'Oldest Profession' Suffers During Recession

Copyright © 2009 National Public Radio®. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

RENEE MONTAGNE, host:

And today's last word in business is about the world's oldest profession.

STEVE INSKEEP, host:

That profession is legal in Germany, but brothels are having a tough time because the recession.

MONTAGNE: One establishment in Berlin has come up with a marketing plan that seems to fit the spirit of the times: You can help the environment by doing business there. Think of it as enlightened self interest.

INSKEEP: Yes, the Maison d'Envie is offering a 5 percent discount to customers who arrive by bike or by public transportation. And we haven't even started talking about the free bus transfer and the savings on gas.

MONTAGNE: The brothel's owner says three to five new customers a day have taken advantage of the discount.

That's the business news on MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.

INSKEEP: And I'm Steve Inskeep.

Copyright © 2009 National Public Radio®. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to National Public Radio. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.