Jobs IRLDecoding DemocracyA Warmer WorldI've Always Wondered ...

Loading...

0:00
0% played

I've Always Wondered ...

If you’re like us, you’ve got a lot of questions about the small, simple, ubiquitous things in the world of business. Let's find the answers.
What have you always wondered about the economy?

Are too many commercials bad for a company?
I've Always Wondered ...
Are too many commercials bad for a company?
Why aren’t all gas tanks on the same side of the car? 
I've Always Wondered ...
Why aren’t all gas tanks on the same side of the car? 
Who does the U.S. owe $31.4 trillion?
I've Always Wondered ...
Who does the U.S. owe $31.4 trillion?
Why are bananas so cheap?
I've Always Wondered ...
Why are bananas so cheap?

From This Collection

I've Always Wondered ...

What happens to all those unsold Valentine’s Day cards?

by Janet Nguyen
Feb 18, 2021
Out-of-date cards are sometimes greeted by being discounted or returned to the supplier.
auleena/Getty Images
Share Now on:
SHARE
I've Always Wondered ...

The economics of nursing homes (and paying for one)

by Janet Nguyen
Feb 11, 2021
Although the facilities are expensive, Medicaid can help with the cost.
A nursing assistant ensures that a patient remains a safe social distance from a visitor.
Wanderluster/Getty Images
Share Now on:
SHARE
I've Always Wondered ...

Your GameStop questions, answered

by Janet Nguyen
Feb 4, 2021
GameStop's stock price rose more than 8,000% at one point.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images
Share Now on:
SHARE
I've Always Wondered ...

How do all-inclusive resorts make money?

by Katherine Wiles
Jan 28, 2021
Several economic theories are at play to make this counter-intuitive business model profitable.
People walk on the beach at Sandals Grande Antigua all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Share Now on:
SHARE
I've Always Wondered ...

Why do books have prices printed on them?

by Janet Nguyen
Jan 21, 2021
A centuries-old practice dating back to the Industrial Revolution has created complications for modern-day booksellers.
jovan_epn via Getty Images
Share Now on:
SHARE
I've Always Wondered ...

Why doesn't cereal come in resealable bags?

by Janet Nguyen
Jan 14, 2021
The common bag-in-a-box format has been used for decades.
Boxes of cereal line a grocery store in San Rafael, California.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Share Now on:
SHARE
I've Always Wondered ...

What's with those little seedless holiday tangerines?

by Mitchell Hartman
Dec 19, 2019
How an expensive specialty fruit for the holidays turn into a ubiquitous discount grocery staple year-round.
Are these tangerines? Or clementines? Or mandarins?
Georges Gobet/AFP via Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE

For public good, not for profit.

Donate
I've Always Wondered ...

How did letter paper come to be 8.5 x 11 inches in size?

by Jack Stewart
Nov 8, 2019
As part of our "I've Always Wondered" series, a listener asks why we've ended up with these arbitrary-seeming dimensions for office paper.
A vat man making paper in the mid-20th century.
Courtesy Georgia Tech Institute Communications
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
I've Always Wondered ...

Here's what happens to your unclaimed money — and how you can get it back

by Janet Nguyen
Oct 15, 2019
Uncashed checks, unused gift cards, and unredeemed insurance help make up the billions of dollars in unclaimed property overseen by all 50 states.
Share Now on:
SHARE
I've Always Wondered ...

Why is inflation necessary?

by Mitchell Hartman
Sep 12, 2019
A listener asks: “Wouldn't an economy without inflation make us all better off?”
Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE