Costco is a beloved brand, famous for its bulk deals and $1.50 hot dogs. But can shopping there really save you money? 

On this special episode of Booming brought to us by our friends at Control F: How much money are you really saving when you shop at Costco? The surprising ways that wholesale can—and can’t—save you money.  

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

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

Do you have a tip for the Booming team? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Costco is a beloved brand, famous for its bulk deals and $1.50 hot dogs. But can shopping there really save you money?&nbsp;
On this special episode of Booming brought to us by our friends at Control F: How much money are you really saving when you shop at Costco? The surprising ways that wholesale can&mdash;and can&rsquo;t&mdash;save you money.&nbsp;&nbsp;
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 wants to answer your questions about how our world works!&nbsp;Click here to submit a question using their online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org
Do you have a tip for the Booming team? Give us a call at&nbsp;(206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at&nbsp;booming@kuow.org. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Booming is a weekly podcast about the economic forces shaping our lives here in the Pacific Northwest. The Seattle area's been home to many booms over the years. It’s brought jobs, people, and wealth to the region, but also real growing pains that people here feel every day. In Booming, KUOW economy reporters Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg help listeners make sense of our ever-changing economy. We'll dig into what people are seeing or feeling and unpack the story behind it.

Booming is a weekly podcast about the economic forces shaping our lives here in the Pacific Northwest. The Seattle area's been home to many booms over the years. It&rsquo;s brought jobs, people, and wealth to the region, but also real growing pains that people here feel every day. In&nbsp;Booming, KUOW economy reporters Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg help listeners make sense of our ever-changing economy. We'll dig into what people are seeing or feeling and unpack the story behind it.

Booming

On this special episode of Booming brought to us by our friends at Control F: How much money are you really saving when you shop at Costco? The surprising ways that wholesale can—and can’t—save you money.  

From Control F: Does shopping at Costco actually save you money?

When it comes to its Xbox, Microsoft is doing a hard reset.  

The company is reducing its gaming division by about 20 percent. Microsoft calls it “the most significant restructuring in Xbox history.”   

Most of those layoffs are spread out across the country. But what happens in gaming matters here—Seattle has so many industry jobs and studios that it’s often called the "Hollywood of video games."

For the workers who live and breathe gaming, their ability to keep or find a good job feels like an impossible gauntlet. 

On today's episode, what's really going on with Xbox? And what do these mass layoffs say about the state of the gaming industry? 

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to https://donate.kuow.org/donate/booming.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

When it comes to its Xbox, Microsoft is doing a hard reset.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The company is&nbsp;reducing its gaming division by&nbsp;about 20 percent. Microsoft calls it &ldquo;the most significant restructuring in Xbox history.&rdquo; &nbsp;&nbsp;
Most of those layoffs are spread out across the country. But what happens in gaming matters here&mdash;Seattle has so many industry jobs and studios that it&rsquo;s&nbsp;often called the "Hollywood of video games."
For the workers who live and breathe gaming, their ability to keep or find a good job feels like an impossible gauntlet.&nbsp;
On today's episode, what's&nbsp;really going on with Xbox? And what do these mass layoffs say about the state of the gaming industry?&nbsp;
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to&nbsp;<a href="https://donate.kuow.org/donate/booming">https://donate.kuow.org/donate/booming.</a> Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/carol-smith">Carol Smith</a>. Our producers are <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/lucy-soucek">Lucy Soucek</a> and <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/alec-cowan">Alec Cowan</a>. Our hosts are <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/joshua-mcnichols">Joshua McNichols</a> and <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/monica-nickelsburg">Monica Nickelsburg</a>.

The company is reducing its gaming division by about 20 percent. Microsoft calls it “the most significant restructuring in Xbox history.”   

Is Xbox's big reboot a new dawn, or its last life?

Statewide, Washington needs to build 55,000 new homes per year to house new residents. The state is currently producing just 75% of that.

That makes housing expensive... and it’s not just Washington state facing a long-term housing shortage. 

