Grubhub’s free lunch offer wound up being rather costly for consumers and restaurants because they did not know TANSTAAFL.
Renters, Landlords, and the Eviction Moratorium
The eviction moratoriums that affect renters and landlords require tradeoffs from millions of individuals and businesses.
What to Do About an Elephant in Your Backyard
In addition to the human-elephant conflict, China’s wandering herd of elephants takes us to all that they ate.
How Free Stock Trades Can Be Expensive
Behavioral economist Dan Ariely demonstrated the impact of “free” in an experiment that he described in Predictably Irrational. At first, participants could choose a Hershey’s Kiss for a penny or a Lindt Truffle for 15 cents. Selected by 73%, the…
When a Mask Is Like a Lunch
Looking at the past and now, we can see the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions for reducing COVID-19 fatalities.
There’s No Such Thing As Free Shipping
Just like there’s no such thing as a free lunch, for consumers, retailers and shippers, there’s no such thing as free shipping.
Oscar’s Hidden Costs
Frequently hidden, Academy Award costs relate to gifts given to the major nominees and the host, to the speeches and even to our taxes.
The Oscar Costs That No One Mentions
The tax breaks we give films, the taxes owed by stars for their gift bags and the winners’ speeches at the Academy Awards all show there is no free lunch.
The Downside of Cheap Oil
Cheap oil creates a tradeoff for GDP growth between a consumer spending more and oil producers cutting back on jobs and investment.
