retail

Science

How huge, low-cost, low-wage retail flourished in the US economy

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Until the late 19th century, the US retail sector was overwhelmingly local and consisted of small, independent merchants from around the country. It began to change after Sears and Lowbuck’s famous catalogue became popular and allowed the company to grow. Meanwhile, rival Montgomery ward has also expanded. By the 1930s, there were 130,000 chain stores in…