How Piggly Wiggly Became The First Modern Grocery Store
NEWS
By SHARYN FLANAGAN
In the early 20th century, savvy salesman Clarence Saunders worked in the wholesale food industry. Convinced there was a better way to do business, he began Piggly Wiggly in 1916.
Before Saunders’ new store, grocery shopping offered few choices for
the customers, who brought their shopping list to the clerks who would then select the items for them.
The system was time-consuming for the customer who had to wait for an available clerk and expensive for store owners who needed to hire enough clerks to satisfy demand.
Saunders launched his first self-service Piggly Wiggly grocery store in Memphis, Tennessee. This business model became the precursor to how we shop today.
Customers would enter through a turnstile and be greeted by open shelves of merchandise to choose from. They would then pay at the cash register and exit through another turnstile.
Needing fewer employees meant the savings were passed to the customers. Within a year of opening, nine Piggly Wiggly locations were in the Memphis area.
Hundreds of franchises were launched, and by 1923, the chain included 1,268 stores. Throughout the 1920s, the self-service business model became the standard.
