One Buck at a Time: An Insider's Account of How Dollar Tree Remade American Retail

I'm the president and COO of a small upcoming company and often find myself looking for first hand accounts that dive deeper than the latest corporate executive jargon and Tony Robbins like self-help approach. I'm happy to say that I found what I was looking for in One Buck at a Time, by Macon Brock. Make no mistake, Mr. Brock's does not bring action and adventure like Richard Branson, dole out self-aggrandizing prophecy like Elon Musk, or portray the edgy brilliant life of someone like Steve Jobs. His steady, honest and personable approach portrays the life of a man and a company that learned a lot along the way, with an emphasis on the corporate culture and mission that would serve as the backbone for one of the most successful retail brands in the world. Mr. Brock is not ashamed to call out a lucky break or give credit where it is due and never once takes credit for the extraordinary talent and intelligence that he most certainly possessed. Instead, he paints the picture of a family man making the most out of an opportunity and not afraid to believe in his ability to succeed or aspire to great things. Macon Brock rises from the page a confident, approachable and persistent man destined to be successful - a true American hero that one can't help but root for. I highly recommend this book.

Well written, easy to read. Really great, interesting story.

A must read for anyone that’s a fan of retail. The book is stocked full of lessons about how to build a business.

Having grown up down the street from the Perry's, I found this story fascinating. We all grew up hanging out at Ward's Corner and in Ben Franklin. Doug was like my brother and Joanie was the pretty, sweet girl I looked up to, and still do. Mr. Perry drove me to school and Mrs. Perry taught me to sew. I used to baby sit Kathryn Brock during those years when Macon was in Viet Nam.Everyone who grew up with the Perry's is so proud of the family's success and continued humility and generosity. I ran into Macon in my local Dollar Tree "buying batteries", he said. Yeah, right. He was scoping the place out.Thank you, Macon Brock, for writing this book because it needed to happen so the story won't be forgotten.

The first sales call I ever made was to Macon Brock back when the initial conversion was made to K&K Toys. It was refreshing to read about his family and the Perry family who, because the Brock's and Perry's were so friendly and outgoing, I was able to establish a lasting relationship with all of them. The relationship still exists today, but a little more distant since I know live in Nashville.The book is very descriptive and is historically correct in relation to the toy industry and retail industry from the 70's until now. I would think that anyone that is interested in the toy industry and retail industry or even how to ultimately build an empire with hard work and devotion, this would be worthwhile reading.

I did not have really high expectations, after all, how exciting can a book on a dollar store be. However, once I got past the first fifteen pages, it was riveting, and due to the high detail nature of the stories, I felt like I was there, from the beginning of Dollar Tree. Yeah, I was bored with about the first 15 pages, wondering if this was going to get better, but once we were past Brocks childhood years, and into the meat and potatoes, it did not disappoint me. I even read it trying to put myself to sleep-however instead, it kept me reading, because I wanted to see what happened next...

This book significantly improvemed my understanding of the retail industry and the discount retail industry in particular. It shows that the key success factor is really in merchandising and site acquisition. Furthermore, the book describes how sourcing from China (and Asia, in general) has really driven cost advantages in the industry.

I learned alot from this book, the author did not leave anything out. This has helped me with my business goals, so money well spent.

Our boss grew up in the same town as Macon and still knows him now, he was reading this book when I asked him about it. I've always experienced the surprise of what I can get for a dollar and it's really nice learning about the history behind the beginning..always a dollar tree supporter!