The Real Cost of a 7-Cent Screw

A grumpy clerk, a 7-cent screw, and the de minimis loophole. This episode unpacks the structural inefficiency of specialty fastener stores and how AliExpress's factory-to-doorstep model exploits regulatory and postal subsidies to make local retail economically unviable. We explore the ethical tension between consumer efficiency and community value — and ask what replaces the stores we lose. Episode #226597 — open it directly at myweirdprompts.com/226597