The Economics of Everyday Things

It takes fungi-sniffing dogs, back-room deals, and a guy named “The Kingpin” for the world’s most coveted morsel to end up on your plate. Zachary Crockett picks up the scent.

• SOURCES:
  • Jason McKinney, co-founder and C.E.O. of Truffle Shuffle.
  • Besart Morina, truffle dealer.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Dogs Pay the Price in Italian Truffle War," by Margherita Stancati (The Wall Street Journal, 2022).
  • "How Truffles Took Root Around the World," by Federico Kukso (Smithsonian Magazine, 2022).
  • "Has the American-Grown Truffle Finally Broken Through?" by Rowan Jacobsen (Smithsonian Magazine, 2021).
  • "Sonoma County Farm Strikes Black Truffle Gold After 9 Years of Waiting," by Jenn Harris (Los Angeles Times, 2021).
  • "In Nicolas Cage’s ‘Pig,’ How Much Is the Truffle Hog Worth Anyway?" by Victoria Petersen (The New York Times, 2021).
  • "Predicted Climate Change Will Increase the Truffle Cultivation Potential in Central Europe," by Tomáš Čejka, Miroslav Trnka, Paul J. Krusic, Ulrich Stobbe, Daniel Oliach, Tomáš Václavík, Willy Tegel, and Ulf Büntgen (Nature Scientific Reports, 2020).
  • "Inside the Exceptionally Shady World of Truffle Fraud," by Ryan Jacobs (Eater, 2019).
  • "Truffle Thieves Face Paramilitary Threat," by Kim Willsher (The Guardian, 2012).
  • "The Hidden Life of Truffles," by James M. Trappe and Andrew W. Claridge (Scientific American, 2010).
  • "Cultivation of Black Truffle to Promote Reforestation and Land-Usestability," by José Antonio Bonet, Christine R. Fischer, and Carlos Colinas (Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 2006).

Once considered noble and heroic, pigeons are now viewed as an urban nuisance — one that costs cities millions of dollars a year. Zachary Crockett tosses some crumbs.

• SOURCES:
  • Andrew Blechman, journalist and author.
  • David Champagne, owner of Bird Busters, Inc.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Racing Pigeon Sells For A Record-Breaking $1.9 Million At Auction," by Carlie Porterfield (Forbes, 2020).
  • "Feathers of Honor: U.S. Army Signal Corps Pigeon Service in World War I, 1917–1918," by Frank A. Blazich Jr. (Army History, 2020).
  • "Pigeon Wars," by Jon Mooallem (The New York Times, 2006).
  • Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird, by Andrew Blechman (2004).
  • "Pigeons Have Magnets," by Charles Walcott, James L. Gould, and J. L. Kirschvink (Science, 1979).
  • "The Pigeon as a Quality-Control Inspector," by Thom Verhave (American Psychologist, 1966).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Freakonomics Radio Live: 'Jesus Could Have Been a Pigeon,'" by Freakonomics Radio (2018).

How do criminals turn their ill-gotten gains into taxable income? And how does law enforcement stop them? Zachary Crockett follows the money.

• SOURCES:
  • Patrick McKenzie, fraud prevention expert and strategic advisor at Stripe.
  • Kerry Myers, associate professor of instruction at the University of South Florida and former F.B.I. special agent.

• RESOURCES:
  • "National Assessments of Money Laundering Risks: Stumbling at the Start," by Joras Ferwerda and Peter Reuter (Risk Analysis, 2024).
  • "Hacker 'Washes' $25M in Stolen Crypto Through Magic: The Gathering Card Scheme," by Oliver Dale (Blockonomi, 2023).
  • "Money Spending or Money Laundering: The Fine Line between Legal and Illegal Financial Transactions," by Matthew R. Auten (Pace Law Review, 2013).
  • "HSBC to Pay $1.9bn in US Money Laundering Penalties" (BBC News, 2012).
  • "How a Big US Bank Laundered Billions From Mexico's Murderous Drug Gangs," by Ed Vulliamy (The Guardian, 2011).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Why Does One Tiny State Set the Rules for Everyone?" by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • "Kafkaesque," S3.E9 of Breaking Bad (2010).

