From Booklist
The advent of large discount merchandise and fast-food chains has seen a corresponding demise in mom-and-pop and small-town diners and variety, hardware, and grocery stores unable to compete. Wal-Mart is only the most recent example of a big chain bullying Main Street merchants, but Winninger refers to this tactic by what he calls the "price merchants" as the "Walton Paradigm" (after Wal-Mart's founder Sam Walton). The author, founder of his own Winninger Institute for Competitive Strategy, offers more than 100 practical strategies for independent and small-business owners to use in fighting back. His advice is to avoid price competition and concentrate instead on value-added service and targeting specific and overlooked market niches. This is the sort of book that librarians hoping to emphasize their role as partners in community economic development can point to when they want to emphasize the resources they have available. David Rouse
