Started in Memphis in 1916, the supermarket is known for creating the first self-service checkout line and price tags for each and every item in the store. Piggly Wiggly has a long history in Tennessee. Stores in South Carolina and Mississippi have also recently shuttered, raising concerns about potential food deserts.
#PIGGLY WIGGLY LOCATIONS IN TENNESSEE SERIES#
The fate of the Piggly Wiggly on West End is the latest in a series of closings that have diminished the chain’s presence over the last few years. He says they made a point of making customers feel valued. Manager Lee Gattis says this job has been different than other retail gigs he’s held before. “It just won’t be the same without this wonderful, old, crazy place,” Threk Michaels, a longtime employee, says. Although the chain has two more locations in Nashville and hundreds more across the South, community members say the closure feels personal. The beloved Piggly Wiggly plans to close its doors for good at the end of the week. That’s exactly what’s happened for this West End grocer. in Nashville.Įvery day, businesses open and close, but rarely does the loss of a chain store cause so much heartache. “It’s like a family atmosphere.” Julia Ritchey WPLN NewsĪ customer exits the Piggly Wiggly at 2900 West End Ave. “Everybody down here is on a first name basis,” Blair said. He came to buy a box of matches, but really it was an excuse to catch up with some of his favorite people.
At least until Instacart comes to town.On a rainy Wednesday afternoon, Ken Blair went on his routine stroll to Piggly Wiggly on Nashville’s West End. There's less competition from big box chains like Wal-Mart or Safeway in those small towns, and by staying rural, they maintain a loyal customer base, providing inexpensive groceries to people who would otherwise have to travel to a major city. It might seem like a business disaster, but it's actually a brilliant strategy. Even within that limited Southern/Midwestern sphere, they tend to shun big cities and stick to medium and small towns. You're not going to find a Piggly Wiggly west of Oklahoma or anywhere in New England, but Alabama alone boasts more than 100 locations. Throughout the years, it's been bought and sold by various wholesale grocery distribution companies (by 1920, Saunders had lost control of the company by issuing stock and prolifically franchising), but it remains the same charming, quirky place that it was in 1916, at least in the South. It may not be the most well-known grocery store chain, but Piggly Wiggly is still up and running today. He shook everyone's hand and gave out flowers and balloons to children while a "brass band serenaded visitors in the lobby." This personal touch, alongside the lowest prices in town, was the key to keeping customers coming back. Aside from promising to host a "beauty contest," Saunders made sure he was out in front of the doors to greet every customer and make them feel welcome. Back in those days, however, t here was no social media, no television, and really, no way to get the word out about a new business without causing a scene, so that's exactly what Clarence Saunders did.
The First Piggly Wigglyįounded on Septemin Memphis, Tennessee, Piggly Wiggly was the first self-service grocery store in the United States. Customers loved the new, lower prices of this "self-service" model, and the paradigm of the shopper-grocer relationship irrevocably shifted.
Piggly Wiggly allowed customers to stroll freely, gathering what they wanted at their leisure. In 1916, a grocery store with a silly name changed that forever. This kind of "full-service" shop was perfect for preventing theft and a premium customer experience, but it was an expensive way to do business. Instead of rolling in with a cart and grabbing things off the shelves to the strains of the in-store audio system's tasteful muzak, customers handed their shopping lists to a clerk who would collect the groceries for them. Going to the grocery store in the early 1900s was nothing like what it is today.
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