Stella Minahan has had a career in retailing both as an owner/manager with a textile shop in Melbourne and as a senior manager at Coles Myer. Later she worked lecturing to post graduate students interested in the retail and wholesale trade. She is now a senior research fellow at Deakin University in Melbourne where she has been exploring more of the recreational nature of shopping. She also hates shopping.

Michael Beverland is a senior lecturer in marketing with the University of Melbourne with expertise in branding and consumer behaviour. Michael is also a keen shopper with a passion for design, good wine and luxury brands. He is an ideal researcher for this book as he is one of the very few men around who knows the price of a Dior lipstick and Prada shoes.