“WAR IS HELL. But for millions of Americans on the booming home front, World War II was also a hell of a war.” So wrote Mark H. Leff to introduce his article analyzing the politics of sacrifice on the American home front during World War II. He continued,“The politics set in motion by a peculiar blend of profits and patriotism, of sacrifice and unprecedented prosperity, gave a distinctive cast to American wartime life.” 1 Leff’s article cast a wide net, covering numerous applications of the politics of sacrifice, while suggesting the potential for microlevel case studies. One such area that has received little attention in the World War II literature is the role of department stores during the war.

For the Younkers Brothers department store in Des Moines, it was a “hell of a war,” as the war affected the store and its staff. Younkers’s management, while generating patriotic enthusiasm, was able to project an image of sacrifice and civic engagement while simultaneously creatively planning for the postwar years. Not only did Younkers adapt to the rationing and price controls commonly associated with American businesses during the war,