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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)

What is budget reconciliation, and how might Democrats use it to pass COVID relief?

Feb 3, 2021
The process allows senators to avert a filibuster and bring a bill to a vote with a regular majority, but only in specific cases.
Democratic senators might use the reconciliation process to stop a potential Republican filibuster on President Biden's relief bill.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The shoe economy, almost a year into the pandemic

Jan 26, 2021
With so many people staying home in their slippers, shoe sales have fallen dramatically. You can see that play out in neighborhoods.
The pandemic has emptied stores in Brooklyn, New York, that once did healthy in-person business.
Angela Weiss/Getty Images

Corporations pile on debt to survive pandemic

Jan 25, 2021
But eventually they'll need to make enough money to pay it back. Will changes in consumer behavior be permanent?
The pandemic has left corporations like AMC with no option but to go into debt in order to see another day.
Angela Weiss/Getty Images

Corporations offer to help with vaccine rollout

Jan 22, 2021
Some of these companies have expertise, resources or logistical capacity that the federal government may lack.
Vaccine distribution at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Some major sports venues are joining the effort to prevent infections.
Scott Eisen/Getty Images

How are people spending their $600 checks?

Jan 13, 2021
The federal relief payments are going for things like tattoos and electricity bills, paying down debt and helping others.
A woman pays for a to-go order at a New York restaurant. Some people are splurging a bit and others are putting the relief payment into necessities.
Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

Retail pharmacy chains will face challenges for vaccine rollout

Jan 5, 2021
Pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens have to consider storage requirements, more staffing and store layout for vaccine distribution.
A CVS pharmacist administers a COVID-19 vaccine to a nurse at a senior living facility in Kirkland, Washington.
Karen Ducey/Getty Images

Will the fitness industry see the usual New Year's bump?

Jan 1, 2021
People are "ready willing and able to work out," a personal trainer says. Makers of at-home exercise gear expect growth to continue.
People take a fitness class in socially distanced workout pods at a Redondo Beach, California, gym in June.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Will the relief package boost consumer spending in 2021?

Dec 31, 2020
Ultimately, this money is a bridge until the virus is under control.
Women carry shopping bags while walking in Georgetown on Dec. 23, 2020, in Washington, D.C.
Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images

Holiday sales grow by 3%, a much bigger jump than during the last recession

Dec 28, 2020
The 2008 recession hit more broadly, and retailers were stuck with a lot of inventory. This time, retailers had time to plan.
Holiday shoppers make a last-minute trip to department stores in Manhattan on Dec. 24 in New York City.
Scott Heins/Getty Images

Shipping delays cause problems for small retailers

Dec 22, 2020
We’re expecting record online sales this holiday season, and shippers are having a hard time keeping up.
Postal workers sort, load and deliver mail outside a USPS location in Los Angeles, California, in August.
Kyle Grillot/AFP via Getty Images