A Supermarket Changed the World
Picking up a basket while shopping may seem natural now, but the idea was once groundbreaking. And that was not the only thing that changed when Piggly Wiggly, the first modern American supermarket, opened more than 100 years ago.
Clarence Saunders opened the first Piggly Wiggly on Sept. 11, 1916 in Memphis. He launched a self-service model that was vastly different from the way things had long been done. At an old-style grocery (杂货店), customers would pass a grocery list to a clerk, who would then put items together for shoppers in one bag. At Piggly Wiggly, on the other hand, the shoppers did their own choosing. In addition to launching the self-service model, Piggly Wiggly introduced shopping baskets, price-marked items and employees in uniform.
Other supermarkets popped up. Supermarket success continued during World WarⅡ, when thousands of small grocery stores had to close as their employees went off to war. After the war, the popularity of refrigerators and private cars for nearly every family kept feeding the model. And it became necessary for supermarkets to provide free parking.
Throughout the 1950s, the supermarket proved itself an American phenomenon. It was such a wonder that in 1957, during a visit to the US, Queen Elizabeth visited a Maryland supermarket to see what it was all about.
While the history of supermarkets is clear, one thing is not: How Piggly Wiggly got its name. The origin remains a mystery, but when Clarence Saunders was once asked why he picked the name, he simply responded: "So people will ask that very question."
2.Clarence Saunders introduced a new shopping model.