#386: The Cost Of Free Doughnuts




Planet Money show

Summary: <p>Everybody likes free. But free can be dangerous, too. Today's show is sort of the flip side of 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. <em>That </em>is a highly risky move, it turns out. And the damage can be enormous.</p><p>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.</p>