Thanks to online booking platforms, the way we make reservations has changed — but a table at a hot restaurant on a Friday night is still a valuable commodity. Zachary Crockett books a four-top for 7 p.m.

• SOURCES:
  • Lisa Blount, director of marketing and public relations at Antoine’s Restaurant.
  • Adam Iscoe, writer.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Why You Can’t Get a Restaurant Reservation," by Adam Iscoe (The New Yorker, 2024).
  • "New York Passes Bill to Make the Restaurant Reservation Black Market Illegal," by Emma Orlow (Eater, 2024).
  • "When Canceling Your Reservation Costs as Much as Dinner," by T.M. Brown (The New York Times, 2024).
  • "65% Of Diners Go Directly To A Restaurant’s Website To Book A Reservation," by Tessa Zuluaga (Toast, 2024).
  • "No-Show Diners by the Numbers," by OpenTable (2021).
  • "Selling Reservations Democratizes the Dining Experience," by Tyler Cowen (The New York Times, 2015).
  • Antoine's Restaurant.

• EXTRAS:
  • "Why You Shouldn’t Open a Restaurant," by Freakonomics Radio (2018).

There are more firefighters than ever — and fewer fires for them to fight. So the job has changed. Zachary Crockett slides down the pole.

• SOURCES:
  • Joshua Hurwitz, lecturer in economics at Tufts University.
  • Eric Mackintosh, administrative battalion fire chief for San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department.
  • Steve Pegram, retired fire chief and township administrator in Ohio.

• RESOURCES:
  • "The Dire Shortage of Volunteer Firefighters in the US," by Sam Becker (BBC, 2024).
  • San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department 2023 Annual Report (2024).
  • "Essays on the Economics of U.S. Firefighting," by Joshua Hurwitz (Harvard University doctoral dissertation, 2021).
  • "Over Last 20 Years, Annual Fires in the US Declined by About 50% While Career Firefighters Increased More Than 50%?" by Mark J. Perry (AEIdeas, 2015).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Getting Old, Adventurously," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).

How did love stories about vampires, cowboys, and wealthy dukes become the highest-grossing fiction genre in the world? Zachary Crockett gets swept away.

• SOURCES:
  • Delaney Diamond, romance novelist.
  • Danielle Flores, high school math teacher and avid romance novel reader.
  • Brenda Hiatt, romance novelist.
  • Diane Moggy, vice president of editorial at Harlequin.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Even as Overall Book Sales Are Declining, Romance Novels Are on the Rise," by Elena Burnett, Sarah Handel, and Juana Summers (All Things Considered, 2023).
  • "Key Takeaways from the Authors Guild’s 2023 Author Income Survey," press release by the Authors Guild (2023).
  • "How Amazon Turned Everyone Into a Romance Writer (and Created an Antitrust Headache)," by Ann Kjellberg (Observer, 2022).
  • "Vivian Stephens Helped Turn Romance Writing Into a Billion-Dollar Industry. Then She Got Pushed Out," by Mimi Swartz (Texas Monthly, 2020).
  • "A Brief History of the Romance Novel," by Amanda Pagan (New York Public Library Blog, 2019).
  • "How Harlequin Became the Most Famous Name in Romance," by Kelly Faircloth (Jezebel, 2015).
  • "Fifty Shades of Amish: A Strange Genre of the Romance Novel," by Leah McGrath Goodman (Newsweek, 2015).

Performing at a strip club can be lucrative, but it requires financial and psychological savvy — and an eye for social trends. Zachary Crockett takes a look.

• SOURCES:
  • Layla, stripper.
  • Dave Manack, publisher and editor-in-chief of Exotic Dancer.

