Piggly Wiggly - Changing An Industry

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Episode Description: Despite its Ridiculous name, Piggly Wiggly has played a big part in shaping grocery stores into what we know them as today. This video talks about how they did it.
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[@DashCamSamVids]

“I’m fixing to run to the pig, do ya need anything?” A phrase I heard countless times growing up 😊

[@alukuhito]

What does "fixing" mean? Is that Southern? Ebonics?

[@DashCamSamVids]

@@alukuhito yeah it’s a southern dialect thing. Not normal English parlance is it? I believe using fixing in such manner is often viewed as a very backwards form of speaking but consider that it could relate to the word “fixate” as being a desirable fixation of an idea or action, then it becomes less backwards imo.

[@alukuhito]

@@DashCamSamVids OK, but what does it actually mean though? Does it mean you're getting ready?

[@autumnh62000]

@@alukuhito It is a southern term and it means that you are getting ready to do something. And it could also mean the sides to a dinner. “I’m fixin to go somewhere.” Or “Here’s your chicken with all the fixins.”

[@DashCamSamVids]

@@alukuhito yes 👍🏻

[@Director_Orson_Krennic]

It was actually because of Piggly Wiggly that Publix came to be. George Jenkins, founder of Publix, was once a worker at a Piggly Wiggly in Lakeland, FL, back in the 20s, but had noticed some issues with how that location was being ran. So, he loaded up his car and set off to where that location's owner was in Georgia (again, this was the 1920s, that was no small feat over quite a few dirt roads. Florida didn't really begin to wildly develop until post-WW2). Reaching the office of that location's owner, the receptionist stopped Jenkins saying that the owner wasn't in, despite being able to quite clearly hear said owner talking on a phone with someone about golf scores. So, Jenkins traveled back down home to Lakeland, and set out to found Publix, intending to open a grocery store that utilized the innovations of Piggly Wiggly that worked, and fix the errors of the company he spotted weren't being corrected. This is gone over in orientation for every new hire at Publix to this day

[@cmdrfunk]

Sounds made up.

[@lucariomew365]

Yep, Publix just loves rubbing it in their face😂

[@jsoo67]

Don't choke on your ambitions Director.

[@johnnydelgrady]

Cool story, bro.

[@Engine33Truck]

Publix is dope. I wish there were some in my area

[@tonydiebold4899]

Amazing how modern grocery stores have come full circle with services like Instacart acting as personal shoppers or being able to put your order online with the grocery store directly and having your order filled and brought out to your vehicle.

[@jliller]

I had an old-timer point out that buying from Amazon is basically just a faster and easier version of buying from the Sears Catalog.

[@mimusic1853]

@@jliller but not as fun. Some of us actually enjoyed thumbing through the colorful seasonal catalogs.

[@connormclernon26]

@@jlillerthat old timer isn’t wrong. Sears was perfectly positioned to be what Amazon became, but fumbled because of bad leadership.

[@johnsaints969]

Kinda ironic.

[@bloqk16]

@Tony Diebold . . . my thoughts exactly. It's a good thing I scanned the comments section before I wrote exactly what you did. Where I live in the western part of the US, the Walmart Neighborhood Markets, a way that grocer manages to have staff available for picking items for curbside pickup was going to exclusively self-service checkout in the store, as it frees up the employees from doing cashier duty. The remarkable aspect of the self-serve checkout is the sizeable quantity of units Walmart installed in the stores [up to 18 in a store I patronize], so there's no waiting in line at checkout.

[@dphunk87]

My grandmother who is 102 was a diehard Piggly Wiggly fan, or as she called it...the Hoggly Woggly. I even worked there for 2 weeks in highschool. That store closed last year.

[@subtleb1138]

My Granny called it that too !

[@SmokeyChipOatley]

@@subtleb1138 I uh… think you two are related.

[@cosmokramer4585]

My 80 year old father from South Georgia called if Hoggly Woggly as well.

[@Hillers62]

Back in the 60's, my little sister called "Pigully Wigully"

[@HayTatsuko]

Oh, my sides. I love your grandma's name for it!

[@kylescruggs6567]

I live in Southcentral Kentucky, and there’s a couple of Piggly Wiggly stores fairly close-by. My Mom and I used to shop at one of them as a kid. I hadn’t set foot in one in well over fifteen years when I stopped by the old store that I remembered as a kid. It was a literal time capsule, NOTHING had changed since about 2005.

[@uploadvidz4490]

I LOVE locales like that

[@KamenRiderGumo]

I live in WV, about an hour from the KY border, and I've never seen a Piggly Wiggly in person, let alone shopped in one.

