April 25, 2025

With more than 55 billion U.S. bank notes circulating the globe, keeping the American dollar safe from counterfeiters is an ever-evolving challenge. This video explores the many safety features that countries employ to protect their cash, from frequent redesigns and watermarks to holograms and secret molecular identifiers.

Questions:

  1. What are some design features that countries use to keep their money safe from counterfeiters?
  2. Why hasn’t the U.S. redesigned the one dollar bill for more than 60 years? Do you think Continue reading
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April 23, 2025

For Walmart, rising tariffs and worries about a possible recession are major concerns. Those economic pressures could make it harder for the company to keep prices low, which is a big part of why shoppers choose Walmart in the first place. One thing that’s helping the company is its membership program, Walmart+. Members made up nearly half of all online spending on Walmart’s website and app last year. These customers shop more often and spend more money than those without Continue reading

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April 18, 2025

Once considered to be products exclusively made for children, plush toy brands like Jellycat, Build-A-Bear, and Squishmallows are now seeing significant sales from millennial and Gen Z buyers. In 2024, more than 20 percent of all plush toy sales were made by adults purchasing for themselves. Post-pandemic stress, economic uncertainty, and the rise of self-care culture have all contributed to this shift. Plush toys are no longer framed as childish; instead, many see them as tools for comfort, emotional regulation, Continue reading

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April 15, 2025

Korean beauty products have exploded in popularity in the U.S. thanks to their high quality formulas and affordable prices. Brands like Laneige, Cosrx, and Innisfree are now household names, especially for their sunscreens and serums that use cutting-edge ingredients not available in American-made skincare. In 2024, the U.S. imported $1.7 billion worth of cosmetics from South Korea—more than even France. But that could change fast. Under a new trade plan, these imports could be hit with a 25% tariff. Business Continue reading

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April 10, 2025

For a company whose guacamole has become a signature item, Chipotle can’t afford to take avocados for granted. Each year, the fast-casual chain uses over 130 million pounds of the fruit across its more than 3,700 locations—nearly 5% of all avocados consumed in the U.S. But climate variability, pandemic-era disruptions, and trade tensions have exposed the fragility of global food systems. As a result, Chipotle recognized the risks of relying too heavily on a single source country. Mexico, which once Continue reading

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April 4, 2025

In 1995, Costco took a big risk by creating its own private label, Kirkland Signature, to compete against name brands in numerous product categories. As this video explains, though, the warehouse retailer’s gamble paid off handsomely. Kirkland earned more than $86 billion in sales last year, and now other retailers are following Costco’s lead by expanding their own private labels. 

Questions:

  1. What are some advantages that private label products give to retailers? What are some drawbacks?  
  2. Why did Continue reading
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March 27, 2025

In the early 2000’s, finance companies got in trouble for targeting young people with gifts like pizza and free t-shirts in order to get them to apply for credit cards with high interest rates and big fees. These fee-heavy accounts made it easy to turn a small debt into a very large debt, leaving some college students bankrupt before they could start their careers. In 2010, the U.S. made it illegal to give free gifts for credit card applications. Since Continue reading

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March 25, 2025

Nursing has always been a challenging career, but the COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented levels of stress, fatigue, and burnout. More than 100,000 nurses left the workforce during the pandemic — the biggest staffing drop in 40 years. The shortage will only worsen as the U.S. population ages and experienced nurses start to retire. Government estimates show that there will be more than 190,000 new openings for nurses every year through 2032. As hospitals look for a solution to chronic understaffing, Continue reading

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March 21, 2025

Way back in 2019, we looked at how Forever 21 filed for bankruptcy after expanding too rapidly and spending too little on e-commerce technology. Although a buyout from a licensing firm kept the company afloat for a few years, this video looks at how Forever 21 has struggled to compete with global powerhouses like Shein and Temu, leading to yet another bankruptcy. 

Questions:

  1. How did Forever 21’s enormous stores go from a selling point to a burden on the Continue reading
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March 19, 2025

Baseball is known as “America’s Pastime,” but Japan has its own thriving baseball culture steeped in more than a century of tradition. Over the past 30 years, more Japanese players have come to the U.S. and Canada to join Major League Baseball, increasing the size of the league’s Japanese fanbase. Now that cultural exchange is paying off for the league with a whole new market for merchandise, ticket sales, and broadcast revenue. In 2024, MLB sponsorship revenue from Japan increased Continue reading

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