The luxurious appearance and handsome profits of American department stores from 1890 to 1940 masked a three-way struggle among saleswomen, managers, and customers for control of the selling floor. Counter Cultures explores the complex nature and contradictions of the conflict in an arena where class, gender, and the emerging culture of consumption all came together. The result is a fascinating illumination of the emotional labor of the workplace and the work-culture of consumerism that still defines the workday for millions of Americans.

Susan Porter Benson (d. 2005) taught at the University of Missouri-Columbia, University of Connecticut, and Yale University. She is the author of Household Accounts: Working-class Family Economies in the Interwar United States.