Last updated on June 8th, 2016 at 08:36 am
Piggly Wiggly Alabama’s Food Show, coming up May 10-11, will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first Piggly Wiggly store, which opened Sept. 6, 1916.
Piggly Wiggly, which bills itself as America’s first true self-service grocery store, was founded in Memphis, Tennessee, by Clarence Saunders. In grocery stores of that time, shoppers presented their orders to clerks who gathered the goods from the store shelves. Saunders noticed that this method resulted in wasted time and man hours, so he came up with a solution that would revolutionize the entire grocery industry: shoppers serve themselves.
Piggly Wiggly also was the first to provide checkout stands; price mark every item in the store; give shoppers more food for their food dollar through high volume/low profit margin retailing; feature a full line of nationally advertised brands; use refrigerated cases to keep produce fresher longer; put employees in uniforms for cleaner, more sanitary food handling; design and use patented fixtures and equipment throughout the store; and franchise independent grocers to operate under the self-service method of food retailing.
At its food show, Piggly Wiggly Alabama Distributing Co. will have a small version of a 1916 prototype store focusing on the iconic brands that available during this era. Vendors have been encouraged to participate with vintage brands and labels, showcasing companies and items that would have been available during the early years of Piggly Wiggly. A birthday celebration for Mr. Pig will be held at 2 p.m. on May 10 during Piggly Wiggly Alabama’s show. The distributor hosts three food shows annually at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.
