“Chains do more than bargain down prices from suppliers or divide fixed costs across a lot of units. They rapidly spread economic discovery - the scarce and costly knowledge of what retail concepts and operational innovations actually work.”

American journalist and author

Virginia Postrel is an American journalist and author who writes about commerce, culture, and technology. She is known for essays and commentary on how these areas shape modern life. She is a contributing editor at Works in Progress and co-hosts the podcast Everyday Abundance. Her work often focuses on the meeting point of markets, ideas, and everyday life, with a clear interest in how people make sense of change.