After the gift exchange comes another great holiday tradition: returns season. Once again, we are joining the fun in our own Planet Money way. We are returning to stories from years past to see what's changed since we last reported them. It's an episode we call The Rest of the Story.We have updates on zombie mortgages, student loan forgiveness, Argentina's economy under its self-described anarcho-capitalist president, and the best place in the world to give birth to twins. Plus, a return to... returns.So while you're looking for that holiday sweater in a better size, or waiting in line to trade in your Dutch oven for an air fryer, take a listen to all our latest little audio gifts. And see you in 2025!This episode was hosted by Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi. It was produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler, and edited by Keith Romer and Jess Jiang. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Cena Loffredo. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Full Episode
Hey, it's Amanda Aronchik. The year is almost over. You've heard a lot of pitches asking you to support NPR. To the many of you who have given, thank you. Now, if you are sick of these pitches, chances are you are a heavy podcast listener that you get a lot out of NPR podcasts like Planet Money, The Indicator, Up First, the NPR Politics podcast.
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If you listen to two or three NPR podcasts each week, we could be talking about 12 hours worth of sponsor messages in a year. So just consider, like, what is 12 hours of your time worth? And imagine spending that on something that matters and keeping those 12 hours. Supporting public media is a public good, especially right now. Information matters. Facts matter. Context and perspective matter.
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Lindsay Powell has been a card-carrying member of Recreational Equipment Incorporated for over a decade. That's the outdoor goods store more commonly known as REI, which also happens to be an NPR sponsor. And one of the things she's loved most about REI is their famously generous returns policy.
If you purchase something with us and you're not happy with it for any reason, you can return it. No questions asked. Not a big deal.
REI will give you a full year to return the stuff you buy. And Lindsay would take them up on that offer a lot, sometimes going to extreme lengths to put some piece of gear to the test.
I remember like purchasing like a John G. Jacket. And I claimed to be waterproof. And I literally, like, wore it in the shower. Because I was like, it says it's going to be waterproof. Well, let's test it, you know?
How long did you stay in the shower?
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