Sol Price summary

Shopping in the 1950s wasn’t nearly as convenient as it is today. Most likely, you'd have had to travel downtown and visit multiple stores to get everything you needed. Food from the grocery store, tools from the hardware store, toys from the toy store.

Enter Sol Price, a law professional turned retail visionary, who completely disrupted this conventional shopping experience. He dreamt of bringing affordable, all-in-one shopping right to people’s neighborhoods, and set a precedent for what we now know as warehouse shopping.

After building a successful law practice in San Diego representing Jewish charities and businessmen, Sol became deeply acquainted with the intricacies of business. This immersion in the world of commerce led him to the doors of Fedco, a Los Angeles membership-only department store founded by federal government employees. Intrigued by their model, Sol, along with his client Mandell Weiss, decided to introduce a similar concept in San Diego. Thus, FedMart was born.

Defying the norms of the time, FedMart opened its doors in 1954 in a warehouse away from downtown. The store also broke with traditional operating hours, opening evenings and Saturdays to cater to working families. For a one-time fee of just $2, shoppers could enjoy a lifetime membership, offering them access to discounted prices on items directly from wholesalers, a concept that then bypassed fair trade laws governing retail pricing. The success of FedMart was immediate and monumental.

But Sol's vision extended beyond just low prices. Drawing from his legal background, he adopted an ethical approach, branding FedMart as a "low margin" rather than discount retailer. He marked up products just enough to cover costs, unlike his competitors, and earned customer loyalty with good service, quality products, and an unequivocal refund policy. Employees. too. were inspired by Sol's leadership, motivated by fair pay, profit sharing, and transparent communication.

Innovation was the cornerstone of FedMart's success. It was the first store to sell food and general merchandise under one roof. Despite drawing the ire of pharmacists, FedMart soon brought prescription drugs to consumers at lower prices, even launching its own quality generic brand and pioneering the concept of bulk sizes. As FedMart expanded nationally, Sol’s influence grew, too, lowering prices, popularizing self-service shopping, and inspiring retail giants like Walmart, Kmart, and Target.

But twenty years later, in 1975, Sol parted ways with FedMart when its new owner began to deviate from his principles. This didn’t mean the end of the road for Sol though – far from it. He went on to found The Price Company, opening the first Price Club, which after a 1993 merger became Price Costco. He also launched PriceSmart, extending the warehouse store concept to Latin America.

CEOs like Jim Sinegal of Costco also credit Sol with teaching them the ropes of retail. But, even amid the accolades and successes, Sol remained humble, focusing on improving people’s lives over receiving recognition.