The Big Store [Hardcover]

Donald R. Katz (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 26, 1987

In 1972, Sears, Roebuck & Co. was the quintessential American success story. It accounted for over one percent of the gross national product. Two out of three Americans shopped there during any quarter of that year.

Suddenly, Sears found itself in a downward spiral: profits plummeted, the stock price collapsed, and civil war erupted within the corporation. By 1984, Sears was back on top--bigger than ever.

The Big Store is the inside story of Sears' decline and resurrection. Allowed unprecedented and unrestricted access to Sears' records, offices, meetings and executives, the award-winning journalist Donald R. Katz has written a spellbinding tale of heroes and villains, of monumental errors, daring planning--and stunning triumph.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Katz writes about the recent changes at Sears, Roebuck, the country's largest retailer. The chief protagonist is Edward Telling, chairman from 1977 through 1984. Faced with falling net income, under Telling Sears diversified beyond retail merchandising into retail financial and real estate services. The merchandise division shrank, and underwent an internal shakeup. Katz, who was given unlimited research access by Sears, devotes most of the book to the men who worked and fought at Sears headquarters in Chicago, but enlivens his reporting with notes from the checkout counter where he once worked. Recommended to public libraries. James W. Oberly, Univ . of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 604 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; First edition (October 26, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670805122
• ISBN-13: 978-0670805129
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #466,564 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Overkill on Sears, December 28, 2003

By 

Mr. Chips (Columbia, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Big Store: Inside the Crisis and Revolution at Sears (Mass Market Paperback)

The Prologue of this book is riveting. It provides a tantilizing glimpse into the inbred corporate culture at Sears and about what is to come in this book...

...only the book is so dense and the story so ponderous that I couldn't finish it, or even get halfway through. Don't get me wrong, this is an excellent book, thoroughly researched and well-written. But the level of detail is more like that of a Ph.D. dissertation than a readable business history. There's just too much detail for the material at hand, and in the meantime the story is lost.

However, this is great for those interested in Sears' history, or for those wishing to gain understanding about the changes taking place in retail business generally from the 1970's-1980's.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Business history, humanized, November 30, 2004

By 

Bliss (Gainesville, Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Big Store (Hardcover)

Mr. Katz relates an important historical passage, and does it well by liberally seasoning it with real people. There are winners and losers, and Katz allows them to "speak" to the reader along the way. Because we know what happened to Sears, (once America's unchallenged retail giant and a major force in the national economy, now delisted and floundering for new strategies), the story is all the more interesting. The struggle for Sears' future is a parable for the challenge that faces the American economy, i.e., centralization versus unfettered freedom. This is just plain good reading on its own, but especially invaluable if you are keen on business and economic history.

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Big Store Review, May 3, 2000

By 

Brian Hendrickson (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Big Store (Hardcover)

This is an excellent book if you are interested in the history of retail in this country. The history of Sears, Roebuck & Co. is a great story that I encourage everyone to read.