Episode 386: The Cost Of Free Doughnuts




Planet Money show

Summary: Everybody likes free. But free can be dangerous, too. Today's show is sort of the flip side free. It is what happens when you take something that was free — and you give it a price, a decision many Internet companies face today. That is a highly risky move, it turns out. And the damage can be enormous. This week, free of charge, Chana Joffe-Walt and Alex Blumberg tell the story of the Red Cross and free doughnuts — that suddenly weren't free any more. It happened 70 years ago, and the Red Cross is still feeling the consequences. ***Note this episode originally aired in July 2012.***