Marketplace American Public Media

When it comes to checkout time at your local grocery store, the total at the bottom of your receipt might just raise your eyebrows. That’s because prices for essentials have increased by 4.5% year over year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nearly half of all price increases have come from just three meats: beef, pork and poultry — meaning you may think twice before adding that steak or pork loin to your shopping cart. Later on in the program, we’ll hear about some of the career shifts occurring in the Great Resignation, what California’s drought could mean for the rest of the country and why Citigroup is nixing work lunches.

Philadelphia’s Eviction Diversion Program, launched last year, allows landlords and renters late on payments to avoid court through mediation. Since, the program has conducted more than 2,000 mediations, with more than 90% ending in agreement or continued negotiation. The program has also helped distribute millions of dollars in federal emergency rental assistance. Plus: A trip to a new government stockpile of medication ingredients; a Bitcoin fund debuts on the New York Stock Exchange; and what actually happens when you return an online order.

Zillow has been using algorithms to evaluate, buy, then resell houses — until recently. The company announced that it would pause purchases for the rest of the year, citing a lack of workers for renovations. The decision comes at a time when the real estate market is cooling off and may hint at the future actions of other “ibuyers.” Also on today’s show: China’s economic growth weakens, an honest conversation about mental health with a macro-social worker and a breezy trip to the world’s largest offshore wind farm.

Mortgage interest rates have been historically low for the past year — at or below 3%. However, many banks have kept in place Great Recession-era proof of employment requirements. This means that those who lost their jobs during the pandemic and could benefit the most from refinancing are often unable to. Plus: The Weekly Wrap, breaking down what the Fed’s board of governors does, and foreclosures begin to creep back up.

Historically, barbecue has been a cheap and delicious way to cook meat — principally by Black pitmasters who lived in poverty. Now, ‘cue joints win prestigious awards and can charge top dollar. But a lot of media attention has centered on white cooks, who make up a fraction of pitmasters. Marketplace’s Andy Uhler visited a few Texas barbecue restaurants to look at what some are calling the gentrification of barbecue. We’ll also tackle last week’s jobless claims, hear how the John Deere strike is affecting rural America and examine how climate change is likely to reshape migration.

The child care industry was struggling even before the pandemic. Costs are high for parents who need the service to enable them to work, yet employee wages rank low among professions. Now, some 80% of day care centers are short-staffed. Experts say the $39 billion in relief outlined in the American Rescue Plan may only be a crutch for the problems that plague the field. Also on the program: Consumers are adapting to inflation, what the bump in Social Security payments means for recipients and we hear from a Black entrepreneur who’s operating a brewery and building community.