[@JanSchattling]

Let's hope they at least got new groceries since then. If not, look out for Crystal Pepsi I really miss these. 😊

[@shrek187]

Lucky you, love places like that. Sadly all the ones where I lived were renovated.

[@Strykaman228]

There are three pretty close to where I live. One is exactly like that and it looks like it hasn’t changed since 2000. However, they just built a new one and it’s pretty nice. I’d still rather shop at Publix or target. But at least it isn’t small, old and dirty.

[@AwokenEntertainment]

Okay they have gained my respect - inventing the first shopping baskets and shopping carts was revolutionary..

[@JohnFourtyTwo]

At first customers didn’t know what the shopping carts were for so he hired people to walk acting the store pushing a cart and putting items in it to show the customers what the carts were for. I remember seeing this and hundreds of other “now you know” commercials on Armed Forces Radio Television Service and Armed Forces Network years ago when I was stationed overseas.😉👍

[@thegamingpigeon3216]

I live near a very small rural town (~1,100 people) in Wisconsin. The Piggly Wiggly in town is the only grocery store and because of that, it's been open since the 50's in the same location. They remodeled and made it bigger a few times but it's still the same base building.

[@cmkmusicislife1571]

I lived in Beaver Dam in the 90's, and Piggly Wiggly was one of the 2 grocery stores there

[@RebeccaMundschenk]

Is it near Mineral Point?

[@moominwithaknife4321]

I work there!

[@jimroscovius]

I used to shop at a Piggy Wiggly, but my hometown didn't have one.

[@wakonbp]

Pardeeville?

[@victorbenner539]

This was a wonderful history lesson about piggly wiggly. I'm currently 64. I remember there being a piggly wiggly in Tacoma Washington when I was 4 years old and my grandmother taking me there to get groceries. Don't know when they closed because they have been gone along time. My father and I thought the chain had closed up. When I was long haul trucking I found some of the stores in the southeastern part of the country and was amazed. The part that said Safeway bought out many of the stores in the west actually makes sense for the few stores we had in the Pacific Northwest. So I'm happy I saw this video. Everyone have a great day 🌤 😀.

[@bradley163]

We live 1/4 mile from a Piggly Wiggly. Our location is approximately 4 years old, has an Elianos coffeehouse, Little Caesars, a sushi bar, as well as a fuel station. Their prices are competitive, and the staff, from the store manager to the baggers, are as friendly and helpful as can be. It's definitely one of the best parts about living in the Southeast.

[@awesomeocelot7475]

Wow. From the sounds of it it sounds like one of those big ShopRites with other stores inside.

[@HayTatsuko]

You've got the _fancy_ Piggly Wiggly. I love that it has a sushi bar in it! It sounds like the opposite of the '70s throwback PW the next town over from where I live.

[@bruceh4180]

Store staff? Baggers? I feel like this is a time travel post. I didn't know newer stores existed, nice 🙂

[@kweli05]

Piggly Wiggly is all I knew growing up in S. Georgia.

[@shadowfoxx4]

Never in my 32 years of life have I seen Piggly wiggly on KZbin, no ads, no promotion, anything I didn't know I needed this

[@TimmyTickle]

I'm assuming you don't live in the Southeast

[@shadowfoxx4]

@@TimmyTickle lol no I do live here that's why I'm shocked that someone on the internet is talking about Piggly wiggly

[@kevincamp1995]

I live in a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama. Piggly Wiggly is an institution down here and has carved out a niche for itself in the metro area. It doesn't open many new stores but has great customer loyalty, I think in part because it is iconic. Regional grocery chains have declined here over time--I can think of four off-hand that went out of business years ago. But Piggly Wiggly remains.

[@MasterMalrubius]

I'd say that is probably the idea. Who could resist saying, "I'm heading down to the Piggly Wiggly."

[@kevincamp1995]

@@MasterMalrubius We often say, "I'm going down to The Pig."

[@DrFrostii]

@@MasterMalrubius I’m from Alabama as well, and we don’t really say that lol We say “I’m headed down to the pig” mostly

[@jaredoaks6317]

When I lived in McCalla I would always shop there. Now that I’m in Hoover I split shopping between the Piggly Wiggly in Bluff Park and Publix. Both are great grocery chains

[@deidrab.6322]

Best place to get a pick 5 down in Montgomery 😂

[@Arcademan09]

The only Piggly Wiggly I've seen was the one in Space Jam. As a kid I remember laughing so hard at the sign because I thought it was made up. Imagine my shock years later when I found out it's a real store

[@jamiemason2003]

I just watched Space Jam the other day and noticed the Piggly Wiggly store when the aliens go underground.