• RESOURCES:
  • "A Look at Washington State’s ‘Strippers’ Bill of Rights’," by Aimee Ortiz (The New York Times, 2024).
  • "These L.A. Strippers Won a Union. But the Dance Isn’t Over," by Suhauna Hussain (Los Angeles Times, 2023).
  • "Dancers at Northwest Portland Strip Club Vote to Form City’s First Strippers Union, Second in U.S.," by Kristine de Leon (The Oregonian, 2023).
  • "'Everyone and Their Mum Is on It': OnlyFans Booms in Popularity During the Pandemic," by Matilda Boseley (The Guardian, 2020).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Why is Everyone Having Less Sex?" by No Stupid Questions (2023).

Why does treating a venomous snake bite cost as much as a house? Zachary Crockett slithers over to North Carolina to find out.

• SOURCES:
  • Steve Anderson, emergency medicine business unit leader at BTG Pharmaceuticals.
  • Nick Brandehoff, professor of emergency medicine at the University of Colorado and executive director of the Asclepius Snakebite Foundation.
  • Sean Bush, emergency physician and president of the North American Society of Toxinology.
  • Nitin Deshpande, business consultant with Premium Serums & Vaccines.
  • Jack Facente, owner-operator of AGRITOXINS Venom Production Laboratory.

• RESOURCES:
  • "This New Antivenom Defangs the Toxins of Cobras, Black Mambas and More," by Cassandra Willyard (Scientific American, 2024).
  • "Perspectives on Snakebite Envenoming Care Needs Across Different Sociocultural Contexts and Health Systems: A Comparative Qualitative Analysis Among U.S. and Brazilian Health Providers," by Eleanor Strand, Felipe Murta, Anna Tupetz, Charles J. Gerardo, et al. (Toxicon: X, 2023).
  • "Access to Antivenoms in the Developing World: A Multidisciplinary Analysis," by Julien Potet, David Beran, David J. Williams, et al. (Toxicon: X, 2021).
  • "The Lab Saving the World From Snake Bites," by Myles Karp (Smithsonian Magazine, 2020).
  • "Why Competition Hasn't Brought Down The High Price Of Snakebite Treatment," by Carmen Heredia Rodriguez (NPR, 2019).
  • "Summer Bummer: A Young Camper’s $142,938 Snakebite," by Carmen Heredia Rodriguez (KFF Health News, 2019).
  • "The Amazing Science Behind Fatal Snake Bites," (BBC News, 2015).
  • "Southern Californians See a Rise in Venomous Snakes," by Rebecca Fairley Raney (The New York Times, 2006).
  • Venom Week.

• EXTRAS:
  • Venom Hunters, TV series (2016).

Online companies promised to bring transparency to the mattress-buying experience. Did that work out? Zachary Crockett takes a look under the sheets.

• SOURCES:
  • Derek Hales, founder and editor-in-chief of NapLab.com.
  • Joe Megibow, C.E.O. of Casper Sleep.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Drake Has a $400,000 Bed − We Asked Why and Where You Can Buy It," by Emilia Hitching (Homes & Gardens, 2024).
  • "Casper Tests a New Store Design as It Rethinks Its Retail Strategy," by Anna Hensel (Modern Retail, 2024).
  • "Is The Direct-To-Consumer Bedding Business Turning Into A Bad Dream?" by Warren Shoulberg (Forbes, 2019).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Are We in a Mattress-Store Bubble?" by Freakonomics Radio (2016).

Channeling the voices of celebrities can be a lucrative career — one that requires empathy and discretion as well as literary chops. Zachary Crockett checks the acknowledgements.

• SOURCES:
  • Valerie Frankel, ghostwriter.
  • Madeleine Morel, President and Lead Agent of 2M Communications.
  • Daniel Paisner, ghostwriter.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Ghostwriting History: Churchill, Kennedy and the Authenticity of Authorship," by Andrew Mumford (The International History Review, 2024).
  • "Column: How many ways can a political memoir backfire? Ask Kristi Noem," by Robin Abcarian (Los Angeles Times, 2024).
  • "Notes from Prince Harry’s Ghostwriter," by J. R. Moehringer (The New Yorker, 2023).
  • "Confessions of a Celebrity Ghostwriter," by Dina Gachman (Texas Monthly, 2022).

