Sep 18, 2023

Would you take a job that might make you work for free?

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Or could furlough you at any moment? Increasingly, government jobs are a tough sell. Plus, why digital retailers like Instacart are becoming big ad platforms.

Segments From this episode

Why some car parts are still hard to find

by Henry Epp

Sep 18, 2023

Dealers are still playing catch-up after the chip shortage and suppliers are building parts for new cars rather than those on the road.

Dealerships are hesitant to sell high-demand parts to repair shops. Instead, they're prioritizing putting those parts into new cars.

Jon Cherry/Getty Images

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An app's worth is partly the data it's got on you, the customer

by Meghan McCarty Carino

Sep 18, 2023

Retail apps like Instacart are valued more and more for their consumer data — and advertising possibilities.

"You search for yogurt, and there's, like, a Chobani ad," says Sucharita Kodali of Forrester. "It's more lucrative to sell an ad than it is to actually, in many cases, sell the yogurt."

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

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Members-only retailers are a status symbol in China

by Jennifer Pak

Sep 18, 2023

While regular supermarkets are struggling in China, aspirational consumers keep Sam’s Club, Costco and its Chinese competitor Freshippo X expanding.

A shopper walks out with a full shopping cart from a Sam's Club in Shanghai. Membership retailers are expanding in China despite traditional supermarkets struggling.

Charles Zhang/Marketplace

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Cyclists and hikers bring life back to an old gold mining town in Wyoming

by Caitlin Tan

Sep 18, 2023

A growing number of adventurers are traveling the Continental Divide each summer, bringing a much-needed boost to one community.

Cyclists sit at the wooden bar in the Atlantic City Mercantile. It is an old saloon that was originally built for gold miners, but now sees mostly hikers and cyclists.

Caitlin Tan/Wyoming Public Media

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As another government shutdown looms, government jobs lose their luster

by Kimberly Adams

Sep 18, 2023

Workers have been paid after past shutdowns, albeit late. But there's no guarantee they will after any future shutdown.

Federal workers are subject to threats of government shutdown, which might lessen the appeal of a career in public service.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

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Is shipping goods by barge good for the environment?

by Eric Schmid

Sep 18, 2023

Barges can move cargo with less fuel than a truck or train. But environmental experts are skeptical of emissions calculations.

A 15-barge tow approaches a lock and dam complex near Granite City, Illinois. Environmentalists say the carbon emissions generated by transit through locks and dams need to be better understood.

Eric Schmid/STLPR

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Music from the episode

Told You So Paramore

It's Not Me Arthur Benson

STYLE Tatsuya Maruyama

Circles Taro Umebayashi

Boyfriend Selena Gomez

TWO OF US Mocky

Part Of The Game 50 Cent, NLE Choppa, Rileyy Lanez

The team

Nancy Farghalli Executive Producer

Maria Hollenhorst Producer II

Andie Corban Producer I

Sarah Leeson Producer I

Sean McHenry Director & Associate Producer II

Richard Cunningham Associate Producer I

Dylan Miettinen Associate Digital Producer

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