A fun, nostalgic look at the great American stores of yesteryear and their rise and fall. The wealthy and leisured lady of the 1920s shopped in a palatial downtown department store with a restaurant, beauty parlour, movie theatre, and live orchestra -- the harried suburban mom of today rushes her purchases through the self-checkout at the big box store. THE GREAT AMERICAN SHOPPING EXPERIENCE explains how this transformation happened in a fascinating and entertaining history of the growth and decline of Americas massive retail empires. A popular history that is both fun and compelling, this is an epic story of capitalisms powers of creative destruction and the repeated transformation of American society.