20. Tattoo Parlors
March 9, 2026
The tattoo industry is booming, with 32% of Americans now having a tattoo, but social media has fundamentally shifted the business model away from traditional shop reliance toward independent artist branding.
19. Pizza Boxes
March 5, 2026
The modern corrugated pizza box design, known as the Michigan style, was developed in the 1960s by Domino's founder Tom Monaghan to improve stacking, heat retention, and durability for high-volume delivery.
18. Mobile Home Parks
March 2, 2026
Mobile home parks have transitioned from being viewed as a stigmatized, last-resort housing option to a highly lucrative investment sector, particularly following the 2008 housing crisis, attracting significant institutional capital.
17. Truffles
February 26, 2026
The global truffle trade is characterized by high-stakes, secretive transactions, exemplified by the story of Bessart Marina, who built a major U.S. import business from a risky initial shipment.
16. Prop Money
February 23, 2026
The production of realistic prop money operates in a legal gray area, requiring manufacturers to implement specific design changes to avoid violating federal counterfeiting laws, despite the Secret Service technically considering most prop money counterfeit.
15. Home Staging
February 19, 2026
Home staging evolved from a simple tidying up process into an expectation for sellers, largely driven by the advent of online property listings which required visually appealing photos.
14. “Happy Birthday to You”
February 16, 2026
The ubiquitous song "Happy Birthday to You" was the subject of a years-long legal battle over its copyright, which was ultimately ruled invalid, liberating the song into the public domain.
13. Carnival Games
February 12, 2026
Carnival games are intentionally designed with custom specifications, such as smaller basketball rims, to ensure the odds heavily favor the operator, a concept known as 'throwing stock' rather than focusing on player odds.
12. Women’s Sports Bars
February 9, 2026
The lack of visibility for women's sports in traditional venues, exemplified by Jenny Wynne's experience watching the 2018 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship without sound, motivated the creation of 'The Sports Bra,' America's first sports bar dedicated solely to women's sports.
11. Cashmere
February 5, 2026
The global demand for cashmere has democratized the fiber, moving it from a high-end luxury item to a widely available commodity, which has led to a massive increase in Mongolia's goat population to 27 million.
10. Michelin Stars
February 2, 2026
The Michelin Guide, originally created by the tire company to encourage driving, introduced its restaurant rating system in the 1930s, with stars signifying a stop, a detour, or a special journey.
9. Bowling Alleys
January 29, 2026
Bowling alleys, once a major part of American recreation, have declined due to organized leagues shrinking and valuable urban land being redeveloped, forcing surviving alleys to innovate to stay profitable.
8. Delaware License Plates
January 26, 2026
In Delaware, low-digit license plates are highly valuable assets that originated as status symbols reserved for early political and prominent figures, and can now be bought and sold for significant sums.
7. Animal Urine
January 22, 2026
Animal urine, typically viewed as waste, is a profitable commodity used primarily by hunters and gardeners to leverage natural animal communication signals for territorial defense and pest deterrence.
6. T. rex Skeletons
January 19, 2026
Fossils found on public land in the US are protected and must enter the public trust for science and education, whereas fossils found on private land are subject to open market sales.
5. Sports Mascots
January 15, 2026
The creation of the Philadelphia Phillies' mascot, the Philly Fanatic, by Bonnie Erickson was directly inspired by the success of the San Diego Chicken, marking a shift from static team symbols to dynamic entertainers.
4. Used Hotel Soaps
January 12, 2026
The small bar of soap was the first amenity provided in hotel bathrooms, evolving from a time when hotels did not even include private bathrooms.
3. My Sharona
January 8, 2026
The song "My Sharona" by The Knack, written by Doug Feiger and Burton Aver, generated significant wealth for the songwriters through multiple, distinct royalty streams including performance, mechanical, and synchronization rights, separate from the recording artist royalties.
2. Girl Scout Cookies
January 5, 2026
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America collectively sell about 200 million boxes of cookies annually, generating upwards of $800 million, with proceeds split between the bakeries, national headquarters, regional councils, and local troops.
120. An update on the show
December 29, 2025
The Economics of Everyday Things, hosted by Zachary Crockett, is going on an indefinite hiatus starting in the new year.
119. Christmas Lights
December 22, 2025
The professional Christmas light installation industry, as exemplified by Dean Lyons' Bright Nights, is a highly scalable, year-round business built on efficiency, standardized design, and targeting affluent suburban homeowners.
118. Urban Trees
December 15, 2025
Urban trees provide economic benefits that are often orders of magnitude higher than their associated costs, justifying significant public investment.
117. Cut Flowers
December 8, 2025
Advances in refrigeration and logistics have transformed the cut flower industry into a complex, global network that allows consumers to purchase flowers like peonies year-round by sourcing them from different hemispheres sequentially.
116. Cobblers
December 1, 2025
Despite the shoe repair industry slowly dying out due to fast fashion and fewer apprenticeships, remaining cobblers like Jim McFarland of McFarland's Shoe Repair are experiencing booming demand, creating a supply and demand paradox.
Superhot Chili Peppers (Replay)
November 24, 2025
The intense heat in chili peppers comes primarily from capsaicinoids stored in the placenta, which bind to thermal heat receptors (TRPV1) in the mouth, tricking the brain into sensing pain and triggering an endorphin rush.
115. Miniature Golf
November 17, 2025
The upfront investment to design and build a modern, feature-rich miniature golf course typically ranges from $300,000 to over $2.5 million, though owners often recoup this investment within the first two years.
114. Natural and Artificial Flavors
November 10, 2025
Flavor is perceived through a complex combination of chemical compounds detected by taste and smell receptors, which the brain assembles into a perception of flavor.
113. Laundromats
November 3, 2025
Laundromats, while appearing simple, require significant operational management covering high utility costs (15-25% of revenue), machine maintenance (budgeted at 3-5% of revenue), and daily lint removal.
112. Campgrounds
October 27, 2025
Private campgrounds, often run by 'mom and pops,' operate as entrepreneurial businesses requiring significant upfront investment, with a 100-site facility potentially costing $2.5 million for infrastructure alone.
Gas Stations (UPDATED)
October 24, 2025
Despite public perception, gas station owners make very small profits on gasoline, averaging around $0.07 per gallon, with the bulk of the price covering crude oil costs, refining, and taxes.
111. Product Recalls
October 20, 2025
Product recalls, which span nearly every sector of the economy, are complex reversal processes that companies often outsource to specialists like Sedgwick to manage liability and brand protection.
110. Formula 1 Teams
October 13, 2025
Formula 1 teams operate as high-speed Research & Development (R&D) companies, with the vast majority of costs tied to designing, engineering, and manufacturing cars that are constantly being upgraded.
109. Billboards
October 6, 2025
Despite the dominance of digital advertising, the billboard industry, categorized as Out-of-Home advertising, is thriving and growing by digitizing its medium and leveraging mobile location data for targeted impressions.
108. Matchmakers
September 29, 2025
The modern matchmaking industry, as explored in "The Economics of Everyday Things" Episode 108. Matchmakers, is segmented into boutique services, national chains, and high-volume dating services, with pricing and attention levels varying significantly across these tiers.
107. Megachurches
September 22, 2025
Megachurches have evolved from traditional community-focused institutions into large, business-like organizations with significant financial operations and a focus on consumer appeal, often led by celebrity pastors.
106. Maple Syrup
September 15, 2025
Maple syrup production is a centuries-old cultural practice in North America that incentivizes forest stewardship, offering a sustainable economic model beyond timber harvesting.