Amazon is opening new stores — in the real world. And in true Big Tech fashion the experience is meant to emphasize convenience. All you need to do is walk in, grab your stuff, and go. #Economy #Labor #Workplace #Consumers #Tech #Amazon

China is the world's biggest rice producer. So why did it agree to buy two shipping containers of rice from the U.S.? Planet Money reporters explain the other trade battle between the two countries. #China #Trade #Economy

Workers in sales jobs, or those who have access to a company's trade secrets, are often asked to sign noncompete clauses as part of their employment contracts. By signing noncompetes, employees often agree — in the event they quit or are terminated — not to go and work for a competitor for a certain period of time. That way the company is protected from having the employee take intellectual property — like client lists, proprietary corporate processes, or other secret sauces

Attendance at most sporting events has dropped in the last decade — and continues to fall. Sports teams have put most of their efforts into getting to fans to watch games on screens. But now they are faced with empty seats they are trying to fill. Today on the show, how sports teams are trying new plays like lower food costs, subscription tickets, and flexible seating to bring back the crowds. #Sports #Consumers #Economy #Trends

Niche sports, such as cornhole, axe throwing and even professional arm wrestling, are beginning to attract interest and money. These less traditional sports are gaining sponsors. #Sports #Economy #Trends

Games that may have been played at a party with a beer cup in hand, or before that big college football game — like cornhole, darts or beer pong---are now trying to monetize themselves, just like the major league sports that they've been opening for. Investors are looking to cash in, too. Small businesses and broadcast companies, like ESPN, are increasingly looking to capitalize on sports that were once considered just backyard fun. Today on The Indicator, we try our hands (a

We take a look at a problem that has dogged humans for centuries: How do you divide goods fairly? #Economy

Enrollment of both undergrads and graduate students has been declining for years. Meanwhile colleges are getting more creative in finding new ways to make money. #Education #Economy

Walk through the sliding glass doors of the Shirokane no Mori nursing home in Tokyo and you’ll find a cabinet with individual cubbies where visitors can leave their shoes and borrow a pair of slippers. It feels homey for the seniors and care workers who spend their days with them. “I like Japan. It's very convenient. You can go to go anywhere by train,” says 29-year-old Putu Supadmi, a care worker from Indonesia, through a translator. “I don't need any motorcycle or vehicles

The Japanese are eating less rice. Blame TV, the internet, burgers, Italian food, a growing economy. Blame the lunch ladies! Rice consumption in Japan is about half what it was in the 1960s. But guess what? Demand for Japanese rice may be way down, but prices are going up. In fact, prices are now so high that Japanese people are buying imported rice, rather than the home-grown stuff. On the face of it, Japanese rice appears to be defying one the basic laws of economics, suppl

Japan's business culture expects workers to stay late. But working mothers who also have to shoulder more childcare responsibilities often find themselves trapped between both roles. #Labor #Women #Economy #Japan #Government

Iga, a small Japanese city and the birthplace of the ninja, is facing a serious problem. Today on the show, Sally Herships goes to Iga to discuss the city's plan to use ninjas to fight depopulation. #Japan #Government #Labor #Economy

Radio reporter Sally Herships, a native New Yorker and longtime friend of the show, has been obsessed with a particular block in midtown Manhattan. Given the crowds and the traffic and the tourists, every inch of the block should be attempting to sell something. Instead it is littered with empty storefronts. What explains these perplexing retail deserts, both in New York and throughout the rest of the country? #Amazon #Retail #Consumers #NewYork #RealEstate #Economy

Colleges have a problem: fewer people are applying every year. Universities are competing like crazy for any edge they can get. Some are offering more financial aid, others are building tiger habitats. But the economic impact of fewer universities could be large. #Education #Economy