2023-01-23
15 分钟A new podcast hosted by Zachary Crockett. In the first episode: Gas stations. When gas prices skyrocket, do station owners get a windfall? And where do their profits really come from?
Hey there, it's Stephen Dubner.
And today is an exciting day here at Freakonomics radio headquarters because today is the day we introduce a new show that I think you will love.
We all love it, and I will be shocked if you don't.
But let us know one way or the other.
Our email is radioreconomics.com dot.
This new show is called the economics of everyday things.
It's hosted by Zachary Crockett, a journalist with a knack for looking at something we've all all seen a million times and thinking, hmm, I wonder how that works.
Like I said, I think you're gonna love it.
Please welcome Zachary Crockett and the economics of everyday things.
Us Americans, we just love our gasoline.
We use 374 million gallons of gas every day.
Thats around 30 full tanks for every registered vehicle per year.
Now, relative to other countries, gas is actually pretty cheap in the US.
Considering the sheer amount we use though, every extra penny counts.
When gas gets more expensive, we all look for someone to blame.
Politicians, oil executives.
But the easiest target is the person who has to contend with disgruntled customers face to face.
The gas station owner.
When the price of oil skyrocketed last summer, people on the Internet created all kinds of memes about how much station owners were making.
One shows a picture of Scrooge McDuck skiing down a mountain of cash.