The Economics of Everyday Things

119. Christmas Lights

Would you pay a professional $2,500 or more to put up your holiday lights? Zachary Crockett is walking in a winter wonderland.   * SOURCES: * Chuck Smith [https://planetchristmas.com/author/chuck/], creator of Planet Christmas. * Dean Lyons [https://britenites.com/christmas-stories-with-dean-episode-1], founder and CEO of Bright Nights.   * RESOURCES: * "The Suburban Maximalists Making Viral Christmas Displays [https://www.wired.com/story/crazy-viral-holiday-light-displays/]," by Graham Hacia (WIRED, 2017). * "Incandescent vs. LED Christmas Lights: How Much Does it Impact Your Power Bill? [https://electricityplans.com/led-christmas-holiday-energy-efficient-save/]," by Kelly Bedrich (Electricity Plans). * "Why Christmas Light Installation Is a Great Add-on Service for Contractors [https://school.sprinklerwarehouse.com/wire_electrical/why-christmas-light-installation-is-a-great-add-on-service-for-contractors/]," (Sprinkler School). * Brite Nites [https://britenites.com/]. * Planet Christmas [https://planetchristmas.com/].   * EXTRAS: * "How Christmas Lights Are Made [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIix4BCbXoY]," (Insider, 2018). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

118. Urban Trees

Trees are more than decoration — they’re living economic assets, with measurable costs and benefits for cities and neighborhoods. Zachary Crockett takes a walk on the shady side of the street.   * SOURCES: * Geoffrey Donovan [https://www.ashelmconsulting.com/], owner of Ash & Elm Consulting. * Jana Dilley [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jana-dilley-1879534/], urban forester for the city of Seattle. * Kathleen Wolf [https://larch.be.uw.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/88/2024/08/webCV_KWolf.pdf], social scientist, former researcher at the University of Washington.   * RESOURCES: * "Extreme Heat Is Worse For Low-Income, Nonwhite Americans, A New Study Shows [https://www.npr.org/2021/07/14/1015983700/extreme-heat-is-getting-worse-for-low-income-non-white-americans-a-new-study-sho]," by Deepa Shivaram (NPR, 2021). * "US Urban Forest Statistics, Values, and Projections [https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/55818]," by David Nowak and Eric Greenfield (Journal of Forestry, 2018). * "The role of trees in urban stormwater management [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6134866/pdf/nihms-1504240.pdf]," by Adam Berland, Sheri Shiflett, William Shuster, Ahjond Garmestani, Haynes Goddard, Dustin Herrmann, and Matthew Hopton (Landscape and Urban Planning, 2017). * "Urban trees and the risk of poor birth outcomes [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1353829210001656]," by Geoffrey Donovan, Yvonne Michael, David Butry, Amy Sullivan, and John Chase (Health & Place, 2011). * "Calculating the Green in Green: What's an Urban Tree Worth? [https://www.itreetools.org/documents/132/PNW_scifi126_Sept2010.pdf]," by Gail Wells (Science Findings, 2010). * "The Effect of Trees on Crime in Portland, Oregon [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0013916510383238]," by Geoffrey Donovan and Jeffrey Prestemon (Environment and Behavior, 2010).   * EXTRAS: * i-Tree Tools [https://www.itreetools.org/]. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

117. Cut Flowers

Grab a simple bouquet from your local grocery store and you're activating a global network of farms, shipping companies, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers. Zachary Crockett stops to smell the roses.   * SOURCES: * Bob Mellano [https://www.mellano.com/], vice president of wholesale operations for Mellano & Company. * Jasmine Gomez-Gonzalez [https://www.ocwholesaleflowers.com/], chief operations officer at OC Wholesale Flowers.   * RESOURCES: * "From Colombia with love: The journey of a Valentine’s Day bouquet [https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2025/valentines-flowers-imports-tariffs-colombia/]," by Júlia Ledur and Fabiola Ferrero (The Washington Post, 2015). * "Your Valentine’s Day bouquet probably came a long way [https://www.marketplace.org/story/2025/02/12/valentines-day-bouquet-flowers-supply-chain]," by Daniel Ackerman (Marketplace, 2015). * "A Brief History of Specialty Cut Flower Production [https://cutflowers.ces.ncsu.edu/welcome/brief-history-of-specialty-cut-flower-production/]," by Ben Bergmann (NC State Extension). * Mellano & Company [https://www.mellano.com/]. * OC Wholesale Flowers [https://www.ocwholesaleflowers.com/].   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

116. Cobblers

Shoe repair shops are a dying breed — but for those that remain, demand is higher than ever. Zachary Crockett goes in for a shine.   * SOURCES: * Jim McFarland [https://mcfarlandshoerepair.com/], owner of McFarland’s Shoe Repair in Lakeland, Florida.   * RESOURCES: * "Shoe cobbler becomes unlikely TikTok star [https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/shoe-cobbler-becomes-unlikely-tiktok-star-209111621899]," (NBC News, 2024). * "Cobblers face extinction - and are busier than ever [https://apnews.com/general-news-112a8fa55be74554b9d8bf04cca89175]," by Diana Nelson James (AP, 2019). * Shoe Service Institute of America [https://www.ssia.info/].   * EXTRAS: * America's Cobbler (Jim McFarland) [https://www.youtube.com/@americascobbler], (YouTube).   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Superhot Chili Peppers (Replay)

The market for gustatory pain is surprisingly competitive. Zachary Crockett feels the burn.   * SOURCES: * Ed Currie [https://puckerbuttpeppercompany.com/pages/our-roots], founder and president of the PuckerButt Pepper Company. * Stephanie Walker [https://eps.nmsu.edu/faculty/stephanie-walker.html], associate professor and Extension Vegetable Specialist at New Mexico State University   * RESOURCES: * "Pepper X Dethrones Carolina Reaper as World’s Hottest Chili Pepper [https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2023/10/pepper-x-dethrones-carolina-reaper-as-worlds-hottest-chilli-pepper-759706]," by Sanj Atwal (Guinness World Records, 2023). * "The Shocking, Stupendous Rise of Superhot Chillies: ‘The Stomach Cramps Can Last for 14 Hours [https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/nov/07/the-shocking-stupendous-rise-of-superhot-chillies-the-stomach-cramps-can-last-for-14-hours],’" by Tim Dowling (The Guardian, 2023). * "14-Year-Old Dies After Trying The Paqui ‘One Chip Challenge [https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2023/09/09/14-year-old-dies-after-trying-the-paqui-one-chip-challenge/?sh=29e869984a87],’" by Bruce Y. Lee (Forbes, 2023). * "Beyond Neuronal Heat Sensing: Diversity of TRPV1 Heat-Capsaicin Receptor-Channel Functions [https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fncel.2020.612480/full]," by Yaroslav M. Shuba (Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 2021). * "Training Your Tongue to Love Spicy Food Benefits More Than Your Taste Buds [https://www.motherjones.com/food/2019/01/chili-peppers-devils-dinner-endorphins-genes-tomatoes/]," by Maddie Oatman (Mother Jones, 2019). * "Fire-Eaters [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/11/04/fire-eaters]," by Lauren Collins (The New Yorker, 2013). * "The Arms Race to Grow World's Hottest Pepper Goes Nuclear [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324281004578356703455812208]," by Spencer Jakab (The Wall Street Journal, 2013).   * EXTRAS: * "Why Do People Love Horror Movies? [https://freakonomics.com/podcast/why-do-people-love-horror-movies/]" by No Stupid Questions (2022). * Hot Ones [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAzrgbu8gEMIIK3r4Se1dOZWSZzUSadfZ], YouTube talk show. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.