Kristin Schwab

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 (15)

Marketplace

One meeellion dollars!

Jun 11, 2024

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Marketplace

The clean energy boom can't come fast enough

Jun 10, 2024

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Marketplace

The complexity of succession planning

May 21, 2024

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Marketplace

The future of dining

May 20, 2024

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Marketplace

Rents outpace wages in big cities across the U.S.

May 8, 2024

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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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Latest Stories (512)

Federal Reserve survey shows consumer inflation expectations holding steady

by Kristin Schwab

Apr 8, 2024

Households expect inflation to be 3% in a year. While that’s not up from the previous month, it’s also not down.

For consumers, it's important that the Fed expresses its commitment to getting inflation down to 2%, no matter how long it takes, economist Carola Binder said.

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In 2023, women's gains in corporate C-suites were reversed

by Kristin Schwab

Apr 4, 2024

Women, including CEOs, are sometimes hit harder by unfavorable economic conditions.

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A TikTok ban would be bad news for the beauty brands that advertise on it

by Kristin Schwab and Sofia Terenzio

Apr 2, 2024

A lot of brands don't seem to have a backup plan, says Jordan Holman of The New York Times. The platform is where "they need to be."

These days, TikTok is "the most formidable way that people are selling products," says Jordyn Holman of The New York Times.

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Job security and hiring in tech have plummeted. How much is AI to blame?

by Kristin Schwab and Sarah Leeson

Apr 1, 2024

Tech companies may have over hired in the pandemic. Now, AI and other economic forces are creating a shrink in the tech sector.

While the IT sector added more than 260,000 jobs in 2022, last year it grew by a mere 700 jobs, and that number is expected to shrink even more in 2024.

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What does the Fed mean when it says it's looking for 'good data'?

by Kristin Schwab

Mar 28, 2024

The latest Personal Consumption Expenditures index, or PCE, will be released Friday. Experts say there are other clues the Fed is looking for, too.

Basically, the Fed needs to feel the way it felt at the end of 2023 when inflation had been falling for half a year, says former Minneapolis Fed President Narayana Kocherlakota.

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Casual restaurant chains like Olive Garden see declining sales

by Kristin Schwab

Mar 26, 2024

Darden Restaurants, which owns chains like Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse, had its first same-store sales decline since the pandemic.

Casual chains like Olive Garden don't typically lure in higher-income customers, but also aren't the most affordable option for lower-income households.

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As higher-income households do more shopping at Walmart, the store is stocking fancier brands

by Kristin Schwab

Mar 22, 2024

The fluorescent lit aisles of big box stores don’t scream luxury. But for certain items, consumers just don’t care.

The fluorescent lit aisles of big box stores don’t scream luxury. But for certain items, consumers just don't care.

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Package deliveries are clogging city streets

by Kristin Schwab

Mar 21, 2024

Retailers, shipping companies and cities are working together to solve the problem.

Michael Singh prepares for his Amazon cargo bike delivery shift.

Kristin Schwab/Marketplace

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Retailers take on Amazon Prime with new subscription services

by Kristin Schwab

Mar 7, 2024

Walmart's on-demand delivery program starts Sunday. Target's version of Amazon Prime launches in April. Is there room for more subscriptions?

The average American has12 subscriptions, says Raghu Iyengar of The Wharton School. That doesn't leave much room for Target's and Walmart's.

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Macy's isn't facing a retail apocalypse. It's facing a shrinking middle class.

by Kristin Schwab

Mar 6, 2024

Department stores were created to serve an income group that's declining while the poorer and wealthier cohorts expand.

Macy's is one of the retailers that have downsized in recent years. Gap, Foot Locker and Bed Bath & Beyond have also struggled.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

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