[@Henry8VIII8]

We still have tons of Piggly Wigglys in the SC Lowcountry. Plenty of us still shop there, they're one of the only stores that carries green peanuts when they're in season.

[@Henry8VIII8]

Also, I will always love their fried chicken.

[@Lokana]

As someone born and raised in California, when I decided to go with my South Carolina born and raised girl friend to visit her home town, I told her I wanted to visit a Piggly Wiggly. She asked me why I wanted to go to the Pig. I shrugged and we went. I was happy. Then I had boiled peanuts for the first time and ate chicken bog the next day. That, and having grits for breakfast the day before, completed much of my southern to do list.

[@1234KeithB]

Why would she ask you that? Does she not understand that people like seeing things that aren’t in their home area? Not a bright girl

[@CZsWorld]

The butcher's hat has me thinking... Horror History: History of Piggly Wiggly

[@FigmentForever]

Do it.

[@MasterMalrubius]

"Blood on the hoof"

[@johnv50]

Someone get Matpat

[@strongarm_11]

Hey 👋 your the horror channel who’s also a coaster enthusiast right?

[@TheBrandonn]

Dude how many channels are you subbed to? I swear I've seen this guy comment on every single channel I'm subbed to lol

[@trumpetbob15]

As someone who unfortunately was forced to experience the old-school "here's my list, now the employees get my items" during the pandemic, I love the self-service concept! Never been to a Piggly Wiggly but I am ever so thankful for their innovations!

[@thehellezell]

My neighborhood Piggly Wiggly (which just moved to a newer, bigger location) has a very good produce section, great meats, and the beer and wine selection is one of the best in the city. I feel like they pivoted in the last few years and have really emphasized local, fresh, and boutique items (and of course import and craft booze); pricewise, for the "middle of the store" stuff they are comparable to everything except WalMart. I'm in the Birmingham AL metro. Support your local(ish) grocery stores, folks!

[@Chokah]

Yeah. I used to live in Ashville. The location they opened there was pretty good.

[@wtk6069]

In the seventies in a town near me, a guy who owned a local independent grocery store saw the rise of Piggly Wiggly and decided to change the name of his store to Piggly Wiggly to cash in. It went great for him for a few years, but eventually an out-of-town lawyer showed up at his door with a cease-and-desist. So he changed the name of his store to Hoggly Woggly.

[@Ur1zenBuddha]

I'm from North Carolina and growing up in the 80's there were three grocery stores where my grandmother would shop; Bi-Lo, Piggly Wiggly, and Food King (in that order).

[@Avenue77]

Yep same here in SC...my grandma was big on Bi-Lo and Piggly Wiggly...Food Lion is annoying and way too many of them

[@monixx9081]

Rip bi-lo, Winn Dixie some legendary stores man

[@rafaeltorre1643]

In charlotte those were the big 3. Exactly in that order.

[@LindseyLouWho]

@@monixx9081 They were the only chain that made this perfect plain banana ice cream. I'll never experience that again. I only wish I could find some for my dad before his time comes. Just plain banana ice cream. I cannot find it. Sigh. Winn Dixie had some legendary store brand items.

[@Gregg29407]

When they first built the Piggly Wiggly near my house, they did something unique in that each aisle in the store was not only numbered, but also named after the different subdivisions in the local area. So, cereals and breakfast foods may be on aisle "Sandhurst", and fruits may be on aisle "Huntington Woods". It was kind of cool.

[@FinnTheHomosexual]

I love how much I learn from your videos! Also I think it's hilarious that grocery stores started out with you handing an employee your list and them going around the store selecting everything for you.... and now they're back to that again. The only times I physically go to the store now is to grab a few things that my personal shopper missed. It's kinda funny how these things come full circle in just a century

[@iamthestig1]

The old style concept of handing over a list to the store clerk reminds me of an old British TV show, Open All Hours. You should check it out.

[@jimroscovius]

Watch the old shows like Green Acres. They always walked in, gave the list to the shopkeeper, and he went and got their stuff. That was common back then.

[@dougbrowning82]

Except nowadays, the person picking your groceries is not necessarily a store employee, but an independent gig worker.

[@navyvet05]

The overwhelming majority of people still go in and buy their own groceries. I wouldnt say we have come full circle for that reason.

[@andrewc5750]

Another first was the reward system, "Greenbacks stamps" shoppers were given points to purchase items at a redemption store. I remember my mom got my original nintendo from the store. I had to put all the stamps in each book. Forget how many books it took, but we got it for free! 😁

[@blumobean]

The stamps were S and H Greenstamps.

