Marketplace All-in-One

“Marketplace Tech’s” Molly Wood is leaving journalism after two decades, including the past four years as the host of this show. More recently, Molly has been co-host of the Marketplace podcast “Make Me Smart” and host of the new show about climate change solutions, “How We Survive.” And since Molly’s a reporter who has asked some pretty hard questions of her guests over the years, Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams asks her questions submitted by listeners.

Whereas next- or same-day delivery services transformed the way people shopped at the height of the pandemic, there’s a new kid in town: companies that will deliver an order in under 20 minutes. While the services have made it to densely populated urban areas in the United States, the market is particularly booming in the United Kingdom. Victoria Craig takes us to London, where — for super-fast delivery apps — competition is fierce, investment is booming and pathways to long-lasting profit are uncertain. Plus: The Weekly Wrap, a sky-high battle for 5G and a Black Friday look at consumer spending.

A new COVID-19 variant is emerging as President Biden faces growing pressure to push for an emergency intellectual property waiver for COVID-19 vaccines. In a letter to Biden, 15 human rights and medical groups called the waiver “a moral imperative” that would help get more doses of the vaccine to low-income countries.  We also look at what Small Business Saturday means for local retailers this year, and how supply chain shortages might actually work in their favor. Plus: how a South African mall is navigating the return to in-person shopping, and why some Americans are opting out of the consumer frenzy — and not just for the holidays.

The global semiconductor shortage could continue until the second half of next year, according to a projection from chip supplier Foxconn — which could mean higher prices for goods like cars. And people’s expectations that prices will go up can lead them to ask for higher wages to afford said goods. Businesses then raise prices to compensate, leading to a continuing cycle of inflation. Are we in danger of entering that cycle? Plus, we look at what the new COVID-19 variant means for markets and the holiday travel season.

From the BBC World Service: As countries including the U.K., Germany and Japan announce restrictions on flights from a number of southern African countries, the WHO now needs to decide if this should be labelled a variant of concern. But, the selloff in markets, coming the day after Thanksgiving, needs a bit more context. And, we hear from global supermarket giant Carrefour on what super-fast delivery adds to its bottom line.

This episode was originally published May 17, 2021.

Picture this: You’re not feeling so hot and you say to your smart speaker, “Robot, I’m hungry,” and you cough. And the device says, “Would you like a recipe for chicken soup?” And then, “By the way, would you like to order cough drops with one-hour delivery?” This is the scenario laid out in one of Amazon’s patents. And it shows how voice recognition technology could be used to learn things about us, beyond the words we say to our devices. Like whether we’re sick or depressed. Marketplace’s Amy Scott speaks with Joe Turow, a communications professor at the University of Pennsylvania, who writes about all of this in his new book “The Voice Catchers: How Marketers Listen In to Exploit Your Feelings, Your Privacy, and Your Wallet.”

At the height of the pandemic, dozens of small communities saw an opportunity to recruit people who could work from anywhere — by paying them to move. Today, Dan Kraker takes us to Bemidji, Minnesota, where a program offers people $2,500 to telework there. The solution has proved mutually beneficial, offering newcomers a slower, more budget-friendly pace of life while helping a smaller town grow. Plus: The glass bottle shortage comes to a liquor store near you, the 30th anniversary of a major economic database and the young engineer behind an operations-friendly headscarf.

When you’re a kid, your parents make all the financial decisions for you. But what happens when you grow up … and don’t agree with their choices?

We’re off this week for the Thanksgiving holiday. This episode originally aired in July 2019.

President Biden released 50 million barrels of oil from the strategic reserve, but experts warn not to expect that to knock gas prices down during the holidays. We look into how the kinks in the supply chain could open up opportunities for gift cards. The BBC hits the streets of London to see how it does Thanksgiving.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced partnerships with tribal leaders and food producers in an effort to promote Indigenous food sovereignty. As the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade returns in full force, we look into the company’s announcement to cover tuition for its employees. Other companies have made the same pledges, but do those programs work? The BBC reports on a fresh wave of COVID cases that has hit Germany, right as the new incoming government begins to take over.