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Kristin Schwab

Reporter

SHORT BIO

Kristin Schwab is a reporter at Marketplace focusing on the consumer economy. She's based in Brooklyn, New York.

Before Marketplace, Kristin produced narrative and news podcasts for The New York Times, New York Magazine and The Wall Street Journal. She teaches audio journalism at her alma mater, Columbia Journalism School.

Kristin also has a BFA in dance from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. After performing with ballet and modern companies, she got her start in journalism as an editor at Dance Magazine. Kristin grew up in Minnesota and has been a bit reporting obsessed since watching the '90s PBS show "Ghostwriter" as a kid. Yes, she had one of those necklace pens and a marbled composition notebook.

Latest Stories (552)

Shoppers increasingly buying now, paying later

Sep 26, 2024
Adobe's latest forecast shows consumers are expected to spend a record $18.5 billion through buy now, pay later financing this year. That’s up more than 11% year over year.
Around three-quarters of buy now, pay later spending happens on a mobile device.
B4LLS/Getty Images

Kmart is closing its last store in the U.S.

Sep 25, 2024
The bargain retailer has struggled for years in the shadow of its two biggest imitators: Target and Walmart.
After closing hundreds of locations nationwide — like the one in Elmhurst, Illinois, seen above — Kmart announced its last full-scale store will be closing in October.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

It's barely fall, but retailers are already gearing up for the holiday season

Sep 24, 2024
It may only be September, but Macy's is set to hire nearly 32,000 seasonal workers, and Walmart has already announced its earliest deals.
Retail giants like Walmart are gearing up for the holidays with plans to hire thousands of seasonal workers.
CARLOS JASSO/AFP via Getty Images

Fed's rate cut influenced lending in advance. But hiring may pick up down the road.

Sep 19, 2024
Some effects of cheaper money won't be visible until next year, and smaller, more risk-averse businesses may be slower to respond.
Lenders were expecting a cut and had priced it into their business, says former Federal Reserve economist Karlyn Mitchell.
Chase Castor for The Washington Post via Getty Images

This economy will leave a mark on Gen Z

Sep 18, 2024
Many in the youthful cohort grew up during a recession and started their financial lives amid a pandemic. They've taken on a scarcity mindset.
Many Gen Zers began their financial lives during the disruptions that came with the pandemic.
Christina House/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Why dollar stores aren't doing as well as you might expect

Sep 13, 2024
Dollar stores were expanding just a few years ago. Now, they're closing locations.
Namesake low prices at dollar stores isn't enough to keep customers away from competition anymore.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Campbell Soup Co. warms to a fresh name

Sep 11, 2024
The maker of Campbell's soup wants to promote a wider range of offerings. How well do such corporate rebrandings work?
Despite the name change, soup will remain a central part of the Campbell's Co.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

CPI could be Fed's last gut check before interest rate decision

Sep 9, 2024
The monthly inflation gauge, to be released Wednesday, could influence how much the central bank cuts rates next week.
The August consumer price index may be the last major piece of information the Federal Reserve receives before it meets to adjust interest rates. Above, Chair Jerome Powell.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

Adults are cashing in on lemonade stands

Sep 5, 2024
The classic lemonade stand isn't just for kids anymore and young adults are taking advantage of this side hustle.
Running a lemonade stand as an adult has recently gone viral on TikTok, says The Washington Post's Amber Ferguson. But it's not an easy job.
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

Restaurant industry still struggles with staffing, consultant says

Sep 4, 2024
Restaurants across the U.S. have the same problems, says Alexis Percival. "There's been a bit of a reckoning" about how hard the work is.
Alexis Percival, once a restaurant owner, now works as a consultant in the industry. Her current project has brought her to Texas.
Phoebe Landrum Photography