[@JPDillon]

I hadn't thought about greenstamp books in decades! Forgot all about them. My Garndma always had those books and we would help her lick and paste the stamps in the books.

[@gianfeliciano9816]

Piggly Wiggly is like the Woolworth's of the grocery industry as it started the self-service grocery chain like how Woolworth's started the self-service five and dime stores. But Piggly Wiggly was able to stand the test of time.

[@hannahjohnson4582]

I have only been to one Piggly Wiggly, the one in Prarie du Chien, WI. The store hasn't been remodeled since the 70's, but I love the retro look of it. It's a nice change from the more modern grocery stores I usually go to. They also carry a great selection of cheese curds and pop/beer from local breweries!

[@Ekkis25]

I lived in Memphis in the early 90's (met my wife and the mother of my children there) anyway there was a small Piggly Wiggly Museum there and it was very interesting. People thought he was crazy, but you are right his concepts were groundbreaking.

[@wjcollier3]

I went to the Pink Palace as a small child, and several times after. It's a wonderful museum. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Palace_Museum_and_Planetarium

[@kuebby]

@@wjcollier3 That's so interesting that the Pink Palace was supposed to be Clarence Saunders' house until he went bankrupt!

[@Otakudamus86]

I lived in Memphis most of my life and during the 90s these stores where everywhere just as much as Kroger is now. It was always an experience going to one because the on near me had an video and game rental section where I would spend my time as my mom shopped. It also had a aluminum can recycling machine where you would get money for soda cans there and I always had to help my grandmother load up a garbage bag or two for her dog track money😂

[@Ubylmoen]

I live in middle TN and most Piggly Wiggly stores that I know of are located in low income areas, places that you would only shop at if you lived closeby and it was convenient. I'll go into one every so often and it kind of makes me light headed because it feels like I've gone back in time.

[@braceT77]

Woodbury and Monteagle 😂

[@candaceh16]

As a Memphian, I remember Piggy Wiggly being huge and that everyone was sad when the final one closed. Watching this video now I understand the significance. The picture you showed of the store reminded me that our local children’s museum had a section dedicated to piggly wiggly and I remember walking through a replica of the store feeling like I was in a maze. It was cool to see that picture and put together that it was a real store after all

[@LynnetteKopetsky]

Thank you so much for this episode. Being the "weird" Wisconsin person who goes to Piggly Wiggly, I love this store. Pricey if it's not on sale, but the sales are great. And the stores are great for local goods (our Menasha store has corn husks for tamales. I so love this store!

[@jffry890]

I'm kinda pissed that it's completely random whether or not they have a secondary basket stack back by the fridge section. Every time I go in I forget to grab a basket so I gotta walk all the way back to the front. I think the new owners just took the basket stack in the back away because I haven't seen it in a minute. More stores need to follow Dollar Tree's lead with a basket stack in every aisle. I have seen shark steak in the fish section a couple times so that's cool. I also like how that location finally started getting Stoneridge meats and cheeses not too long ago.

[@AlexHebert1995]

I live in south Louisiana, and I can say I've had experiences with Piggly Wiggly that I can remember going back to when I was 7 or 8 years old. Until this video, I didn't really know anything about its history, but it doesn't shock me how long it's been around. The name and logo kinda seem to give it an old-timey feel to it. I've also never particularly cared for the name, but the old-timey nature of everything does give it a certain charm to me. I'm really glad you made this video because now I can appreciate this company more knowing its story and just how innovative it was. Thank you, Company Man!

[@FTChomp9980]

Piggly Wiggly also made there own Barney Clone teaching kids all about food! Chadtronic did a video on it! Its hilarious!

[@incomp97]

Finally a video catered to my area! I have a pig two blocks from my house in Birmingham Alabama 😊

[@majones7030]

I live in Central Alabama and used to do beer merchandising and it can be surreal how different they can be from one to the other. For instance the one in Woodlawn feels like a step or two above a dollar general, but then Mountain Brooks feels like you’re in a Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s.

[@StephanieBWeber]

My brother as a teenager worked at Piggly Wiggly (the pig as we call it) and being so tall for his age was always forced to dress in the pig costume outside the store. Still makes me laugh when I think about it.

[@ericmeans7908]

I first heard of Piggly Wiggly from the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". The scene is the army branding trucks with common business names to get equipment around without anyone noticing. At the time, I thought it was just made up, until I moved to Nashville in 2000. As I was getting acquainted with the area, I almost wrecked when I passed the Piggly Wiggly on Nolensville Rd.

