Crockett hits the links.
81. Guide Dogs
Before a guide dog can help a blind person navigate the world, it has to pass a series of tests, then go through $75,000 worth of training. Zachary Crockett sniffs around.
80. Going-Out-of-Business Sales
Behind that 70% off sign, there’s a liquidation consultant trying to maximize retailer profits. Zachary Crockett seeks a deal.
79. School Photos
Picture day is an annual tradition for American families — and, for the companies that take the photos, a lucrative one. Zachary Crockett smiles for the camera.
78. Porta-Potties
They're not always the nicest places to go — but for their owners, portable toilets are a lucrative revenue stream. Zachary Crockett lifts the lid.
77. Hand Models
You can be a top model and still not get recognized on the street — as long as you keep your cuticles healthy and your moons white. Zachary Crockett points a finger.
76. Hotel Art
A watercolor of a harbor? A black-and-white photo of a pile of rocks? Some hotels are trying to do better. Zachary Crockett unpacks.
75. Butchers
Before beef ends up at your favorite steakhouse, it passes through the hands of a trained specialist with an encyclopedic knowledge of bovine anatomy. Zachary Crockett chews the fat.
Pistachios (Replay)
How did a little green nut become a billion-dollar product, lauded by celebrities in Super Bowl ads? Zachary Crockett cracks open the story.
Cashmere (Replay)
Once a luxury good, the soft fiber is now everywhere — which has led to a goat boom in Mongolia. Zachary Crockett tugs at the thread.
74. Fonts
Behind almost every character you see displayed on a page or a screen, there’s a complex — and sometimes lucrative — web of licensing deals. Zachary Crockett is just your type.
73. Used Bookstores
Americans throw away 320 million books every year. How do some of them find a second life? Zachary Crockett is just browsing.
Greeting Cards (Replay)
The tradition of sending cards to loved ones was in decline — until it was rescued by a new generation. But millennials have their own ideas about what sentiments they want to convey. Zachary Crockett...
72. Helium
It’s unreactive, lighter than air, and surprisingly important to the global economy. Zachary Crockett goes up an octave.
Stadium Names, from The Indicator
How did Florida International University’s new football stadium come to be named after the rapper and singer Pitbull? Adrian Ma and Wailin Wong of The Indicator from Planet Money explain.
71. Mannequins
Mannequins may be made out of plastic or fiberglass, but for retailers they’re pure gold. Zachary Crockett strikes a pose.
70. Prison Labor
Incarcerated people grow crops, fight wildfires, and manufacture everything from motor oil to prescription glasses — often for pennies per hour. Zachary Crockett reports from North Carolina.
69. Highway Signs
It takes millions of giant green placards to make America navigable. Where do they come from — and who pays the bill? Zachary Crockett takes the exit.
68. Zoo Animals
When a zoo needs an elephant, or finds itself with three surplus penguins, it doesn’t buy or sell the animals — it asks around. Zachary Crockett rattles the cages.
67. Tow Trucks
Tow-truck drivers: roadside rescuers or car confiscators? Zachary Crockett gets hooked.
66. Stradivarius Violins
Why are these 300-year-old instruments still coveted by violinists today? And how do working musicians get their hands on multimillion-dollar antiques? Zachary Crockett is not fiddling around.
Card Counting (Replay)
Casinos think they can stop skilled gamblers from eking out a tiny edge at blackjack. Is that a losing bet? Zachary Crockett doubles down.
About this Podcast
Copyright
All Rights Reserved
Language
en
Categories
Business