SCOUT· 65%35m·2026-05-13·News PoliticsWhy Do Stores Throw Away Perfectly Good Products?
Have you ever wondered what happens to products that aren’t sold or the items that you return to a store? It turns out, a lot of them end up in the trash. This week, Wirecutter Deputy Editor Annemarie Conte discusses her recent reporting on how and why stores throw away perfectly good products. Annemarie takes us from…
Scout bees are checking it out — divided opinions, the swarm hasn't committed.
Buzzmeter says it's buzzing across platforms — the Hive Vote says whether the people who actually listened liked it.
Rate this episode
Add your vote to the Hive — listeners rate every episode after they finish.
- No reviews yet — be the first.
What people are saying
“I had purchased a pretty expensive toaster from Amazon which was delivered with a broken knob. The manufacture didn't want it returned but made me send a photo of the toaster with the cord cut before sending a new one. After I sent the phot…”
“A lot of slashed items are slashed in the process of opening the bulk boxes from manufacturers with box knives (despite many of those boxes saying not to open with a knife)”
“Interesting podcast. I have a couple of friends who peruse Goodwills for used golf clubs and then resell to used sporting good stores. It's profitable but I never caught that bug fully. One thing I did like finding back in the day however w…”
“This was fascinating...and a little depressing, tbh. I'm glad there are people out there rescuing things from landfills.”
More from New York Times Podcasts
See all episodes →
One great episode in your inbox, daily — free.
One email a day, unsubscribe anytime. No spam, ever.