How did mobile kitchens become popular with hipster gourmands? And just how much money can a popular truck make from a lunch shift? Zachary Crocket drops some napkins.

• SOURCES:
  • Mariel-Leona Edwards, senior operations manager for Señor Sisig.
  • Matthew Geller, founding president of the National Food Truck Association and C.E.O. of the Southern California Mobile Food Vendors Association.
  • Evan Kidera, C.E.O. and co-owner of Señor Sisig.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Seed Planted in SF State MBA Program Grows Into Mini-Filipino Food Empire," by Jamie Oppenheim (SF State News, 2022).
  • "Inside Señor Sisig, the First Restaurant for a Pioneer of Filipino-American Cuisine," by Luke Tsai (Eater, 2019).
  • "Tamales, L.A.’s Original Street Food," by Gustavo Arellano (Los Angeles Times, 2011).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Why You Shouldn’t Open a Restaurant (Update)," by Freakonomics Radio (2019).

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.

• SOURCES:
  • Linda Flanagan, author.
  • Nick Mackenzie, future New York Yankees shortstop.
  • R.J. Mackenzie, physical education teacher and baseball dad.
  • John Miller, journalist and baseball coach.

• RESOURCES:
  • "The Cost of Youth Baseball Is Getting Absurd," by Adam Minter (Bloomberg, 2024).
  • "Perfect Game Sees Prosperity Thanks To New Investments In Youth Sports," by Wayne G. McDonnell, Jr. (Forbes, 2024).
  • "How America Sold Out Little League Baseball," by John W. Miller (America Magazine, 2022).
  • "In Youth Sports, Talent Helps but Money Rules," by Roman Stubbs (The Washington Post, 2022).
  • Take Back the Game: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids Sports and Why It Matters, by Linda Flanagan (2022).
  • "State of Youth Sports: Parents, Policymakers Better Appreciate Physical Activity, Face Barriers to Help Kids Play," by Jon Solomon (The Aspen Institute, 2022).

• EXTRA:
  • Take Back the Game: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids Sports and Why It Matters, by Linda Flanagan (2022).

Why do we use a specific kind of tree-bark tissue to seal up 70 percent of wine bottles? Zachary Crockett takes a sniff and gives the waiter a nod.

• SOURCES:
  • Carlos De Jesus, director of communications at Amorim Cork.

• RESOURCES:
  • "This Ancient Material Is Displacing Plastics and Creating a Billion-Dollar Industry," by Marta Vidal (The Washington Post, 2024).
  • "Troubled Times For Wine In 2023: Global Production And Consumption Shrinking," by Per and Britt Karlsson (Forbes, 2024).
  • "Three Studies Take A Look At Various Wine Bottle Closure Preferences," by Thomas Pellechia (Forbes, 2019).
  • "How Millennials (Almost) Killed the Wine Cork," by John Gifford (The Atlantic, 2016).

Grocery stores have turned shoppers into cashiers. Zachary Crockett runs two bags of chips and a Gatorade over the scanner.

