3 Answers

Most of the shrubs you find at nurseries, WalMart, Target, Home Depot, Lowe's are meant for full sun. 

http://wilsonbrosnursery.com/Plants/Shrubs/Shrubs-for-Sun.aspx 

http://www.midwestgardentips.com/best_performing_shrubs.html

Mary do you wnna  answer this one.

First off:   Where are you?  City and State or Sunset Western Garden Zone.  This will help you make an informed choice.  A good plant for Sacramento, CA may not work in Duluth Minn.

Big Box stores as mentioned above are generally not a great place to buy plants.  They have some untrained person aiming water at the plants every few days who knows nothing about proper watering.  If you do buy fron one of these stores - bring it home and immediately soak it in tepid water for several hours and then let it drain completely.  This is to make sure the core of the root ball if dry will rehydrate.  Keep your receipt and any info on the plant because if it dies you can return it.