[1] Mormon business owners were routinely charged higher prices by wholesalers who discovered they were dealing with Latter-day Saints.

By pooling their resources, they were able to make larger orders to sell materials and goods exclusively (at the time) to fellow LDS Church members.

[3]: 19  The central component of this was the LDS Church's purchase of the Eagle Emporium, a conglomerate of mercantile companies owned by William Jennings.

The LDS Church was a significant influence in the company, retaining a majority interest in ZCMI until its eventual sale in December 1999.

[6] In October 1999, as a result of losses for two consecutive years, along with mounting economic and social pressures, ZCMI was sold to May Department Stores Company of St. Louis,[5] ZCMI operated under its original name as a part of May's Portland-based Meier & Frank division until April 2001, when the stores adopted the Meier & Frank name.