Read about different levels of price discrimination

An explanation of dynamic pricing algorithms and the factors that impact them

Rather than static prices set by manufacturers or retailers based on the costs of goods, online businesses or box stores with electronic price tags can change prices in real time based on supply, demand, time, location, and competitor prices. These algorithms can be programmed to maintain or maximize profit margins based on shoppers' willingness to spend.

Learn more about the four main market structures

In modern economic theory, there are four main market structures. Under each market structure, firms (or businesses) have differing levels of competition and reach different levels of price efficiency based on the consumer's willingness to pay for a product or service.

Nearly 3 million people fly in and out of US airports every day

However, not all of those passengers generate revenue for the airlines they purchase their tickets from. One business class traveler typically pays for five to six economy travelers. That's partly because airlines measure profit by the square foot, and although a business class seat is usually roughly 30% roomier than economy seats, the business class traveler usually pays about three times as much as someone sitting in economy.

Why American Express charges merchants more than other card companies to accept AmEx

Each card network charges merchants a discount rate, which is a fee merchants pay to accept cards. American Express charges higher discount fees than competitors like Visa and Mastercard as the business is more reliant on fees for operation.

How prediction markets differ from sportsbooks matters for regulation

There are a number of differences and similarities between sportsbooks and prediction markets, despite both allowing people to bet on outcomes for sports-related events. For instance, prediction markets typically earn revenue through transaction fees rather than taking directional exposure to outcomes.

The gray area that makes PEDs seem like leveling up to hardcore athletes

Doping in sports is broadly condemned as unsafe and unfair. Significant controversies in major sports, including baseball and cycling, have been prompted by the widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs, which are described as clear-cut dangers and abuses of the rules. But to many competitors, the line between a PED and the next smart technique to adopt is unclear. This podcast episode explores that gray reality.

Dual-class stock structures separate equity and decision-making authority

In the past few decades, dual-class stock structures have become an increasingly popular way for companies to raise capital in public markets without allocating traditional shareholder voting rights. Meta, Estée Lauder, and The New York Times are companies that are famously dual-class.

Disinflation, a decrease in the rate of inflation, is different from deflation

Disinflation happens when prices are still going up, just at a slower rate. Prolonged disinflation is also often accompanied by a recession, making it painful for consumers.

From flowers to venues, seemingly everything gets a price markup when it's for a wedding

At the start of this video, a venue gives two people drastically different prices for what seems like essentially the same service: a family gathering and a wedding. These price differentials feel so ubiquitous across the wedding industry—and experts attribute this to quality of services for weddings versus other, more casual events. Learn more by watching this video.

Trade dress is a form of trademark that applies to the physical appearance of a product

Distinct visual characteristics of products, like the shape of a Coca-Cola bottle or the interior layout of an Apple store, can be protected. These characteristics are protected to help consumers quickly identify certain brands.

Private school demographics in the US

Private school is a costly alternative to public school. As a result, there are numerous demographic differences between public and private school attendees, typically tied to income level. This source presents the latest statistics about private school attendance, as well as a searchable database to see the differences for schools near you.

CostCo's low-cost hot dogs: The strategy of 'loss leaders'

Wholesale food distributors like Sam's Club, BJ's, and CostCo place a premium on cutting costs for their consumers to cultivate brand loyalty. Enter CostCo's enduring $1.50 hot dog and soda combo. It's a classic example of a so-called "loss leader," a product a company loses money on but which keeps customers coming back for more. Learn the history of wholesalers and how selling over 200 million hot dogs in a year builds CostCo's brand.

A breakdown of net neutrality, including its benefits and disadvantages

The principle dictates that all internet traffic should be treated equally by internet service providers and that they cannot block, slow, or charge more fees for access to specific webpages. This would help ensure equal access to the internet and prevent larger companies from paying to prioritize access to their content, but it would require greater government intervention.

What is pay transparency?

Generally speaking, pay transparency occurs when an employer provides compensation information. But that idea can take many different forms in different states with different pay transparency laws depending on what each specific law dictates. To learn about more pay transparency basics like the ones above, read this article.

A taxonomy of restaurant types

What's the difference between "fast food" and "fast casual"? Is there any real difference between a "diner" and a "family style restaurant"? This guide from DoorDash explores the industry's fine distinctions, along with some deeper dives into specific enterprises that found success.

Amazon's One Medical, MDVIP, and SignatureMD are examples of concierge practices

Annual fees for concierge practices can range widely. At the lower end, Amazon's One Medical costs $199 (which can drop to $99 if you're a Prime member) and four figures for MDVIP and SignatureMD. Annual fees jump to $10,000 or more for options like Massachusetts General Hospital's concierge practice.

Some argue that credit reporting promotes economic inequality in the US

Although today's credit scoring system is much more objective than, say, the credit assessment system of the 1700s, some argue there's still room for improvement, with critics saying the current system is still discriminatory. For example, while mortgage payments have long been automatically reported to credit bureaus, rent payments (the primary housing expense for most lower-income Americans) historically haven't been reported unless a payment was missed.

