Marielle Segarra

Senior Reporter

SHORT BIO

Marielle Segarra is a former reporter for Marketplace. She covers taxes and consumer psychology. She covered retail, consumer psychology and the economy. One topic she enjoyed exploring: how we shop – and the emotions that come up as we do. Pride. Guilt. Frustration. She also followed small businesses as they find their way in the pandemic and is always trying to show people how the ins and outs of the economy are relevant to their lives.

What was your first job?

Summer camp counselor to a bunch of 5-year-olds.

In your next life, what would your career be?

I think I would still want to create things. Maybe I'd be a chef. Or an interior designer. Or I'd write for a TV show.

Fill in the blank: Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you ______.

Financial stability, which is a good start.

What’s the favorite item in your workspace and why?

My stash of chocolate.

Latest Stories (452)

As offices stay dark, what's happening to lunch spots?

Aug 31, 2020
“New York is being emptied out. And you can feel it at the store level.”
A worker walks past an outdoor dining area in New York on Aug. 10.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Lord & Taylor's final sale: Who will buy all that real estate?

Aug 28, 2020
The venerable department store is closing all 38 of its brick-and-mortar locations after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Pedestrians walk past a shuttered Lord & Taylor department store in Garden City, New York. on May 12.
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Pro athletes have a platform, and they're using it

Aug 27, 2020
By refusing to take to the court or field, players are trying to effect change. But how effective are they likely to be?
The court is empty after players strike game five between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Orlando Magic during the playoffs on Aug. 26.
Ashley Landis/Pool/Getty Images

What can clothing retailers do with all that excess inventory?

Aug 24, 2020
With clothing sales way down, there are not a lot of good options.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Jobless claims rise; job postings fall

Aug 20, 2020
This may be further evidence that the economic recovery is slowing or stalling.
A dealer at work at a casino in Las Vegas in June. Jobs have fallen dramatically in tourism and hospitality.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Retailers pledge 15% of shelf space to Black-owned businesses

Aug 19, 2020
The 15 Percent Pledge is pushing retailers to devote more shelf space to Black-owned businesses.
A Sephora store in Santa Monica, California, in March. The beauty chain is participating in the 15 Percent Pledge.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

How are retail sales numbers higher than they were last year?

Aug 14, 2020
People are still shopping — just for different stuff.
A Florida man puts newly purchased wood into his truck. Sales at home and garden stores in July were up almost 15% over July of last year.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

How We Shop: Secondhand

Aug 13, 2020
How one thrifter is confronting the ethics of buying clothes secondhand and reselling them at a markup.
Tagged clothing at a thrift store in San Francisco.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

As clothing sales drop, zipper and button makers struggle

Aug 12, 2020
The pandemic has downstream effects all throughout the supply chain.
Employees at a textile and weaver factory in Eloyes, France, in June. The clothing industry has a global supply chain for fabrics, buttons and zippers.
Jean-Christophe Verhaegen/AFP via Getty Images

Accounting in the COVID era is more subjective than ever

Aug 5, 2020
Companies are finding ways to soften the pandemic's blow to their bottom lines.
An empty Wrigley Field in Chicago on what would have been Major League Baseball's opening day. Since Disney didn't air MLB games, it didn't have to count the licensing cost in its financial results.
Scott Olson/Getty Images