The chain required clerks to wear company-provided uniforms and used efficiency experts to help clerks complete their specific tasks. He established the Piggly Wiggly Corporation and issued franchises to numerous grocery retailers, implementing several levels of standardization within his stores. Saunders patented the self-service grocery store in 1917. Piggly Wiggly carried nationally produced brands and attracted many customers by capitalizing on national advertising. With their products displayed next to those of competitors, suppliers had to set their goods apart through eye-catching packaging and advertisements. Saunders kept manufacturers on their toes, too. The cash-and-carry policies also eliminated store credit and delivery services for customers. By allowing customers to serve themselves and clearly marking the price for every product, Piggly Wiggly enabled patrons to examine and compare items without the pressure of a clerk’s gaze. Saunders knew that, when customers saw more, they bought more, and his store designs and the self-service concept capitalized on the customers’ impulsivity. In the earliest versions of the store, customers entered a turnstile and were led through the store along aisles of shelves neatly displaying every product available. Piggly Wiggly did not simply revolutionize the grocery shopping experience for consumers it also revolutionized the way other businesses had to market their products. Although other chain stores kept prices low through volume sales in several locations and cash-and-carry policies, Saunders anticipated that Piggly Wiggly’s lower prices combined with the faster sales pace of self-service would result in more customers and more revenue. If customers served themselves and then presented their items to a clerk for price-totaling, packaging, and payment, Saunders believed that his stores would need fewer employees, thereby reducing operating costs. ![]() ![]() Saunders developed the business to overcome the high costs of operation and the excessive amounts of credit maintained by customers at traditional grocery stores. Piggly Wiggly is credited with being the first self-service grocery chain. Pig mascot remain ingrained in the southern vernacular, appearing in communities across the nation and starring in several films, novels, and songs. Nearly a century later, Piggly Wiggly and the beloved Mr. Despite its funny name and the flamboyance of its founder, this new style of store was serious business. When approached on the matter, he’d answer, “I named it that so people like you would ask me just that question.” And, since 1916, the name has been recognized and remembered all over the world.In September 1916, entrepreneur Clarence Saunders opened the first Piggly Wiggly grocery store in Memphis. First to franchise independent grocers to operate under the self-service method of food merchandising.Ĭlarence Saunders would never elaborate on the origin of the Piggly Wiggly name.First to design and use patented fixtures and equipment throughout the store.First to use refrigerated cases to keep perishables fresher longer.First to give shoppers more for the food dollar through high volume/low profit margin retailing.First to price mark every item in a food store.First to provide shopping baskets and check-out stands.First to sell foods by the self-service supermarket system which is originated in 1916.All good things that come to American shoppers were brought to them first by Piggly Wiggly: ![]() The format of all modern supermarkets is based on the Piggly Wiggly plan of self-service. His stores astounded the food industry: shopping baskets- and no clerks to wait on customers- it was unheard of! A flamboyant figure, Saunders put existing practices and techniques together, systemizing them into the original self-service grocery store. Saunders virtually invented the supermarket. Piggly Wiggly was founded in 1916 in Memphis, Tennessee, by the late Clarence Saunders.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |