“Many clothing donations end up in an unexpected place — African landfills.”
shopping
The Internet Has a Rat Poison Problem
“How online sales of highly regulated, super-toxic rodenticides exploit gaps in the law and imperil wildlife.”
Collecting Rare Sneakers from Japan
Japan began producing limited edition sneakers in the 1990s. Now a new global wave of sneaker enthusiasts have begun seeking its rarities.
Is the Weekly Shop Good For You?
Trudging to the grocery store to laden up with milk and toilet roll may seem like a chore, but does it improve your health?
Long Live the Oddly Charming Poetry of the Mail-Order Catalog
Hammacher Schlemmer, which publishes America’s longest-running catalog, still takes its product descriptions seriously.
The World’s Most Peculiar Company
How does Hammacher Schlemmer, which publishes the longest-running mail-order catalog in American history, survive in the age of Amazon?
What Happened to eBay?
I haven’t peeked at eBay in years, and apparently I’m not the only one who’s forgotten it exists.
(Re)Merchandising NASA as a Feminist Act
“I took the NASA shirts from the ‘boys’ section from where they were prominently displayed, and put them little kid eye level next to tank tops in the ‘girls’ section 20 feet away.”
Amazon’s New Stores Aren’t Happy to See You Either
As the company begins its bookstore expansion, a joyless retail experience awaits.
You Just Can’t Find a Good Deal in Kreuzlingen These Days
In Roads & Kingdoms, Milan Gagnon tells the stories of Kreuzlingen, Switzerland, and Konstanz, Germany — one city full of empty storefronts, and the other full of empty souls.