For years, Americans have been begging politicians to do something about the high cost of housing buying an adequate place to live. In late June, something happened that almost never happens in Washington, D.C.—Republicans and Democrats came together to pass a major bill aimed at unlocking the housing supply. 

The bill is called the 21st Century Road to Housing Act, and it just became law over the weekend.  

Some lawmakers are calling this bill the most consequential housing reform in decades. On today's episode, we look at what it can really deliver.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to https://donate.kuow.org/donate/booming.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Statewide, Washington needs to build 55,000 new homes per year to house new residents. The state is currently producing just 75% of that.
That makes housing expensive... and it&rsquo;s not just Washington state facing a long-term housing shortage.&nbsp;
For years, Americans have been begging politicians to do something about the high cost of housing buying an adequate place to live. In late June, something happened that almost never happens in Washington, D.C.&mdash;Republicans and Democrats came together to pass a major bill aimed at unlocking the housing supply.&nbsp;
The bill is called the 21st Century Road to Housing Act, and it just became law over the weekend.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Some lawmakers are calling this bill the most consequential housing reform in decades. On today's episode, we look at what it can really deliver.
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to <a href="https://donate.kuow.org/donate/booming">https://donate.kuow.org/donate/booming.</a> Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/carol-smith">Carol Smith</a>. Our producers are <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/lucy-soucek">Lucy Soucek</a> and <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/alec-cowan">Alec Cowan</a>. Our hosts are <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/joshua-mcnichols">Joshua McNichols</a> and <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/monica-nickelsburg">Monica Nickelsburg</a>.

Some lawmakers are calling the bill the most consequential housing reform in decades. What it can really deliver?

Did the US Congress just save affordable housing?

Washington is one of 17 states trying to break up with gasoline. It wants every new car sold here to be electric by 2035. 

But so far, drivers have been slow to adopt electric vehicles. Nationally, only one in ten new cars sold each year is electric. That’s because EVs are expensive, and finding a place to charge them can be inconvenient. 

So one Seattle inventor came up with a workaround. He’s developing a simple way to convert gas cars to plug-in hybrids. 

On today's episode, could transforming gas cars into hybrids jump start our all-electric future? Or will this idea stall out before it even gets rolling?

GUESTS:
Tom Gurksi, founder and CEO of Blue Dot Motorworks
Don Mackenzie, leader of the Sustainable Transportation Lab at the University of Washington

Coming up: Are you a (non-software) small business owner or entrepreneur who is using AI agents to help with your work? What are the creative ways you're using them? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Washington is one of 17 states trying to break up with gasoline. It wants every new car sold here to be electric by 2035.&nbsp;
But so far, drivers have been slow to adopt electric vehicles. Nationally, only one in ten new cars sold each year is electric. That&rsquo;s because EVs are expensive, and finding a place to charge them can be inconvenient.&nbsp;
So one Seattle inventor came up with a workaround. He&rsquo;s developing a simple way to convert gas cars to plug-in hybrids.&nbsp;
On today's episode, could transforming gas cars into hybrids jump start our all-electric future? Or will this idea stall out before it even gets rolling?
GUESTS: Tom Gurksi, founder and CEO of Blue Dot Motorworks Don Mackenzie, leader of the Sustainable Transportation Lab at the University of Washington
Coming up: Are you a (non-software) small business owner or entrepreneur who is using AI agents to help with your work? What are the creative ways you're using them?&nbsp;Give us a call at <a href="tel:2062217158" data-stringify-link="tel:2062217158" data-sk="tooltip_parent">(206) 221-7158</a> and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:booming@kuow.org">booming@kuow.org</a>. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to <a href="http://kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes">kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes</a>. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/carol-smith">Carol Smith</a>. Our producers are <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/lucy-soucek">Lucy Soucek</a> and <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/alec-cowan">Alec Cowan</a>. Our hosts are <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/joshua-mcnichols">Joshua McNichols</a> and <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/monica-nickelsburg">Monica Nickelsburg</a>.

Could transforming gas cars into hybrids jump start our all-electric future? Or will this idea stall out before it even gets rolling?

From Control F: Does shopping at Costco actually save you money?

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