Just 16 years ago, we needed a $25 minimum order to get Amazon’s free Super Saver Shipping for an 8 to 10 day wait. An extra $9.48 got us two-day delivery and $16.48, one day. But then in 2009, they…
Apple’s Goldilocks Strategy
A behavioral economist can explain why a pricing strategy can become a legend when it relates to a bread making machine.
What (Baseball) Spitballs and (Coronavirus) Sanitizer Have in Common
During the 1870s some players discovered they could change a baseball’s trajectory at precisely the right moment. It just took a bit of spit. Decades later they banned the spitball because it made for boring games. Fans wanted more action,…
The Best Way To Measure Happiness
When we compare Bhutan’s gross national happiness (GNH) to its gross domestic product (GDP, we could decide if happiness relates to economic growth.
The New Meaning of Fast Delivery
From the nineteenth century to the twenty-first, our expectations for fast letter and package delivery have changed considerably.
Why You Might Want Some “Price Gouging”
Called “price gouging” by many of us, an increase in prices as a hurricane approaches could be a productive incentive for supply and demand.
What Soccer Can Teach Us About Investing
When measuring happiness around the world after a World Cup finals match, the pain of loss can exceed the pleasure of gain.
Why Charismatic Animals Need More Conservation
A paradox explains why our concern for wildlife conservation might not extend to the charismatic animals we most care about.