Kristin Schwab

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SHORT BIO

Kristin Schwab is a reporter at Marketplace focusing on the consumer economy. She's based in Brooklyn, New York.

Before Marketplace, Kristin produced narrative and news podcasts for The New York Times, New York Magazine and The Wall Street Journal. She teaches audio journalism at her alma mater, Columbia Journalism School.

Kristin also has a BFA in dance from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. After performing with ballet and modern companies, she got her start in journalism as an editor at Dance Magazine. Kristin grew up in Minnesota and has been a bit reporting obsessed since watching the '90s PBS show "Ghostwriter" as a kid. Yes, she had one of those necklace pens and a marbled composition notebook.

Episodes by Kristin (10)

Marketplace

Steel tariffs déjà vu

Apr 17, 2024

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Marketplace

“This is the time to be a saver”

Apr 2, 2024

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Marketplace

Ultimately, the joke's on Gmail rivals

Apr 1, 2024

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Marketplace

Can we break out of the mortgage lock-in effect?

Feb 19, 2024

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Marketplace

Shoppers love easy returns. But retailers aren't sold on 'em.

Nov 24, 2023

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Marketplace Minute

Wall Street rallies on inflation

Nov 14, 2023

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Marketplace

A closer look at unemployment and wealth gap data

Oct 19, 2023

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Marketplace

How water moves — or stalls — the economy

Oct 18, 2023

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Marketplace Minute

Oil prices are in flux

Sep 6, 2023

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Marketplace

Tracing the roots of Labor Day

Sep 4, 2023

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Latest Stories (506)

Reshoring high-tech jobs accelerates as supply chain woes continue

by Kristin Schwab

Aug 22, 2022

A shorter chain means less room for error and uncertainty. But that security comes with a higher price tag.

West Coast ports have grappled with hurdles to bringing foreign-made goods into the U.S. market. Those problems are among the factors stirring plans to relocate manufacturing and create jobs here.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

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How store brands went from shamed to chic

by Kristin Schwab

Aug 17, 2022

Once seen as low quality and unattractive, generics have undergone a makeover to private-label "exclusive."

"Often the consumers don’t think of the Trader Joe's private label as a private label," says Dartmouth professor Kusum Ailawadi. "They think of it as exclusive products that I can’t find anywhere."

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

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Study finds that 8 in 10 young adults move back close to their hometowns – or never left

by Kristin Schwab

Aug 2, 2022

The review of census data finds that at age 26, most people live within 100 miles of where they grew up. Part of the reason? Money.

The growing cost of childcare is among the reasons younger people aren't moving too far away from their hometowns.

Getty Images

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Macy's is expanding investment in strip malls with smaller stores

by Kristin Schwab

Aug 1, 2022

Outdoor shopping centers have become more popular as consumers look for convenience.

Macy's is building out its smaller-footprint concepts like Macy’s Backstage. They'll be located in strip malls, where consumers can make quicker shopping trips.

Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Macy's, Inc.

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Between COVID and pent-up vacation demand, absent workers have businesses scrambling

by Kristin Schwab

Jul 27, 2022

Hire more workers or do less business — the options aren't great.

Employers across industries are getting creative as more workers take time off.

Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images

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With limited access to abortion comes limited access to medical training to perform abortions

by Kristin Schwab

Jul 25, 2022

Med students and residents worry about getting routine access to instruction.

Nearly 40% of residency programs do not offer routine access to abortion training, according to one estimate.

Jon Cherry/Getty Images

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COVID-19

Are we back to normal? In a new normal? Economy gives mixed signals on the pandemic.

by Kristin Schwab

Jul 21, 2022

Some consumer and business behavior has rebounded. But as the BA.5 subvariant spreads, other trends show persistent trepidation.

There’s still hesitation when it comes to indoor shopping and crowded events, said Charles Lindsey, a consumer behavior expert. It seems like the pandemic economy hasn't entirely passed.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

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Pandemic darlings try to get past "the party's over"

by Kristin Schwab

Jul 20, 2022

Peloton, Netflix and others have to predict how their customers will behave. But amid pandemic disruption, it's an uphill battle.

Business has declined at some companies that flourished during COVID-19 lockdowns, like Netflix.

Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

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Spending is up, but consumer confidence isn't

by Kristin Schwab

Jul 15, 2022

Retail sales rose in June, yet inflation is still a factor in how and where people are willing to spend.

While electronic and appliance sales saw the biggest drop in the last year, spending at bars and restaurants remain strong.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

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JPMorgan pauses stock buybacks as profits slump

by Kristin Schwab

Jul 14, 2022

CEO Jamie Dimon also cited economic worries, including the Ukraine war and inflation, in the big bank's move to conserve cash.

JPMorgan Chase's quarterly financial results disappointed Wall Street, and CEO Jamie Dimon discussed risks to the economy.

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

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