• SOURCES:
  • Sara Alloy, experience retail lead for North America at Publicis Sapient.
  • Christopher Andrews, professor of sociology at Drew University.
  • Phil Lempert, founder and C.E.O. of SupermarketGuru.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Feeling Rewarded and Entitled to Be Served: Understanding the Influence of Self- Versus Regular Checkout on Customer Loyalty," by Farhana Nusrat and Yanliu Huang (Journal of Business Research, 2024).
  • "It’s Not Just You: Self-Checkout Is Awful. These Retailers Finally Agree," by Sarah Bregel (Fast Company, 2023).
  • "'I'm Banned From Walmart Over a Bag of Reese's,' Houston-Area Woman Says After Self-Checkout 'issue,'" by Matthew Seedorff (Fox26, 2023).
  • "Self-Checkout Is a Failed Experiment," by Amanda Mull (The Atlantic, 2023).
  • The Overworked Consumer: Self-Checkouts, Supermarkets, and the Do-It-Yourself Economy, by Christopher Andrews (2018).
  • "The Banana Trick and Other Acts of Self-Checkout Thievery," by Rene Chun (The Atlantic, 2018).
  • "Self-Service Checkouts Can Turn Customers Into Shoplifters, Study Says," by Christopher Mele (The New York Times, 2016).
  • "Check This Out: A Revolution in the Supermarket," by Daniel P. Puzo (Los Angeles Times, 1987).

• EXTRAS:
  • "How the Supermarket Helped America Win the Cold War," by Freakonomics Radio (2019).

Does anyone ever win the giant teddy bear? Zachary Crockett steps right up.

• SOURCES:
  • Matthew Gryczan, retired journalist and engineer.
  • Elliot Simmons, former carnival game worker.
  • Olivia Turner, general manager of Redbone Products.

• RESOURCES:
  • "AG Platkin Announces 10-Year Ban of Amusement Games Licenses and a Fine for Wildwood Games Operator," by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General (2023).
  • "N.H. Man Loses Life Savings on Carnival Game," (C.B.S. News Boston, 2013).
  • "Carnival Games: Walking the Line Between Illegal Gambling and Amusement," by J. Royce Fichtner (Drake Law Review, 2012).
  • "Carnivals: Law Enforcement on the Midway," by Bruce Walstad (F.B.I. Law Enforcement Bulletin, 1997).
  • Carnival Secrets: How to Win at Carnival Games, Which Games to Avoid, How to Make Your Own Games, by Matthew Gryczan (1988).

With industries relying on them and profits to be made, weather forecasts are more precise and more popular than ever. But there are clouds on the horizon. Zachary Crockett grabs an umbrella.

• SOURCES:
  • Steve Adelman, head of Adelman Law Group, PLLC and vice president of the Event Safety Alliance.
  • Peter Neilley, director of weather forecasting sciences and technologies for The Weather Company.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Traders Have Turned Betting on the Weather, a Technique Pioneered by Enron, Into a Booming $25 Billion Market," by Dylan Sloan (Fortune, 2024).
  • "Why Your Weather Forecasts May Soon Become More Accurate," by Dan Stillman (The Washington Post, 2023).
  • "The High-Tech Race to Improve Weather Forecasting," (The Economist, 2023).
  • "Study: Climate Change Has Increased Atmospheric Instability Over Past 40 Years," by University at Albany (Phys.org, 2023).
  • "Beyoncé Concert In D.C. Suburb Highlights Complex Weather Challenges," by Marshall Shepherd (Forbes, 2023).
  • "Forecast Process," by the U.S. National Weather Service.

• EXTRAS:
  • "How Will We Handle the Heat?" by Freakonomics Radio (2022).
  • "The Folly of Prediction," by Freakonomics Radio (2011).

A fraternity’s budget includes broken windows, liability insurance, chili dog breakfasts, and the occasional $40,000 DJ. Zachary Crockett crashes the party.

• SOURCES:
  • Anthony Anderson, member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.
  • Danielle Logan, owner of Fraternity Management.
  • Charlie O’Neill, member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.
  • Stephen J. Schmidt, professor of economics at Union College.

• RESOURCES:
  • "If Student Deaths Won't Stop Fraternity Hazing, What Will?" by Ben Kesslen (NBC News, 2021).
  • "Social Animal House: The Economic And Academic Consequences Of Fraternity Membership," by Jack Mara, Lewis Davis, and Stephen Schmidt (Contemporary Economic Policy, 2018).
  • "How Fraternities Exacerbate Inequality," by Jillian Berman (MarketWatch, 2017).
  • "18 U.S. Presidents Were in College Fraternities," by Maria Konnikova (The Atlantic, 2014).
  • Inside Greek U.: Fraternities, Sororities, and the Pursuit of Pleasure, Power, and Prestige, by Alan D. DeSantis (2007).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Freakonomics Radio Goes Back to School," series by Freakonomics Radio (2022).

