The 'dupe' economy is fueled by the youthful thrill of thrift

One of LVMH's key business innovations was widening the luxury market's target audience

While certain items under the LVMH umbrella can cost thousands of dollars, like large Louis Vuitton bags, others, like coin purses or lipstick, cost significantly less. Some argue that these comparatively lower-priced items allows LVMH's target audience to be much larger in size than it would have been if it only targeted the world's wealthiest shoppers, whereas others argue that it makes the brand more vulnerable to economic downturns.

Estée Lauder once broke a bottle of the hit perfume 'Youth Dew' to convince French department stores to carry the product

Youth Dew, originally launched in 1953 as a bath oil, was wildly successful in the American market and one of the early products that cemented Estée Lauder as a luxury cosmetics brand. When the Galeries Lafayette in Paris hesitated to sell the perfume, Lauder "accidentally" broke a bottle of Youth Dew, causing the smell to spread throughout the department store. Shoppers began asking for the scent, and the department store agreed to sell it.

'Deinfluencing' explained

You’ve probably heard of influencers, but have you heard of “de-influencers?” Basically, the de-influencing trend started when creators began making videos about products you shouldn’t buy, rather than sponsored content promoting things you should purchase. Comedian Taylor Tomlinson recently cracked some jokes about the trend, and its companion “under consumption-core.”

Inside a company making millions on retro, refurbished technology

Retrospekt is one of the many companies flipping old, fan-favorite technology like Polaroids, cassette tapes, and Tamagotchis. Studies show that nostalgia can make people spend money and is one of the driving forces behind the demand for second-hand gadgets.

Some ads help create ‘symbolic value’ for products

A Rolex watch and a watch from the Dollar Store serve the same purpose: helping the wearer tell the time. But a Rolex is worth thousands of dollars while the Dollar Store watch is costs $1 because of symbolic value, or what the watch says about its wearer. This article helps break down the difference between the two.

Explaining the 'Costco effect'

The "Costco effect" is a term used to describe how the warehouse chain has perfected the art of the impulse purchase. The strategic layout of the store and product placement encourage shoppers to explore and make impulse purchases after initially getting reeled in by low prices on high-quality goods. Read first-hand accounts from shoppers explaining the spell-like effect in this story.

When a Paris department store hesitated to sell Estée Lauder's perfume, she 'accidentally' broke a bottle, causing the smell to spread throughout the store and shoppers to start asking to buy the scent.

Read about 'skiplagging,' a money-saving travel hack

A consumer loophole known as "skiplagging" is a travel hack where travelers purchase a cheaper flight with a layover in their destination city. The hack works when flights to other cities with layovers at your destination are cheaper than direct flights to your destination. Airlines don't like the practice, but there's no specific law forbidding it.

A company called Bluprynt is combating counterfeit cryptocurrency

While some cryptocurrency advocates might argue that it's more difficult to counterfeit crypto than physical currency, some estimate that fake cryptocurrencies are losing crypto users at least $1.6B each year.

Regular coupon users pay less attention to the actual price of what they’re buying

The psychology of coupon users can feel counterintuitive: Research suggests regular coupon users actually prioritize coupon availability over actual price comparisons.

Why America is obsessed with the stories of scammers

A "grifter" is someone who exploits systems at a high level. Notable cases like fake heiress Anna Delvey, Fyre Festival creator Billy McFarland, and startup faker Elizabeth Holmes, who deceived their way to success, captivate our culture. These...

In defense of the advertisement economy

Advertising is frequently reviled for how it clutters up public spaces and our everyday experiences. Nonetheless, it allows for vast amounts of goods and services to be rendered free to millions of users—and gives users the option to pay with money or time and attention.

Gen Z's love for perfume is boosting sales

Teen boys are the biggest driver in perfume sales as of the summer of 2025. They have increased their spending on fragrances 26% year-over-year as the trend blossoms on TikTok via #PerfumeTok. Additionally, users of weight loss drugs GLP-1 agonists are adding to sales, as they seek olfactory over culinary sensations.

How to save money with 'loud budgeting'

"Loud budgeting" is when you announce to your friends that something—a restaurant, an activity, and so on—is too expensive and you can't afford it. The term, which opposes the social pressure of keeping up wealthy appearances, was coined by comedian Lukas Battle in 2024 as a joke, but it caught on with TikTokers amid inflation.

Dollar stores procure their merchandise in bulk to help cut costs

In order to keep prices cheap, dollar stores source this merchandise from a variety of places, including liquidation sales (an event that happens when retailers need to sell off inventory quickly), directly from distributors, foreign markets, and more.

So-called 'recession blondes and brunettes' skip hair appointments to save money

One hairstyle trend is seen as a recession indicator: people letting their hair grow darker roots instead of frequently splurging on expensive blonde highlights.

