Almost weekly, the news is full of stories about disappearing retail chains. From House of Fraser and BHS to Toys'R'Us and Sears, recognised names are vanishing overnight – as such large organizations disappear, so the malls, shopping centres, high streets and main streets become emptier and less appealing to visit. The retail sector is hugely important in terms of job numbers: in the US, it employs around 30 million people (directly and indirectly); in the UK, around 10 million. As such, anything that jeopardises the retail sector will have a deep and lasting impact on millions of lives, as well as on public policy. While many blame the 'Amazon effect', this is an oversimplification. Deeper forces are at work that are changing people's relationships with brands, the balance of power between producers and consumers, and the whole nature of the supply chain that has existed since the industrial revolution. Retail Therapy offers a comprehensive analysis of these forces and their impact on the world of retailing. More importantly, it presents a cogent analysis of the longer term trends that are shaping retailing, and outlines a clear road map for sustainable success in the future.

An anecdotal look at the pleasures of shopping recounts the author's favorite experiences while explaining how shopping can enable readers to examine truths about their lives and develop an awareness of their decision-making processes. Original. 25,000 first printing.

National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist Best Book of Fall (Esquire) and a Most Anticipated Book of 2021 (Lit Hub) What Has Happened to Fiction in the Age of Platform Capitalism? Since it was first launched in 1994, Amazon has changed the world of literature. The “Everything Store” has not just transformed how we buy books; it has affected what we buy, and even what we read. In Everything and Less, acclaimed critic Mark McGurl explores this new world where writing is no longer categorized as high or lowbrow, literature or popular fiction. Charting a course spanning from Henry James to E. L. James, McGurl shows that contemporary writing has less to do with writing per se than with the manner of its distribution. This consumerist logic—if you like this, you might also like ...—has reorganized the fiction universe so that literary prize-winners sit alongside fantasy, romance, fan fiction, and the infinite list of hybrid genres and self-published works. This is an innovation to be cautiously celebrated. Amazon’s platform is not just a retail juggernaut but an aesthetic experiment driven by an unseen algorithm rivaling in the depths of its effects any major cultural shift in history. Here all fiction is genre fiction, and the niches range from the categories of crime and science fiction to the more refined interests of Adult Baby Diaper Lover erotica. Everything and Less is a hilarious and insightful map of both the commanding heights and sordid depths of fiction, past and present, that opens up an arresting conversation about why it is we read and write fiction in the first place.

Amanda Ford, the bestselling author of Be True to Yourself, now presents Retail Therapy, the ultimate guide to life -- through shopping! Retail Therapy is a playful yet wise look at the pleasures of shopping. Amanda Ford loves to shop, and she exuberantly shares the stories of her most memorable finds -- the perfect pink sweater, a set of precious porcelain dishes, a dusty yet valuable antique. But she also shows how shopping allows us to examine deeper truths about our lives and what is really going on when money is spent. Chapters include "The Best Trends to Follow Are the Ones You Set Yourself," "We Never Know How Things Will Turn Out," "Be Thankful for What You Have," and "Some Places We Have to Go to Alone." Blending tales about her own experiences with life lessons, quotes, and advice, her message is ultimately about discovering your passions, taking care of yourself, and being conscious about decisions.

Designing a successful retail business depends on relationships with four groups of people: customers, shareholders, employees and suppliers. This book takes you inside those strategic relationships and shows you how to redesign your business to get them right. Don't let the humour fool you, there are ground-breaking ideas here. Highlights include a new theory of brands which shows how customer loyalty and service can be transformed. Insights into supply chain structure reveal a path to a new level of excellence. Job satisfaction is also given a complete overhaul for the new century. In each case the solution seems paradoxical - by finding a way to let the human element back into strategy we can actually increase its objectivity and extend its reach. Combining hardcore retail experience with state of the art theory and a steady flow of humour, this is the retail strategy book you've been waiting for. It's infectiously readable, relentlessly illuminating and irreverently funny - it's also the key to successful retail.

With Party Girls, Roz Bailey took on sex and the city. In Girls' Night Out, she turned dating into the funniest reality TV experience ever. Now, she's back with a pack of friends whose extravagance knows no credit limit. Because when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping. . . When Roz Bailey was five she danced on the cocktail table at the summer cottage while the adults weren't looking and quickly learned that a very ordinary moment could be parlayed into extraordinary fiction. After winning two poetry awards, in suburban Maryland (with thanks to the nuns at St. Philip Neri), all roads led to bull. . .er, fiction. Roz still enjoys dancing, cocktails, and summer places. She lives in New York City with two roommates who also enjoy living beyond their means.

"The architecture and design of retail stores are powerful ingredients in the mix of components that attract customers. To tempt potential shoppers over the threshold is the first, vital step. The projects in this book demonstrate contemporary trends in retail design, not just in merchandising, but storefronts, shop fittings, materials, layouts and the general look and feel of the space. All these factors are designed to offer an 'experience' to the dedicated shopper. Featured architects include Giorgio Borusso Design, RTKL, Zeidler Partnership, Mellett Architects, BOORA Architects and JPRA Architects, in store designs for brands such as Nike, Miss Sixty, FILA and Habitat."--Jacket.