Costco is a beloved brand, famous for its bulk deals and $1.50 hot dog lunch meal. But can shopping there really save you money? Clare tells Teo about her quest to find out, and the surprising ways that some people work the system of wholesale retailers. 

We want to answer your questions about how our world works! Click here to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org

You help make Control F a reality by supporting the show. Donate to KUOW at this link to keep us in your feed and free for everyone.

Sources in this episode:
Consumer Price Index data, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Most and Least Expensive Supermarkets, Consumer Reports
Cost of Living Index (COLI) data, The Council for Community Economic research
Interview with David and Susan Schwartz, authors of The Joy of Costco 
Interview with Jordan Page
Interview with Tan Vinh and Chris Solomon

Costco is a beloved brand, famous for its bulk deals and $1.50 hot dog lunch meal. But can shopping there really save you money? Clare tells Teo about her quest to find out, and the surprising ways that some people work the system of wholesale retailers.&nbsp;
We want to answer your questions about how our world works! <a href="https://forms.office.com/r/4nGSfCuAML">Click here</a> to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org
You help make Control F a reality by supporting the show. Donate to KUOW <a href="https://donate.kuow.org/donate/control-f-notes">at this link</a> to keep us in your feed and free for everyone.
Sources in this episode:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.bls.gov/cpi/">Consumer Price Index data</a>, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</li>
<li><a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/money/prices-price-comparison/most-and-least-expensive-supermarkets-a3157951568/">Most and Least Expensive Supermarkets</a>, Consumer Reports</li>
<li>Cost of Living Index (COLI) data, The Council for Community Economic research</li>
<li>Interview with David and Susan Schwartz, authors of The Joy of Costco&nbsp;</li>
<li>Interview with Jordan Page</li>
<li>Interview with Tan Vinh and Chris Solomon</li>
</ul>

Control F is a podcast about data — hard, fuzzy, surprising, and sometimes unreliable data — and all the ways it influences our daily lives. In each episode, we dig deep on a topic and search through research, algorithms, and assumptions to bring you insights on how stuff works. In a world ruled by numbers, Control F reads between the (spreadsheet) lines to find the bigger story.

Control F is a podcast about data &mdash; hard, fuzzy, surprising, and sometimes unreliable data &mdash; and all the ways it influences our daily lives. In each episode, we dig deep on a topic and search through research, algorithms, and assumptions to bring you insights on how stuff works. In a world ruled by numbers, Control F reads between the (spreadsheet) lines to find the bigger story.

Control F is a podcast about data — hard, fuzzy, surprising, and sometimes unreliable data — and all the ways it influences our daily lives. 

Control F

A breakdown of grocery prices at Costco, versus the average price of groceries at other stores. 

Does shopping at Costco actually save you money?

Plastic is extremely useful: lightweight, cheap, and flexible enough to make almost anything. That’s why global plastic production has been climbing for decades. All that plastic is making its way into our bodies via tiny particles, and that can’t be good for us…right?

Clare tells Teo what we know so far about microplastics in our bodies, and why the science is more complicated than you might think.

We want to answer your questions about how our world works! Click here to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org

Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle.

Sources in this episode:
The Human Brain May Contain as Much as a Spoon’s Worth of Microplastics, New Research Suggests, Smithsonian Magazine, 2025
Bioaccumulation of microplastics in decedent human brains, Nature Medicine, 2025
Challenges in studying microplastics in human brain, Nature Medicine, 2025
Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Atheromas and Cardiovascular Events, The New England Journal of Medicine, 2024
The Real Truth About the U.S. Plastics Recycling Rate, Beyond Plastics / The Last Beach Cleanup, 2022
How Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled, NPR, 2020
‘A bombshell’: doubt cast on discovery of microplastics throughout human body, The Guardian, 2026
Interview with Marcus Garcia and Dr. Elaine Bearer, University of New Mexico
Interview with Fazel Monikh, University of Padua
Interview with Tracey Woodruff, Stanford University

