Title: America's corner stores :
Authors: Bacon, John U.,
Date: 2004
Publisher: Wiley,
Physical description: xv, 255 p. ; 24 cm.
Language: English
LC classification: R
Abstract: "This is the story of Walgreens, the most successful drugstore chain in the United States. From its founding as a family-run store in Chicago in 1901, Walgreens has grown into one of the largest food and drug retailers in the world. With more than 3,600 stores nationwide and the 6,000th scheduled to open by 2010, Walgreens has managed to survive and even thrive when other, better-known competitors, have not - earning regular spots on Fortune magazine's lists of most admired and best performing companies." "The story of Walgreens' remarkable rise to the top is one of grit and gumption, talent and tenacity, and an unfailing commitment to old-fashioned down-home values. This book offers both a colorful slice of Americana and a compelling corporate profile, interweaving personal anecdotes with historic and economic insights."--BOOK JACKET.
Contents: From Humble Beginnings -- The Apple and the Tree -- Sweet Home Chicago -- The State of the Profession -- Walgreen Does Chicago -- To Live and Almost Die in Cuba -- Walgreen Returns -- The Most Important Merger -- Diving In--Together -- The Start of Something Special: 1910-1929 -- On His Own -- The Secrets of the Second Store -- I Scream, You Scream -- The Hot Lunch Program -- Cultivating Leaders -- Growing Like Topsy -- The Pepper Pod -- Steppin' Out -- Chicago in the Roaring Twenties -- On the Lighter Side -- Fundamental Values -- Putting Out Fires -- The Walgreen Creed -- The Knight Report -- "Absolute Dominance" -- If They Can Make It Here -- Read All about It -- Chain Fight -- The Good Life -- Nothing to Fear: 1929-1945 -- Facing Fear Itself -- Better Days Are Coming -- Helping the Mom-and-Pop Shops -- Walgreens' Own: From Coffee to Corn Remover -- Getting the Word Out -- Damn the Depression, Full Speed Ahead! -- Finding Time for Fun -- The Son Also Rises -- The Accidental Benefactor -- Charles's Demise -- Defusing a Palace Coup -- There's a War On -- Where Everyone Meets -- The Postwar Era: 1945-1970 -- The Power Era -- Mergers and Acquisitions -- All Power to the Pharmacist -- Partners in Health -- Battling the Bargain Stores -- The Self-Service Revolution -- The Shopping Center Is Born -- The Four-Way Test -- Chuck's Legacy -- Reinventing the Corporation: 1970-1990 -- State of the Company -- Looking for a Few Good Men -- Walgreen's Wingman -- The Turn-Around Team -- Killing Off Their Little Darlings.
Subject headings (LCSH): Drugstores--United States--History.; Drugstores--United States--Management.; Walgreen Co.; Walgreen, Charles R. (Charles Rudolph), 1873-1939; Walgreen, Chuck, 1906-2007; Walgreens (Firm); Walgreens--History.