Although transformations in retailing are of tremendous current interest, there is no single broad-ranging account of the evolution of retailing formats. A Business History of Retail fills this gap, providing a chronological presentation of changes in retail businesses and shopping experiences from pre-industrial times to the present. Retailing is explored as both an economic and a cultural phenomenon, tracing retail strategies and business operations as they are reconfigured by retailers adapting to changing conditions, new technologies, government policies, and evolving markets.

Relationships between the makers, sellers, and buyers of goods are shaped and reshaped as retailers, large and small, respond to competition and pursue new opportunities. Areas of continuity are identified even as businesses grow and strategies evolve. After four centuries there are more retailers selling more merchandise in more ways to more customers.

The mass consumption of goods and services is central to American and Canadian history and understanding consumer society requires understanding retailing. Combining original research with recent scholarship in business and social history, cultural theory, and readings in current retail business strategy, this study provides a valuable resource for students and scholars in a wide range of fields and will appeal to general readers with an interest in retail, shopping, and consumerism.