Franck Cochoy critically analyses the transformation of commerce and the origins of self-service through the lens of Progressive Grocer, an American trade magazine launched in 1922. Aimed at modernizing small independent grocery stores, it sowed the seeds for modern self-service in small retail outlets. Using actor-network theory, this innovative in-depth analysis highlights the complex impact of social and cultural factors that structure and delimit consumer freedom in the marketplace and will be of interest to a wide variety of scholars not only in marketing and consumer research, but also in business history, sociology and cultural studies.

Introduction 1. How To Read Progressive Grocer 2. Making People do Business with Words-Things 3. The Beginnings of the Progressive Grocer: Improving commerce before transforming it 4. Transforming Commerce: A Business of Pens and Brands 5. Rolling Stores, or The Tour of Trolleys 6. Conclusion

Franck Cochoy is Professor of Sociology at the University of Toulouse, France. He is one of France's most influential economic sociologists and has published extensively in the area of critical marketing and consumer culture, specifically the market mediations between producers and consumers, from marketing to packaging, via advertising and other devices.