The 18th-century French painter of goofy selfies

Long before smartphones existed, French artist Joseph Ducreux was posing for effect in his self-portraits. A minor aristocrat during the French Revolution, Ducreux depicted himself with unusual expressions, forgoing the typical staid pose for effusive ones. This article collects those paintings and tells the painter's story and his unlikely resurgence through online memes.

'Dilution' is any use of a trademark that weakens its distinctiveness

Unlike trademark infringement that hinges on the likelihood of confusing customers, trademark dilution is an illegal practice that threatens the distinctiveness of a trademark. In the US, famous brands like Nike and Google have a right to protection from dilution.

Some argue that appropriation in pop art is simply plagiarism

Some of pop art’s most recognizable works rely on the art of appropriation, lifting advertisements, product images, and—in Roy Lichtenstein’s case—comic book panels drawn by other artists. Artnet dives into a 2023 documentary exploring the complicated legacy of appropriation and high versus low art through interviews with comic artists whose work Lichtenstein copied into million-dollar masterpieces.

In China, deepfaking a dead loved one has become a growing industry

Digital replicas of the deceased provide individuals with another way to process grief in a culture with long-standing traditions of communicating with ancestors. The emotional and ethical implications of "digital immortality" are complicated further by cases of actors impersonating deceased relatives during deepfake video calls to hide their deaths.

Groupon was a digital coupon platform popular in the 2010s

Remember when everyone you knew seemed to have a Groupon for something? In August 2010, Forbes called the digital coupon platform the “fastest growing company ever.” However, the business model had some flaws: One analysis found that only an estimated 20% of Groupon buyers returned for full-price purchases.

’Buy Nothing’ is a growing movement of hyperlocal gift economies with over 5 million global members

In anticonsumerist "Buy Nothing" groups, members can offer up or receive gifts, from plants to toys and more. Similar to Freecycle, the group emphasizes connection beyond just the material swapping as a means of creating community.

Temu mainly sells off-brand items, while Amazon offers brand names

A personal finance expert breaks down the key similarities between Temu and Amazon in a quick video so consumers can decide which is the better choice for their shopping needs.

Market concentration and high markups don't always signal a monopoly

When regulators and economists evaluate whether a company constitutes an illegal monopoly, they often consider its overall market share or its relatively high price markups. This piece argues that the Olley-Pakes decomposition is a better measure, identifying whether customers within a market are switching to more productive companies.

Juliet Schor wrote an informative book about the gig economy: 'After the Gig'

In an interview, she explains that gig economy workers come in two groups: people who are earning supplemental income on the side of a full-time job, and people who depend on gig work for their entire incomes. As it turns out, those groups feel very differently about the gig economy.

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 business model for many dating apps is paradoxical

While these apps are designed to help people create romantic relationships, dating apps lose money when people find a monogamous relationship and stop using the app as a result. Some call it the dating app paradox.

US housing costs have risen by roughly 175% between 1991 and 2026—but a growing number of Gen Zers are becoming homeowners anyway. In 2025, 4% of homebuyers were Gen Z, up from 3% the year before.

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

Fast-casual restaurant Chili's is experiencing a resurgence, with its parent company recently reporting a nearly 32% increase in sales, thanks to passionate Gen Z fans on TikTok.

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

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

Memecoins are a type of cryptocurrency—a form of digital currency with a wide variety of uses—created around popular 'memes,' or viral internet jokes.

In its famous catalog, Sears sold $600 DIY house kits from 1908 through the 1940s, resulting in an estimated 100,000 'Sears and Roebuck homes.'

A Yale student wrote a profound essay about the consulting industry's influence on elite college students that was published in a book of her writing after she died in a post-graduation car accident.

Some researchers have labeled nomophobia, the fear of being without your phone, as 'the phobia of the 21st century.'

Indefinite cloning of some endangered species may not sustain their longevity because cloning success rates decrease as genetic mutations accumulate.

'Silent' fireworks have gained more interest in recent years as a quieter celebratory option.

For centuries, it was common to sleep in two shifts: a few hours at the beginning of the night, and a longer period beginning around midnight

SpongeBob exemplifies Aristotle's philosophy for living well because he understands that happiness doesn't come from external factors like money, recognition, or power.

Hear 50 years of iconic hip-hop samples, the genre's foundational looped tracks

The idea for the Federal Reserve was conceived in secret in 1910—with bankers donning duck hunt gear for disguise while traveling to a remote country club on Georgia's Jekyll Island

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

Dorothy's famous entrance into Oz in 'The Wizard of Oz' relied on analog tricks, including a body double and sepia-toned paint, as much as it did on technology

Massive blooms of microscopic plankton called dinoflagellates produce the neon blue light seen in glowing tides.

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.

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.

To reduce wrinkles in clothing, research recommends gentle wash cycles with more water and tumble drying with smaller loads and longer times.

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.

The first steps to rebuilding your credit score include getting to know exactly what's on your credit report and figuring out how far you are from the '700 club,' or 'good score' range.