May 19, 2020

Home improvement and animation are up, commercial rent is down

A Home Depot in Miami. The home improvement chain reported a 7% increase in quarterly revenue. Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

While companies are looking for breaks from their rent, Home Depot says sales are up, and animation is about the only entertainment production still working.

Segments From this episode

COVID-19

Home-improvement stores thrive as residents take on projects

by Erika Beras

May 19, 2020

Home Depot reported a 6% increase in sales and True Value says paint sales are up more than 20% as Americans use lockdown to clean up, paint up, and fix up.

A Home Depot in Miami. The home improvement chain reported a 7% increase in quarterly revenue.

Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

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COVID-19

Some big companies seek breaks on rent

by Mitchell Hartman

May 19, 2020

Commercial leases are typically hard to break, but many landlords are willing to defer or discount rent right now

A WeWork office in San Francisco. WeWork's CEO said the company hasn’t paid April and May rent in some locations.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

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COVID-19

As cities move to cap delivery app fees, some restaurants worry

by Meghan McCarty Carino

May 19, 2020

Some fear the apps will pass fees on to consumers, who might balk.

An Uber Eats delivery person in April. Some delivery companies say a decrease in fees they charge restaurants would be passed on to consumers.

Pascal Guyot/AFP via Getty Images

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COVID-19

Reshoring gets new attention during COVID-19

by Sabri Ben-Achour

May 19, 2020

As the coronavirus has exposed weaknesses in supply chains, efforts are renewed to bring manufacturing back to the United States.

President Donald Trump gives a speech in 2017. There's a renewed effort to bring American companies' production back to the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

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COVID-19

Hollywood's mostly shut down. Except for animation.

by Jasmine Garsd

May 19, 2020

No need for actors to socially distance when they can record from home.

Animators didn't have to change much to work from home. Voice-over artists have had to make some adjustments, though. "Nothing messes up a voice-over session like the guy next door trimming his trees with a chainsaw," says Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants.

Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

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COVID-19

Working remotely is a cost-cutting reality for oil and gas companies amid COVID-19

by Andy Uhler

May 19, 2020

Oil companies raced to digitize during the last downturn. COVID-19 is pushing the industry to embrace remote working technology even more.

An oil rig in Taft, California. COVID-19 is pushing the oil industry to embrace remote working technology more than it already was.

David McNew/Getty Images

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COVID-19

It's suddenly a great time to be in the meal-kit business

by Andie Corban and Kai Ryssdal

May 19, 2020

"Our volume has increased by about 100% over the past eight weeks," Purple Carrot CEO Andy Levitt says.

A farmer works in a broccoli field in March.

Julio Cesar Aguilar/Getty Images

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Music from the episode

I Wanna Go Back Onra

Silk Sunrise Tree Theater

Ungodly Fruit Wax Tailor

Autumn Sweater Yo La Tengo

Cheer up, You're Not Dead Yet Blockhead

The team

Nancy Farghalli Executive Producer

Maria Hollenhorst Producer II

Sean McHenry Director & Associate Producer II

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