He built a massive mansion of pink Georgian marble, appropriately named the Pink Palace.Ĭustomers flocked to Saunders’ stores, and he took his company public within a couple of years after its founding. Although Piggly Wiggly no longer maintains its headquarters in Tennessee, the legacy of Clarence Saunders still lingers.As his chain and wealth grew, Saunders developed a reputation for flamboyancy in Memphis. The company continues to follow the franchise concept as all stores are independently owned and operated. Today, there are approximately 600 Piggly Wiggly stores in about seventeen states, extending across the Southeast to as far north as Wisconsin. Piggly Wiggly reached the height of popularity in the 1930s with 2,600 stores in operation nationwide. Tennessee’s direct connection to Piggly Wiggly was short lived, due to a financial scandal in 1922-23 that stripped Saunders of control of the company. By 1922, the company operated twelve hundred stores in twenty-nine states. Piggly Wiggly was the first grocery to have refrigerated food cases. Piggly Wiggly standardized store signage and interior plans, limited exterior paint colors, and incorporated modern interior fixtures to increase customer recognition and brand confidence. Additionally, company mandates prevented clerks from assisting customers with product selection. 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. In September 1916, entrepreneur Clarence Saunders opened the first Piggly Wiggly grocery store in Memphis.
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