The grocery store was founded in Memphis, Tennessee in 1916 by George Saunders as the first true self service grocery store in North America – previously customers stood at a counter and a clerk fetched the grocery items from the shelves. Saunders actually patented the idea of “self service” in 1917.

Piggly Wiggly opened a location in the 3000 block of Granville in the shopfront of the Crescent Apartments. The Safeway company bought Piggly Wiggly’s west coast assets in the 1920s, eventually converting the stores to the Safeway brand.

And why the name Piggly Wiggly? We’ll never know because Mr. Saunders took the secret to the grave.