Franck Cochoy critically analyses the transformation of commerce and the origins of self-service through the lens of Progressive Grocer, an American trade magazine launched in 1922. Aimed at modernizing small independent grocery stores, it sowed the seeds for modern self-service in small retail outlets. Using actor-network theory, this innovative in-depth analysis highlights the complex impact of social and cultural factors that structure and delimit consumer freedom in the marketplace and will be of interest to a wide variety of scholars not only in marketing and consumer research, but also in business history, sociology and cultural studies.