The Economics of Everyday Things
As a senior producer at the Freakonomics Radio Network, I’m a regularly contributing producer to The Economics of Everyday Things, hosted by journalist Zachary Crockett.
About the show: 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.
Listen to Select Episodes:
+ “Pearls” (2025)
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.
+ “Ski Areas” (2025)
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.
+ “Chain Restaurant Recipes” (2025)
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.
+ “Hotel Art” (2025)
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.
+ “Used Bookstores” (2024)
Americans throw away 320 million books every year. How do some of them find a second life? Zachary Crockett is just browsing.