logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2023
25m 2s

All you can eat economics

NPR
About this episode
You might expect to find economic concepts in the pages of an economics textbook. But you know where you can really see a lot of economic concepts in action? Buffets.

Here at Planet Money we believe there's a lot of economics going on at the all-you-eat buffet, tucked in between the mountains of brisket and troughs of mashed potatoes. From classic concepts like adverse selection, sunk costs, diminishing marginal returns, to more exotic economic mysteries, like the flat rate pricing bias.

Today on the show, we're headed to the place where the modern buffet may have been born: Las Vegas. Our mission? To feast ourselves on all the economics we can handle at the all-you-can-eat buffet. And along the way, an economist and fellow buffet-lover will teach us his hyper-rational strategy for optimizing his buffet experience.

Today's show was produced by James Sneed and Nick Fountain with help from Emma Peaslee. It was edited by Jess Jiang, engineered by James Willetts, and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer.

Help support Planet Money and get bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in
Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Oct 2023
The flight attendants of CHAOS
When contract negotiations between Alaska Airlines and their flight attendants' union broke down in 1993, the union had a choice to make. The union — The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA — knew that if they chose to strike, Alaska Airlines could use a plan. While Alaska Airli ... Show More
28m 51s
May 2023
How you fight a squatting goat
Back in 2005, Burt Banks inherited a plot of old family land in Delaware. But when it came time to sell it, he ran into a problem: his neighbor had a goat pen, and about half of it crossed over onto his property. Burt asked the goats' owner to move the pen, but when neighborly pe ... Show More
28m 53s
Jan 2022
HBO 2.0
What happens when the iconic symbol of your brand no longer makes sense? Today, HBO tries to evolve their sonic brand. This episode was adapted from the podcast Twenty Thousand Hertz. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoi ... Show More
18m 49s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2023
Everything You Need to Know About Economics with Howard Yaruss
Remember that economics course you took? Yeah, me neither. Turns out that knowing what’s happening in the economy is more important than you know. Politicians are making decisions with the economy that have a direct impact on your money. So as our guest Howard Yaruss, economist, ... Show More
41m 37s
Sep 2021
Ann Pettifor on Green Economics
It’s The Economy breaks down the complex economic ideas we have all heard of but don’t fully understand in under 15 minutes. In this episode host Nicola Walton speaks to Ann Pettifor, an economist perhaps best known for predicting the financial crisis of 2008. She is author of Th ... Show More
17m 50s
Nov 2023
Common Sense Economics
How much will ignorance in economics cost you? As taxpayers and entrepreneurs, are you prioritizing your knowledge of the economy? In this episode, Howard Yaruss joins Tom Wheelwright in exploring how economics is the biggest impact on business, how financial common sense was los ... Show More
41m 36s
May 2022
Common Sense Economics (Episode 142)
Discover how economics are understood as a series of tradeoffs. Our economic policies are too often convoluted with ingredients that stray from common sense. Matthew Hennessey joins Andy to discuss how you can cut through "magical thinking" and use economics to make better choice ... Show More
42m 6s
Jul 2020
Introducing: Think Like An Economist
Think Like an Economist and you’ll see the world more clearly, empowering you to make better decisions at work, at home, and in your community. Leading economists Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers will take you on a joyous romp through their field as they introduce you to the b ... Show More
1m 58s
Nov 2020
Episode 3: Why economic and health models get it wrong
How will the COVID-19 pandemic change the global economy? In this episode, Rita speaks with Branko Milanovic, a Serbian-American economist and author, who is an expert on income inequality. The former lead economist at the World Bank discusses the pitfalls of economic modelling a ... Show More
37m 31s
Feb 2024
Gita Gopinath on the Global Economy
Economics is sometimes called the “dismal science.” But the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has a surprisingly positive outlook for the U.S. economy—even if public sentiment hasn’t yet caught up. Host Ravi Agrawal discusses the state of the global economy with Gita Gopinath, th ... Show More
42m 52s
Nov 2022
How we win a new economy - changing the rules
Note to listeners: this episode was prerecorded in September 2022. Over the last five episodes we’ve looked at how the UK is being torn apart. Our economy is built on huge inequalities: between working people and big business, between families and fossil fuel giants, between tena ... Show More
26m 30s
May 2023
Skanda Amarnath & Michael Gayed: Unraveling the Fiscal Policy-Inflation-Asset Prices Nexus
<p>In this captivating podcast, we dive into an in-depth Skanda Amarnath interview with Michael Gayed, where they discuss the most crucial upcoming catalysts and inflection points shaping the economy and financial markets. Skanda Amarnath, an accomplished economist and the Execut ... Show More
52m 43s