Plastic is extremely useful: lightweight, cheap, and flexible enough to make almost anything. That&rsquo;s why global plastic production has been climbing for decades. All that plastic is making its way into our bodies via tiny particles, and that can&rsquo;t be good for us&hellip;right?
Clare tells Teo what we know so far about microplastics in our bodies, and why the science is more complicated than you might think.
We want to answer your questions about how our world works! <a href="https://forms.office.com/r/4nGSfCuAML">Click here</a> to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org
Support the show by supporting our home, <a href="https://www.kuow.org/donate/control-f-notes">KUOW Public Radio</a> in Seattle.
Sources in this episode:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-human-brain-may-contain-as-much-as-a-spoons-worth-of-microplastics-new-research-suggests-180985995/">The Human Brain May Contain as Much as a Spoon&rsquo;s Worth of Microplastics, New Research Suggests</a>, Smithsonian Magazine, 2025</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03453-1">Bioaccumulation of microplastics in decedent human brains</a>, Nature Medicine, 2025</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-025-04045-3">Challenges in studying microplastics in human brain</a>, Nature Medicine, 2025</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2309822">Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Atheromas and Cardiovascular Events</a>, The New England Journal of Medicine, 2024</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.lastbeachcleanup.org/_files/ugd/dba7d7_9450ed6b848d4db098de1090df1f9e99.pdf">The Real Truth About the U.S. Plastics Recycling Rate</a>, Beyond Plastics / The Last Beach Cleanup, 2022</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/09/11/897692090/how-big-oil-misled-the-public-into-believing-plastic-would-be-recycled">How Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled</a>, NPR, 2020</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jan/13/microplastics-human-body-doubt">&lsquo;A bombshell&rsquo;: doubt cast on discovery of microplastics throughout human body</a>, The Guardian, 2026</li>
<li aria-level="1">Interview with Marcus Garcia and Dr. Elaine Bearer, University of New Mexico</li>
<li aria-level="1">Interview with Fazel Monikh, University of Padua</li>
<li aria-level="1">Interview with Tracey Woodruff, Stanford University</li>
</ul>

Plastic is extremely useful, but it’s also making its way into our bodies. Here’s what we know so far about the microplastics inside us, and why the science is more complicated than you might think.

Should I worry about microplastics?

Taxes on the wealthy are increasingly popular across the political spectrum in the United States. Democrats in particular have pursued taxes on the country’s highest income earners, including a tax on millionaires passed in Washington State earlier this year. But do high earners simply move to avoid paying those taxes? 

Booming host and KUOW economy reporter Monica Nickelsburg wanted to find out. So, she interviewed Cristobal Young: A professor of sociology at Cornell University who researches how wealthy people move, and how much of it is due to taxes. 

Listen to more episodes of Booming in the KUOW app, or wherever you get podcasts.

We want to answer your questions about how our world works! Click here to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org

Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle.

Taxes on the wealthy are<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/03/19/most-americans-continue-to-favor-raising-taxes-on-corporations-higher-income-households/"> increasingly popular </a>across the political spectrum in the United States. Democrats in particular have pursued taxes on the country&rsquo;s highest income earners, including a <a href="https://www.kuow.org/stories/governor-ferguson-signs-washington-historic-income-tax-into-law">tax on millionaires</a> passed in Washington State earlier this year. But do high earners simply move to avoid paying those taxes? Booming host and KUOW economy reporter Monica Nickelsburg wanted to find out. So, she interviewed Cristobal Young: A professor of sociology at Cornell University who researches how wealthy people move, and how much of it is due to taxes.&nbsp;
Listen to more episodes of Booming in the KUOW app, or wherever you get podcasts.
We want to answer your questions about how our world works!<a href="https://forms.office.com/r/4nGSfCuAML"> Click here</a> to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org
Support the show by supporting our home,<a href="https://www.kuow.org/donate/control-f-notes"> KUOW Public Radio</a> in Seattle.

From Booming: Is “millionaire flight” real?

Many Americans will take on debt this summer for a family trip to a Disney theme park. So why is the happiest place on earth breaking their bank accounts? Teo takes Clare on a fantasy trip to Disneyworld to find out, and see if Clare can have a truly magical experience on a budget. 

