From This Collection

Black Friday could be a good time to go car shopping

Nov 25, 2019
Low interest rates and plenty of cars on lots could mean deals.
Car dealer lots have plenty of unsold inventory.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

How accessibility dictates how we shop

Nov 22, 2019
Why one Georgia woman uses catalogs instead of going to the store.
Photo courtesy of Mark FInlay.

Prepping for the holidays with one eye on politics

Nov 20, 2019
One toy store owner says potential tariffs could eat up almost half of his profits.
Much of what Hobby Works sells is from China — and destined for a 15% tariff scheduled to start Dec. 15.
Nancy Marshall Genzer/Marketplace

How Amazon's counterfeit problem reached a bird feeder manufacturer in Rhode Island

Nov 18, 2019
The vice president of the company likened policing Amazon for fakes to "a game of whack-a-mole."
Can you spot the fake hummingbird feeder? It's on the left. Counterfeit products sold in online marketplaces often bear the same name and trademarks as the legitimate brand.
John Happel/Marketplace

How to spot a fake Louis Vuitton

Nov 18, 2019
Two experts examine some suspect items we bought on Amazon.
A French customs officer shows seized counterfeit handbags prior to their destruction at the postal sorting center of Chilly Mazarin, near Paris.
Eric Piermont/AFP/GettyImages

As online orders continue to grow, package theft rises

Nov 13, 2019
As holiday shopping season ramps up, beware the porch pirates.
A new Amazon hub on the University of Texas at Austin campus is one of the ways companies, like Amazon, are trying to thwart package piracy.
Filipa Rodrigues for Marketplace

For public good, not for profit.

Chinese shoppers may boycott U.S. goods on Singles Day

Nov 8, 2019
It's the biggest shopping event of the year, and smaller American companies may feel the impact, analysts say.
Employees sort packages ahead of Singles Day in Huaibei in China's eastern Anhui province in 2017. Singles Day is a shopping spree held every Nov. 11.
STR/AFP via Getty Images

How do retailers decide what to put on sale for Black Friday?

Nov 7, 2019
These tend to be highly guarded secrets.
Holiday merchandising is more strategic than you might think.
Alex McBride/Getty Images

Are you ready to have your medication delivered by drone?

Nov 6, 2019
Retailers want to gain support for drone delivery. Prescription medication might be a smart place to start.
A UPS drone carries a cardboard box from CVS to a customer.
UPS