Support our non-partisan non-profit newsroom 💜 Donate now
Marketplace for Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Apr 17, 2013

Marketplace for Wednesday, April 17, 2013

HTML EMBED:
COPY

Fresh & Easy may be leaving town, but other British retailers are still trying to make it work in the U.S., like Fairway. Thieves are apparently not getting the toner at the market, but on the black market. We take a look at the latest product that's being stolen. Plus, Freakonomics stops by for a chat about smoking and the workplace. Can workplaces really discriminate against smokers?

Segments From this episode

As Apple stock drops, Exxon back on top

Apr 17, 2013
As AAPL hovers near $400, Exxon takes back the top spot as the most valuable publicly traded company on the planet.

Help wanted: No smokers need apply (Map)

Apr 17, 2013
In many states, it is perfectly legal to not hire someone who smokes. Should employers also be able to weed out junk-food lovers or motorcyclists -- or anyone who wants to have a baby?

Online gun sales take off

Apr 17, 2013
Failure of efforts to require background checks casts spotlight on online gun sales.

The economics of PG-13 rated movies

Apr 17, 2013
The MPAA responds to calls for better policing of violence in movies, by increasing the TYPE SIZE on existing explanations. Why? To protect its business at the PG-13 level.

When airlines outgrow their computers

Apr 17, 2013
American lost access to its computer system yesterday and had to ground hundreds of flights. Maybe it's time for the industry to hit the update button.

The strange and common things you can find for sale on the black market

Apr 17, 2013
The arrest of a man for selling $370,000 worth of toner cartridges is a reminder that there are all sorts of mundane materials and products that have a second life on the black market.

High-end versus low-end: How do you succeed in the grocery business?

Apr 17, 2013
Britain’s Tesco aimed for the low-end U.S. grocery market and crashed. New York’s Fairway chain went public, aiming at the higher end. Is there no middle ground?
People carry shopping bags through the carpark of a Tesco Extra supermarket in Birkenhead, north-west England.
PAUL ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images

Cupcakes meet bitcoins

Apr 17, 2013
Baker Jennifer Longson runs one of a handful of retail businesses that accept bitcoins as payment. Where some see twin bubbles, she insists cupcakes or bitcoins are sticking around.

The Excel mistake heard round the world

Apr 17, 2013
The flurry of budget deficit reduction talks we've heard in the past three years was based on faulty research--an Excel spreadsheet mistake.

Fresh & Easy may be leaving town, but other British retailers are still trying to make it work in the U.S., like Fairway. Thieves are apparently not getting the toner at the market, but on the black market. We take a look at the latest product that’s being stolen. Plus, Freakonomics stops by for a chat about smoking and the workplace. Can workplaces really discriminate against smokers?

Music from the episode