How does bail work — and who's really paying? Zachary Crockett follows the money.

• SOURCES:
  • Joshua Page, professor of sociology and law at the University of Minnesota.
  • Steven Zalewski, criminal defense attorney and co-owner of Affordable Bails New York.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Does Bail Reform Increase Crime in New York State: Evidence from Interrupted Time-Series Analyses and Synthetic Control Methods," by Sishi Wu and David McDowall (Justice Quarterly, 2023).
  • "Profit Over People: The Commercial Bail Industry Fueling America’s Cash Bail Systems," by Allie Preston and Rachael Eisenberg (Center for American Progress, 2022).
  • "All Profit, No Risk: How the Bail Industry Exploits the Legal System," by Wendy Sawyer (Prison Policy Initiative, 2022).
  • "A Debt of Care: Commercial Bail and the Gendered Logic of Criminal Justice Predation," by Joshua Page, Victoria Piehowski, and Joe Soss (RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, 2019).
  • "The Economics of Bail and Pretrial Detention," by Patrick Liu, Ryan Nunn, and Jay Shambaugh (The Hamilton Project, 2018).
  • "Selling Off Our Freedom: How Insurance Corporations Have Taken Over Our Bail System," by Color Of Change and ACLU’s Campaign for Smart Justice (2017).
  • "Inside the Wild, Shadowy, and Highly Lucrative Bail Industry," by Shane Bauer (Mother Jones, 2014).

• EXTRAS:
  • "To Catch a Fugitive," by Freakonomics Radio (2011).

So many vehicles on the road today are white, black, or gray — but automotive designers find that consumer preferences may be changing lanes. Zachary Crockett surveys the lot.

• SOURCES:
  • Tom Crockett, classic car enthusiast.
  • Mark Gutjahr, global head of design at BASF.
  • Nikkie Riedel, carline planning manager at Subaru of America.

• RESOURCES:
  • BASF Color Report 2023 for Automotive OEM Coatings.
  • "Beige on an S.U.V. Will Cost You, but for Pickups It’s Golden," by Roy Furchgott (The New York Times, 2021).
  • "A Brief History Of Car Colors — And Why Are We So Boring Now?" (Consumer Reports, 2018).
  • "The Link Between the Colour of Cars and the Economy," (The Economist, 2018).

• EXTRA:
  • "Car Washes," by The Economics of Everyday Things (2023).

Americans love to buy new stuff and hate to get rid of old stuff, which is why storing it all has become a $45 billion business. Zachary Crockett cleans out the garage.

• SOURCES:
  • Zachary Dickens, executive vice president and chief investment officer of Extra Space Storage.
  • Anne Mari DeCoster, self-storage consultant.
  • Kara Kolodziej, self-storage unit tenant.

• RESOURCES:
  • "A Fifth Of Americans Rent Self Storage, With Millennials Overtaking Gen Xers In Generational Storage Wars," by Francis Chantree (Storage Cafe, 2024).
  • "Lessors of Mini Warehouses and Self-Storage Units Show Significant Financial Gains During COVID-19 Pandemic," by Ben Chandler and Robin Enlow (United States Census Bureau, 2024).
  • "The Fate of Oversupplied Self-Storage Markets and How to Pull Back From the Brink," by Frank DeSalvo and David Perlleshi (Inside Self Storage, 2023).
  • "A Pandemic Space Race: Self-Storage Roars Back," by Ellen Rosen (The New York Times, 2021).
  • "Need to Store That? Booming Self-Storage Industry Says No Problem," by Liam Pleven (The Wall Street Journal, 2015).

• EXTRAS:
  • Storage Wars, TV series (2010-present).
  • Auction Hunters, TV series (2010-2015).