Business Wars Wondery

It’s 1962 and a new retail trend’s catching fire – big-box discount stores that reinvent shopping with out-of-town locations, huge product ranges, and low, low prices.




And at opposite ends of the country, two hopefuls are jumping on the bandwagon. In Arkansas, five-and-dime owner Sam Walton’s opening his first Wal-Mart. In Minnesota, the upscale Dayton’s department store is readying a discount chain called Target.




But to survive in this new frontier of razor-thin margins, faster rivals and price-sensitive shoppers, they’ll both have to rip up the rulebook.

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It’s the 1990s and Walmart’s replaced Kmart as America’s biggest retailer. 




But now that it’s on top, its business practices are under fire. And for Target, that’s an opportunity to paint itself as the friendly alternative to the Bentonville juggernaut.




But to really break through, Target knows it must stand apart from its bigger opponent. And it’s about to find what it needs in the design districts of New York City.




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It’s early 2005 and Walmart’s reeling from a dismal holiday season. It hoped to improve its image by playing nice with rivals only to watch Target snatch away its shoppers.

So now it’s looking to hit back by muscling in on the cheap-chic action that’s sent Target’s growth soaring.

But Walmart’s about to find that winning over the fashion conscious is as much about brand as design.

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It’s 2013 and Target’s troubles are multiplying. The Minneapolis retailer’s big push into Canada is getting the cold shoulder and a gang of cybercriminals are about to bust open its network and stage a billion-dollar heist.

But while Target firefights, Walmart is focusing on a newer, more hi-tech foe: Amazon.

And as the war for shoppers moves from bricks to bytes, Target’s new CEO Brian Cornell needs to get the chain back on track fast, before it gets left behind.

It’s 2009 and in a modest suburban home, a monetary revolution is beginning. It’s called bitcoin and it arrives with a whimper. There’s just no compelling reason to swap dollars for this worthless digital token. But then, a wannabe crime lord spots bitcoin’s potential and enacts a plan to filthy rich.




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It’s 2011, and Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss are trying to move on from their legal battle with Mark Zuckerberg over who created Facebook. And their nemesis is about to derail the twins’ dreams again. But then a chance encounter on the dance floor catapults them into crypto.




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