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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Latest episodes
Jun 19, 2023 • 18min
6. T. rex Skeletons
How do they emerge from the Upper Cretaceous period to end up in natural-history museums and private collections? Zachary Crockett digs for answers.
8 snips
Jun 12, 2023 • 14min
5. Sports Mascots
We’re not sure what that creature cavorting on the sidelines is — but it doesn’t come cheap. Zachary Crockett gets the ballpark figures on everyone’s favorite ballpark figures.
7 snips
Feb 13, 2023 • 16min
4. Used Hotel Soaps
Hotel guests adore those cute little soaps, but is it just a one-night stand? Zachary Crockett discovers what happens when we love ’em and leave ’em.
Feb 6, 2023 • 17min
3. My Sharona
Can a hit single from four decades ago still pay the bills? Zachary Crockett f-f-f-finds out.
Jan 30, 2023 • 13min
2. Girl Scout Cookies
How does America's cutest sales force get billions of Thin Mints, Samoas, and Tagalongs into our hands every year? Zachary Crockett digs in.
31 snips
Jan 23, 2023 • 14min
1. Gas Stations
In our first episode, host Zachary Crockett sidles up to the pump to ask: Who owns your local gas station, and where do their profits really come from?
Jan 19, 2023 • 40sec
Coming Soon: The Economics of Everyday Things
A new show is coming to the Freakonomics Radio Network. Stay tuned for The Economics of Everyday Things, hosted by Zachary Crockett.
