Saunders, a dynamic and innovative man, noticed that this method resulted in wasted time and expense, so he came up with an unheard-of solution that would revolutionize the entire grocery industry: he developed a way for shoppers to serve themselves.ĭespite predictions that his novel idea would fail, Saunders’ first store opened on Septemat 79 Jefferson Street in Memphis.
In grocery stores of that time, shoppers presented their orders to clerks who then gathered the goods from the store shelves. Piggly Wiggly®, America's first true self-service grocery store, was founded in Memphis, Tennessee in 1916 by Clarence Saunders. Sears Hometown Store: Milledgeville - 1.6 milesĬlick for more Milledgeville store hours.Dollar General: Milledgeville - 0.8 miles.Piggly Wiggly Stores: Jeffersonville - 28.0 miles.Piggly Wiggly Stores: Eatonton - 19.1 miles.Piggly Wiggly Stores: Gordon - 15.0 miles.
