{"product_id":"big-box-swindle-the-true-cost-of-mega-retailers-and-the-fight-for-americas-independent-businesses-paperback","title":"Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America's Independent Businesses - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eStacy Mitchell\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Book Sense Pick and Annual Highlight\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWith a New Afterword \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn less than two decades, large retail chains have become the most powerful corporations in America. In this deft and revealing book, Stacy Mitchell illustrates how mega-retailers are fueling many of our most pressing problems, from the shrinking middle class to rising pollution and diminished civic engagement--and she shows how a growing number of communities and independent businesses are effectively fighting back. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMitchell traces the dramatic growth of mega-retailers--from big boxes like Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Costco, and Staples to chains like Starbucks, Olive Garden, Blockbuster, and Old Navy--and the precipitous decline of independent businesses. Drawing on examples from virtually every state in the country, she unearths the extraordinary impact of these companies and the big-box mentality on everything from soaring gasoline consumption to rising poverty rates, failing family farms, and declining voting levels. Along the way, Mitchell exposes the shocking role government policy has played in the expansion of mega-retailers and builds a compelling case that communities composed of many small, locally owned businesses are healthier and more prosperous than those dominated by a few large chains. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMore than a critique, \u003ci\u003eBig-Box Swindle\u003c\/i\u003e provides an invigorating account of how some communities have successfully countered the spread of big boxes and rebuilt their local economies. Since 2000, more than two hundred big-box development projects have been halted by groups of ordinary citizens, and scores of towns and cities have adopted laws that favor small-scale, local business development and limit the proliferation of chains. From cutting-edge land-use policies to innovative cooperative small-business initiatives, Mitchell offers communities concrete strategies that can stave off mega-retailers and create a more prosperous and sustainable future.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eStacy Mitchell \u003c\/b\u003eis a regular speaker and advisor to communities on retail development and independent business. A senior researcher with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, she chairs the American Independent Business Alliance . Mitchell regularly contributes articles and commentaries to magazines and newspapers, and produces an acclaimed monthly email newsletter, The Hometown Advantage Bulletin. She lives in Portland, Maine\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 336\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.9 x 8.9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 01, 2007\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47451479277746,"sku":"9780807035016","price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0770\/3891\/1666\/files\/87b9995d8406609007d39718470d7fbd.webp?v=1778795764","url":"https:\/\/box.dadyminds.org\/products\/big-box-swindle-the-true-cost-of-mega-retailers-and-the-fight-for-americas-independent-businesses-paperback","provider":"DADYMINDS BOX","version":"1.0","type":"link"}