Insightful, original, and steeped in the culture of retail life, "The Retail Revolution" draws on first-hand reporting from coastal China to rural Arkansas to give a fresh and necessary understanding of how Wal-Mart has transformed international commerce.

Reviews

"A terrific book... Lichtenstein does a beautiful job of putting Wal-Mart in its historical context... A definitive account not only of Wal-Mart's past but also of the forces shaping its future."--"Los Angeles Times" "Offers penetrating insights... Lichtenstein sheds valuable light on the technological reasons for Wal-Mart's success... and provides a detailed look at the dark side of the company's employment practices.... As Lichtenstein argues, Wal-Mart may have done more than any other American institution to undermine labor regulations."
--"The New York Times Book Review" "Surely the best account we have of Wal-Mart's metamorphosis from a backwater chain to the nation's dominant corporation... The rise of Wal-Mart, and the national economy it has shaped in its image, is a story that Lichtenstein is eminently suited to tell."--"The American Prospect""" "Usefully comprehensive... "The Retail Revolution" offers the best account yet of the myriad problems that Wal-Mart employees endu