The Velvet Rope Economy (Ebook)
How Inequality Became Big Business
Buy from
A new and gripping investigation into the rise of the virtual velvet rope economy
In nearly every realm of daily life there is an invisible velvet rope that divides how we live. On one side, appointments are secured, queues are skipped and doors are opened. On the other, people fight for an empty seat on the plane, a place in line at a theme park or even a hospital bed.
Schwartz shows how business innovators have stepped in to exploit the gap between the rich and everyone else, shifting services away from the masses and finding new ways to profit by serving the privileged. The frictionless world of VIP experiences seems like good business, but as this model expands, the costs are mounting. Schwartz's gripping account takes us on a glittering, behind-the-scenes tour of this new reality - and shows the toll the velvet rope divide is taking on society.
The Velvet Rope Economy (Paperback)
How Inequality Became Big Business
Buy from
A new and gripping investigation into the rise of the virtual velvet rope economy
In nearly every realm of daily life there is an invisible velvet rope that divides how we live. On one side, appointments are secured, queues are skipped and doors are opened. On the other, people fight for an empty seat on the plane, a place in line at a theme park or even a hospital bed.
Schwartz shows how business innovators have stepped in to exploit the gap between the rich and everyone else, shifting services away from the masses and finding new ways to profit by serving the privileged. The frictionless world of VIP experiences seems like good business, but as this model expands, the costs are mounting. Schwartz's gripping account takes us on a glittering, behind-the-scenes tour of this new reality - and shows the toll the velvet rope divide is taking on society.
The Velvet Rope Economy (Paperback)
How Inequality Became Big Business
Preorder from
A gripping expose of the way inequality is built into our everyday world - and who profits
In nearly every realm of daily life there is an invisible velvet rope that divides how we live. On one side, appointments are secured, queues are skipped and doors are opened. On the other, people fight for an empty seat on the plane, a place in line at a theme park or even a medical exam.
Schwartz shows how business innovators have stepped in to exploit the gap between the rich and everyone else, shifting services away from the masses and finding new ways to profit by serving the privileged. The frictionless world of VIP experiences seems like good business, but as this model expands, the costs are mounting. Schwartz's gripping account takes us on a glittering, behind-the-scenes tour of this new reality - and shows the toll the velvet rope divide is taking on society.
Reviews for The Velvet Rope Economy
Charles Duhigg, bestselling author The Power of Habit
Jason Furman, former Chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers
Esquire
Publishers Weekly
Adam Davidson, co-founder of Planet Money and author of The Passion Economy
Emmanuel Saez, Professor of Economics, University of California, Berkeley
Kirkus Reviews
Joe Nocera, author of A Piece of the Action: How the Middle Class Joined the Money Class
Richard V. Reeves, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution and author Dream Hoarders
Vox.com
—James Fallows, winner of the National Book Award and author of 'Our Towns'
CNN