We want to answer your questions about how our world works! Click here to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org

Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle.

Sources in this episode:
Disney’s Magic Kingdom Raises Prices, CNN News Room, 2014
Disney and the Decline of America’s Middle Class, New York Times, 2025
Can America Afford Disney?, Disney Tourist Blog, 2025
How Much Disney Can America’s Middle Class Afford in 2025?, Touring Plans Blog, 2025
The U.S. Economy Depends More Than Ever on Rich People, Wall Street Journal, 2025
Even Disney Is Worried About the High Cost of a Disney Vacation, Wall Street Journal, 2025
Why do people keep coming back?, USA Today, 2026
Consumer Expenditure Surveys, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023
How Do People Afford Disney?, Reddit, 2026 
Earnings Report, Walt Disney Report, 2024
Summer Travel Survey, Bankrate, 2025
Disney Survey, LendingTree, 2024
Global Attractions Attendance Report, AECOM, 2023
The Walt Disney Company, 2026
What’s The Current Disney Commission Rate For Travel Agents?, Mainstreet Agency Travel, 2026

Many Americans will take on debt this summer for a family trip to a Disney theme park. So why is the happiest place on earth breaking their bank accounts? Teo takes Clare on a fantasy trip to Disneyworld to find out, and see if Clare can have a truly magical experience on a budget.&nbsp;
We want to answer your questions about how our world works!&nbsp;<a href="https://forms.office.com/r/4nGSfCuAML">Click here</a> to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org
Support the show by supporting our home,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kuow.org/donate/control-f-notes">KUOW Public Radio</a> in Seattle.
Sources in this episode:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLl2S2Cx7is">Disney&rsquo;s Magic Kingdom Raises Prices</a>, CNN News Room, 2014</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/opinion/disney-world-economy-middle-class-rich.html">Disney and the Decline of America&rsquo;s Middle Class</a>, New York Times, 2025</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.disneytouristblog.com/disney-world-too-expensive-middle-class-americans/">Can America Afford Disney?</a>, Disney Tourist Blog, 2025</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://touringplans.com/blog/how-much-disney-can-americas-middle-class-afford-in-2025/">How Much Disney Can America&rsquo;s Middle Class Afford in 2025?</a>, Touring Plans Blog, 2025</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.wsj.com/economy/consumers/us-economy-strength-rich-spending-2c34a571">The U.S. Economy Depends More Than Ever on Rich People</a>, Wall Street Journal, 2025</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/disney-parks-price-hikes-consumers-0bf4dbd6?">Even Disney Is Worried About the High Cost of a Disney Vacation</a>, Wall Street Journal, 2025</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/2026/04/14/disney-world-disneyland-fans/89427065007/">Why do people keep coming back?</a>, USA Today, 2026</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bls.gov/cex/">Consumer Expenditure Surveys</a>, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Mommit/comments/1musn25/how_do_people_afford_disney/">How Do People Afford Disney?</a>, Reddit, 2026&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://investors.thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/news-details/2024/The-Walt-Disney-Company-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-Earnings-for-Fiscal-2024-11-14-2024/">Earnings Report</a>, Walt Disney Report, 2024</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bankrate.com/credit-cards/news/survey-summer-vacation/">Summer Travel Survey</a>, Bankrate, 2025</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.lendingtree.com/debt-consolidation/disney-goers-debt-survey/">Disney Survey</a>, LendingTree, 2024</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://aecom.com/wp-content/uploads/documents/reports/AECOM-Theme-Index-2023.pdf">Global Attractions Attendance Report</a>, AECOM, 2023</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/">The Walt Disney Company</a>, 2026</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://mainstreetagencytravel.com/news/whats-the-current-disney-commission-rates-for-travel-agents">What&rsquo;s The Current Disney Commission Rate For Travel Agents?</a>, Mainstreet Agency Travel, 2026</li>
</ul>

Does shopping at Costco actually save you money?

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