The two main types of life insurance are term and permanent

The biggest difference between the two is how long they cover the life of the insured person and how much they cost. This guide can help you learn more about term and permanent life insurance, plus their different variations, to choose the right policy for you.

What exactly is college for?

The rising cost of college has many of us wondering, what exactly is a college education for, anyways? This "Freakonomics" podcast episode breaks down how colleges operate like large businesses and try to differentiate their products from one another to win market share. To find out what the overwhelming higher education system is doing wrong (and what it gets right), listen here.

Direct lending typically involves 'senior loans'

Direct lending, the most common subtype of private credit, typically involves senior loans which are secured by a company's assets. "Junior capital," on the other hand, is a type of private credit that is not secured by a company's assets, making it generally riskier than direct lending.

Dollar General vs Dollar Tree vs Family Dollar: What's the difference?

A recent article claims that at Dollar Tree, almost all of the items are $1.25, although inventory seems more limited. At Family Dollar and Dollar General, prices tend to be slightly higher, though they often carry name brands.

Dating apps adopted 'freemium' business models as the market became more saturated

As dating app user growth slowed and companies like Tinder saw increased competition from upstarts like Bumble and Hinge, the industry has pushed for subscription tier adoption due to pressure from investors for predictable profits and more.

Money laundering is a three-step process: placement, layering, and integration

"Placement" occurs when dirty money is introduced into the financial system. Then "layering" happens when the money is moved around to disguise where it actually came from. Finally, the money is placed in other assets or investments in a step called integration.

Why this legally can't be called 'ice cream'

Dairy Queen doesn't technically sell 'ice cream' and it all comes down to milkfat. According to FDA rules, anything labeled 'ice cream' must have at least 10% milkfat. Dairy Queen’s soft serve only has 5%, which means it's legally in a different category.

Fraud and identity theft are among the most common dark web-related crimes

Credit card information, driver's license or passport scans, and login credentials are among the data bought and sold on dark web marketplaces, which can appear there without users' knowledge through data breaches. Medical records can fetch higher sums of money for their potential use in blackmail and insurance fraud.

How Amazon operates a 'flywheel' business model, a self-reinforcing cycle that drives continuous growth

Doctors differentiate between a phobia and fear by asking patients whether their fear interferes with their day-to-day activities.

An initial public offering or 'IPO' is the process of a private company becoming public by putting shares of the company on the stock market for purchase.

Hedge funds, the private investment firms that trade a wide swath of financial assets, make money by imposing steep fees on investors and from the fund's investment performance.

Netflix profits when you're not watching, and its movies are designed that way—read a detail-rich critical essay exposing lesser-known Netflix takes

Some coin denominations have ridges etched on their sides, partly to prevent counterfeiting, in a practice called 'reeding.'

The price of gas is a composite made up of several different factors, with the federal gas tax making up less than 20% of what drivers pay at the pump.

Dozens of S&P 500 stocks, including Coca-Cola and Walmart—known as the dividend aristocrats—have increased dividends every year for 25 years

Play the role of a student in a game where you try to navigate college and remain debt-free, selecting different income levels, high school experience, race, ethnicity, and more.

Up to a million Girl Scouts sell about 200 million cookie boxes every spring, generating $800 million, largely because refusing a child is frowned upon

Gerrymandering works through two techniques: cracking opposing voters across districts to dilute their power, and packing them into a few to waste their votes in lopsided majorities.

Art theft is the third-largest source of criminal revenues worldwide, thanks in part to the subjective nature of valuing a work of art.

The boiling temperature of water decreases with increasing elevation because the molecules need less energy to overcome the lower atmospheric pressure associated with thinner air.

Browse a detailed visual analysis of over 200,000 similes—comparisons that often use 'like' or 'as'—from popular fiction to see how frequently writers the same idiomatic expressions.

When you complete a CAPTCHA on a website to prove you are human, you may be unknowingly training algorithms for self-driving cars, whose systems require training data to help identify crosswalks, bicycles, and other outdoor objects.

The most expensive ad of all time was for Chanel No. 5 perfume and cost roughly $33M to produce in 2004—about $57M in today's dollars.

According to the physics of black holes, our 4D reality may be a hologram—a projection of information coded on a 2D surface on the edge of the universe.

The story of Dollree Mapp, whose legal challenge over her 1957 conviction for possessing "obscene material" led to a major strengthening of the Fourth Amendment

About 2,000 US babies are born annually without some portion of their limbs, potentially leading to a lifetime of pricey prosthetics.

Read a deep dive on the 'all-purpose healing' peptide BPC-157.

Explore fun facts from the USPS, including unique post office buildings, a stamp that traveled past Pluto, and more.

The Brothers Grimm were lawyers before they were storytellers, and became interested in fairy tales as they began investigating how rules and customs had been passed down through cultures.

'Saturday Night Fever,' the 1977 film that introduced disco to the mainstream, was based on a fabricated magazine story.

The Great Salt Lake's distinct dual coloration results from high-salinity organisms that only live in the northern portion and produce a purple protein.

A pickleball's loud 'pop' sound can reach 120 decibels, which is equivalent to a hammer hitting a nail