The Economics of Everyday Things
Freakonomics Network & Zachary Crockett
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
Mentioned books
13 snips
Oct 5, 2026 • 18min
79. School Photos
Picture day is big business. Explore how LifeTouch built a national school photography empire, won lucrative contracts, and turned chaotic classrooms into efficient portrait studios. From hiring photographers and coaxing smiles to using algorithms that standardize every image, discover why this annual tradition survives in the smartphone era.
Oct 1, 2026 • 20min
78. Porta-Potties
Portable toilets have evolved from wartime plywood units into surprisingly profitable infrastructure. Explore the rental economics, behind-the-scenes logistics of construction sites and massive festivals, and the precise routines that keep overflowing units at bay. Along the way: Olympic-scale contracts, waste treatment, unusual discoveries, and the unexpected pride found in an often-overlooked industry.
6 snips
Sep 28, 2026 • 16min
77. Hand Models
Step into the hidden world of hand modeling, where flawless cuticles, visible nail moons, and camera-ready fingers can launch a lucrative career. Explore the precision behind product shots, from concealing logos to mastering the perfect pizza pull, plus the constant danger of cuts, burns, sunlight, and everyday accidents. Discover how agencies scout this tiny, competitive modeling niche.
7 snips
Sep 24, 2026 • 17min
76. Hotel Art
Jessica Poundstone, a geometric digital artist known for vivid, structured compositions, and Gabby Wolfe, founder of commercial art advisor Indie Walls, explore the hidden world of hotel art. They discuss replacing generic prints with local stories, designing work for mass reproduction, navigating hotel budgets and long timelines, and how advisors manage licensing, framing, installation, and security.
29 snips
Sep 21, 2026 • 20min
75. Butchers
Brian and Katie Flannery, co-owners of a multigenerational San Francisco beef business, reveal what happens before steak reaches the plate. They trace cattle through the supply chain, explain USDA grading, and explore why supermarket butchers do less cutting today. The conversation also covers volatile pricing, dry-aging losses, precision cutting, filet mignon scarcity, and the razor-thin economics of premium beef.
26 snips
Sep 17, 2026 • 33min
Amazon Was Supposed to Kill the Bookstore. James Daunt Had Other Plans | Better in Person
James Daunt, the British bookseller who founded Daunt Books and revived Waterstones and Barnes & Noble, explains why local judgment can beat corporate control. He discusses rescuing struggling chains, curating stores for their communities, and making bookstores destinations rather than retailers. The conversation explores Amazon, BookTok, physical media, bookstores as social institutions, and learning through reversible mistakes.
26 snips
Sep 14, 2026 • 22min
74. Fonts
Fonts are more than visual style: they’re intellectual property, creative craft, and big business. Trace their journey from ancient marks and Gutenberg to digital design tools, explore how licensing varies across screens and companies, and peek inside the high-stakes world of custom typefaces, font marketplaces, acquisitions, and infringement claims.
27 snips
Sep 10, 2026 • 17min
73. Used Bookstores
Francisco Hernandez, an independent bookseller and owner of Brooklyn’s Leaves, reveals the hidden economics of secondhand books. He discusses curating shelves, pricing collections, sourcing books from dumpsters to estate sales, and competing with Amazon. Along the way: the emotional weight of buying libraries, the value of staff expertise, and the joy of matching a reader with the perfect book.
22 snips
Sep 7, 2026 • 20min
72. Helium
Phil Kornbluth, a helium-market consultant, Beau Sears, CEO of Helix Exploration, and Sophia Hayes, a chemistry professor, explore helium’s journey from radioactive decay to party balloons. They discuss why it is chemically unique, how it powers MRIs, rockets, and chipmaking, and the risky process of finding and extracting it. The conversation also examines shortages, fragile supply chains, and helium’s vanishing future.
9 snips
Sep 3, 2026 • 19min
71. Mannequins
Mannequins quietly shape what shoppers buy, turning silent displays into a multibillion-dollar retail industry. Explore their evolution from tailor forms to dynamic, inclusive designs, the artistry and technology behind their creation, and the unusual afterlife of discarded figures. Plus, a look at the environmental challenges of fiberglass and plastic mannequins.
