To kick off the new year, we're answering questions from our listeners. Why do some online shopping orders from the same store, all ordered at the same time, arrive on different days? Would a four day work week make us happier? Why doesn't TikTok pay Canadian creators the same way it pays Americans? And can you beat the economics of the all-you-can-eat buffet?

For Boxing Day, we are revisiting some of our favourite recent stories about the shopping experience. First we head to Calgary's Northland Village Mall — which is now closed — to hear from a restaurant owner-operator about what it means to be on death row in a dead mall.

We also explain the new trend of "buy now, pay later" online — and how it's actually not so new.

Plus do you wish you could get a new set of treats for your pet pig mailed to you every month? Or maybe you just really love getting new cereal on a regular basis? We explain subscription boxes.

Prices aren't the only thing going up. Salaries are too. Paul Haavardsrud examines what wage inflation means for all of us.

Bob and Doug's version of the "12 Days of Christmas" turns 40 this year. We look at how much prices have risen (or not) since then and what it would cost to make two hosers happy.

Winter resort towns are normally kept humming thanks to foreign labour — travelers from places like Australia and New Zealand here on working holidays. But because of the pandemic, those workers are staying home, leaving Canadian ski areas significantly short staffed.

It's the Cost of Living tech show!

This week, we wrap our minds around the metaverse and the fight to allow consumers repair their own electronic devices. Then we meet the menacing cyber bots snapping up popular gifts in the blink of an eye.

We explain why denim and deodorant have such long-winded names and why a growing number of businesses see money in the menopause market. Plus, we profile a Calgary company hoping to cash in on the emerging therapeutic potential of psychedelics.

Planes, trucks and drones are just some of the ways Canadians are moving themselves or their stuff around these days. We look at a travel industry facing demand it wasn't expecting, drones that might be moving your things around —and a trucking industry that is facing low demand for the jobs it offers.

Billions of dollars worth of trade go through transportation corridors in British Columbia. So what does the flood mean for parts of Canada on the other side? Plus, we look at the future of Canada's food system and talk about businesses that share space with each other.

As Ontario gets ready to bring in right-to-disconnect legislation, we look at a competing idea: the right to connect — whenever and wherever you want. Danielle Nerman introduces us to Jody Thompson, an HR consultant and one of the architects of ROVE, or the  "Results-Only Work Environment."

A CBC listener, a market strategist and a futurist walk into a bar... and then they all try to guess what will happen with the markets! The TSX is on a tear right now, oil is at $80 a barrel and crypto currencies are setting daily records. Paul Haavardsrud looks at what's going on, and asks three market watchers to make some predictions.

Plus Adele is set to release her new album this week, and the music industry is turning its lonely eyes to her. She's one of a handful of artists who can still sell entire albums (not just digital downloads...actual records). But a lot has changed in the six years since Adele released 25. Jennifer Keene asks an Adele fan why the artist is so beloved, and asks an industry watcher if people will still hand over cash to get their hands, physically, on her records.

The goal of getting to net-zero carbon emissions has been talked about for years. But what would that goal cost us, both individually and as a country? And are Canadians willing to pay that price? Tracy Johnson explains the $2 trillion task ahead of us.

The Hudson's Bay Company owned the Zellers trademark for decades. But a few months ago, the trademark expired. Then — someone else tried to register it before HBC could (oops). So who owns the brand name anyway? Producer Anis Heydari talks to the Quebec businessman who says "c’est à moi", and a trademark expert who says maybe not.

And thanks to remote working, some Canadians have moved from more expensive cities to places with a lower cost of living. But what about salary? Producer Brandie Weikle looks at whether you also expect to take a cut in pay if you move to a more economical job market.

Prices are going up for things like gasoline and food, and the inflation rate shows it. But the Bank of Canada is still playing it cool.

And the continuing story of who controls telecom giant Rogers is straight out of a television soap opera. But the dispute has sparked a real debate around the company's dual-class share structure. We explain what's happening through a trip to Genoa City, home of The Young and the Restless.

Plus we explain why Halloween stores can pop-up today and be gone tomorrow — like ghosts! How does a business make money — in this world or the underworld — by operating for only two months a year?