Category Killers: The Retail Revolution and Its Impact on Consumer Culture
- Book Review,
by Robert Spector
From Publishers Weekly
Situated at the intersection of two Interstate highways, the small city of Tukwila, Wash., has been home to an upscale shopping mall since 1968. A few years ago, however, Tukwila began sprouting superstores. Now, thanks to Target, Barnes & Noble, PETsMART, Circuit City, Home Depot and many others, this former cow pasture is a sprawling, black-topped magnet for discount-minded shoppers. Spector’s revealing book traces the history of discount selling, showing how innovative merchants laid the foundation for the big-box chain stores that are changing the retail landscape in places like Tukwila and elsewhere. Spector (Amazon.Com: Get Big Fast, etc.) is not a dramatic storyteller, but his is a solid account of the evolution of these "category killers" (so called because their goal is to "dominate the category and kill the competition"), the first of which came into being in the early 1960s, when Charles Lazarus applied the principles developed by several generations of discounters to his family’s business and created Toys "R" Us. Spector’s strongest sections chronicle the rise of key players in various categories and describe the influence, both good and bad, of the ultimate discount superstore: Wal-Mart. At a time when Wal-Mart and other big retailers are being demonized for allegedly stifling competition and short-changing workers, Spector takes an evenhanded approach, reviewing the criticisms while noting that discount retailers have brought previously expensive goods within reach of average shoppers. Interestingly, Spector demonstrates that many of the arguments leveled today against Wal-Mart and other superstores resemble those used in the early 19th century against the first department stores and the earliest discounters. Anyone interested in the future of shopping, from both a business and cultural perspective, will find this book to be a useful primer.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Book Description
The Astonishing Impact of the "Megaretailer" on Competition, Communities, and Consumers Retail is a dynamic and often ruthless world that equally influences, and is influenced by, the consumers it exists to serve. New players constantly emerge to better satisfy consumer demands; consumer demands and desires shift with new offerings; and existing firms disappear when they can't adapt. In Category Killers, veteran journalist Robert Spector explores the rise of retail's reigning disruptor: retailers who seek to dominate a distinct classification of merchandise and wipe out the competition. Based on decades of research and investigative reporting, Spector vividly recounts how "category killers" from Toys R Us and Home Depot to Wal-Mart and Costco have ingeniously rewritten the retail playbook and, in the process, profoundly altered cultural and economic factors from migration and traffic patterns to legislation and taxation to wages and jobs. Spector explores the brilliant strategies that have enabled category killers to overpower department stores, regional chains, and mom-and-pop stores and to reshape the concept of shopping malls. He also identifies emerging trends and inevitable roadblocks that could dethrone today's powerhouses. Absorbing and insightful, Category Killers is at once a vivid journey down the aisles of retailing history and an incisive analysis of modern retail's most influential players. Robert Spector is a seasoned business journalist, retail expert, and international speaker on customer service and corporate culture. He is the author of four previous books including The Nordstrom Way and Amazon.com.
About the Author
Robert Spector is a seasoned business journalist, retail expert, and international speaker on customer service and corporate culture. He is the author of four previous books including The Nordstrom Way and Amazon.com.
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