Quick Facts
- Date: Opening day is documented two ways — September 11, 1916 (Tennessee Encyclopedia); September 6, 1916 (local historical marker and company history).
Note: Several reliable sources acknowledge this discrepancy. - Location: 79 Jefferson Avenue, downtown Memphis, Tennessee.
- Key Figure: Clarence Saunders, Memphis grocer and retail innovator.
- What Was New: A fully self‑service layout with turnstiles, shopping baskets, open shelves, clearly priced goods, and front checkout stands; Saunders patented aspects of the design in 1917.
- Early Growth: By 1921, franchised Piggly Wiggly stores operated in 200 cities across 40 states, with combined sales of about $60 million.
Main Story
Before 1916, most shoppers in Memphis and across the country handed a list to a clerk, who fetched and totaled items from behind a counter. Clarence Saunders, a Memphian with big ideas, flipped that script in a modest storefront at 79 Jefferson Avenue. His Piggly Wiggly invited customers to enter through a turnstile, pick up a basket, follow a planned path past neatly arranged goods, and pay at a front register — a system that cut labor costs, sped service, and standardized prices. Contemporary descriptions of the opening highlight the pageantry — even a brass band and a beauty contest — underscoring how radical the concept seemed at the time.
Historians differ on the first day of business: the Tennessee Encyclopedia places the opening on September 11, 1916, while the Shelby County historical marker and the company’s own history cite September 6. Regardless of the exact day, the innovation was clear. Saunders soon secured patents for the self‑serving store layout and equipment, helping to formalize a format that quickly spread beyond Memphis.
Legacy
Piggly Wiggly’s self‑service model became the template for American supermarkets and remains central to how we shop today — a Memphis idea that traveled nationwide. The story endures in local memory and museums; visitors can even step into a replica of the original store at the Pink Palace Mansion (now part of the Museum of Science & History). Alongside icons like Beale Street, the first Piggly Wiggly is a touchstone of Memphis history — proof that the Bluff City has long shaped everyday life far beyond the 901.
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