The Virginia native built his career in the cutthroat Memphis wholesaling business. But the man behind the concept, successful businessman Clarence Saunders, was very serious. Grocery managers throughout Memphis thought the Piggly Wiggly was a joke. After paying, shoppers then received something else many of them had never before seen: a printed receipt.Īn ad from 1928. Cash was the only accepted payment method. Once they’d selected their goods, shoppers arrived at a counter where an employee manned an adding machine and a register. All of the prices were clearly marked with tags hanging over each item, allowing customers to perform a side-by-side comparison of different brands. Instead of ordering flour by weight, to be measured out by a store employee, they found pre-bagged flour in neat stacks. A refrigerator case with cabinet doors invited them to pick out a tub of butter or a bottle of milk. For the first time, they could pick their own produce and weigh it on store scales. National brands like Campbell’s soup and Walker Baker & Co.
After walking through a swinging door, they followed a pathway that led them through four aisles stacked high with more than 1000 products-everything from canned vegetables to cornflakes, bags of flour to jars of preserves. Upon entering the store, shoppers found themselves standing before a brightly lit showroom floor. With its "self-service" model, the Piggly Wiggly on Jefferson Avenue would do away with the clerks and let customers do something they’d never done before: select the products themselves. Up until that point, retail stores all operated according to the same model: Customers placed their order with a clerk, who would then gather and bag all their items and total up the cost. For weeks, they’d seen billboards and read newspaper ads about this grocery store with the funny name that promised an entirely new shopping experience-one that would, according to its owner, forever change the retail grocery business. The store-located on a busy commercial stretch just three blocks east of the river-was the perfect excuse for some afternoon shopping, and maybe a stroll along the waterfront.īut what drew so many people that day wasn’t the location or the festivities. Smartly dressed employees handed out flowers to the ladies and balloons to children. A festive atmosphere greeted them, complete with a beauty contest and a brass band. On September 6, 1916, hundreds of curious shoppers came out for the opening of a new grocery store at 79 Jefferson Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee. But 100 years ago, it was downright revolutionary. 83 on The PG 100.Walking the aisles of your local supermarket may feel like a pretty mundane task. 16 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top retailers of food and consumables in North America. Piggly Wiggly Midwest is No. Piggly Wiggly Midwest revealed in July that it was being acquired by C&S Wholesale Grocers.Ĭ&S services customers of all sizes, supplying more than 7,700 independent supermarkets, chain stores, military bases and institutions with 137,000-plus products. The company includes 85 independently owned franchisees, 11 corporate stores and 14 Butera Market stores in Chicago. Piggly Wiggly Midwest has been based in Sheboygan, Wis., since 1911. “My sister, brother-in-law and I are in this business because of the people - we’re building relationships with friends, families and neighbors on a daily basis.”Ĭurrent Burreson’s Foods employees will be offered positions at the new Belleville Piggly Wiggly store. “Our family is excited to partner with the Belleville community,” said Counihan, a second-generation co-owner.
The trio also owns and operates Main Street Market Piggly Wiggly stores in Lodi and Waunakee. The Belleville store is Counihan and the Haesslys’ third Wisconsin Piggly Wiggly. “Tegan, Tanya and Bryce will do great things with the store.” “We’re confident the Piggly Wiggly brand and model will thrive in Belleville,” said Molly Rippinger, director of marketing at Piggly Wiggly Midwest.
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Like other Wisconsin Piggly Wiggly locations, the store will include Piggly Wiggly’s “Pampered to Perfection Produce,” an in-store bakery, a full-service deli, fresh and frozen seafood, and a full liquor department The anticipated grand opening for Belleville Piggly Wiggly is March 2, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. The new Piggly Wiggly store ownership consists of Tegan Counihan, Tanya Haessly and Bryce Haessly. Located in Belleville, Wis., at 1019 River Street, Burreson’s Foods was previously owned and operated by Darin Burreson. Piggly Wiggly Midwest has a home state advantage in its latest banner deal: The Wisconsin-based grocer finalized an agreement to transition Burreson’s Foods to a Piggly Wiggly Midwest franchisee.