[@fifthrider]

Same. I can't even hear "Piggly Wiggly" without thinking of Close Encounters.

[@eatatjoes6751]

I thought it was made up too when I saw them in a Crash Bandicoot ad.

[@sierra565]

I love Piggly Wiggly, but the only time my family ever shopped/shops there is when we go to Myrtle Beach on vacation. Honestly, it's one of my favorite aspects of even going on vacation there, because it's such a nostalgic experience. If they ever rebranded that Piggly Wiggly or closed it down, I'd be gutted.

[@Zach_A]

A few years ago we had some family visiting us in Alabama. They asked for directions somewhere and our instructions included something along the lines of "turn right at the Pig" referring to Piggly Wiggly. They left and eventually came back and told us how they spent quite some time looking for a large pig statue to turn at. We didn't think about the fact that it wasn't a nationwide chain and they had no idea what we meant.

[@Bacopa68]

HEB in central Texas started as a Piggly Wiggly franchise operator. The Butt family sold off their franchises in Houston and Beaumont, and focused on their stores in San Antonio and Austin back in the seventies.

[@ivane5110]

Great video. As a Southerner, I knew a little of this, but great details and even more imoressed than ever at how groundbreaking PW was. That said, I now can't help thinking about how Mr. Pig in-universe is some canniblistic serial killer. Brrr.

[@JDoors]

I grew up in Chicago, never heard of Piggly Wiggly. I moved to a far Western suburb and an empty lot, for years, had a "Coming Soon: Piggly Wiggly" sign. Ha! Piggly Wiggly! What kind of crazy name is that? They finally built it and it's a good store, probably the best prices, overall, in the area. Sadly, the store eventually closed.

[@AEMoreira81]

They just entered New York as a result of the Price Chopper/Tops merger (12 supermarkets had to be divested). That also saw the relaunch of the Grand Union name as well, with one of the 12 rebranded as Piggly Wiggly instead of Grand Union. Unlike the rest of the stores that are part of retailers’ cooperatives, the NY Grand Union/Piggly Wiggly cluster is corporate owned and operated.

[@chrisseidl8294]

Piggly Wiggly had a store in the 90's in the NW suburbs (Palatine) and was open only for a couple of years and was bought out by Dominicks. Also, Piggly Wiggly Midwest (IL/WI stores) was a company that was owned by the Butera family from about 2000 to 2020, but the Chicago area stores kept the Butera name because it was more recognized.

[@JDoors]

@@chrisseidl8294 I believe the closed Piggly Wiggly eventually reopened as a Butera so that fits.

[@francisjaniewski5990]

Did you live in a troubled area?

[@JDoors]

@@francisjaniewski5990 If you mean me, no, upper-middle class suburb.

[@Markimark151]

I didn’t know Piggly Wiggly still exists, we used to have them in the 1980s until Albertsons took over my region and changed their name! You should do a video on Albertsons, it’s one of the biggest supermarket chain in America!

[@RedRoseSeptember22]

I remember Albertson's :)

[@syxepop]

Actually, Albertson's (along with Safeway, Shaw, Acme, Jewel-Osco and a few dozen other chains) is now part of Kroger's, the largest dedicated supermarket chain in US (Walmart may still have more stores and sell more, but has its' position as a "discount department store"). It was announced on October 22nd, 2022 and they may still be in the process of divesting what they need to for getting full set of approvals.

[@Markimark151]

@@syxepop nope, Kroger haven’t bought them yet, I heard the merger might be blocked due to antitrust laws and would cause multiple store closures, I want Albertsons to be independent!

[@syxepop]

@@Markimark151 - Alberton's as it is (after the Safeway brands buyout) is NOT SO INDEPENDENT at all. Both Kroger's and Albertson's need to be split smaller to be manageable.

[@Markimark151]

@@syxepop the merger needs to be blocked! We have so many stores like Krogers, Safeway, and Albertsons! Although Albertsons and Safeway are far apart, which is why Albertsons and Safeway merged due to competition from Kroger, Walmart, and Target!

[@songmarysmith]

Our local (Nashville,TN) Piggly Wiggly closed because of theft and competition from Walmart and Dollar General Market. I did love them and trust the name brand! They were the best deal in town for their meat selection! I purchased a magnet and purple sweatshirt when it closed!🥰

[@squirrele.1266]

I have fond memories of Piggly Wiggly. It was so fun walking around the store, I only got to go a few times because it closed though.

[@jmanj3917]

2:45 That's the perfect reason for the name... Now you've read it, internalized it, vocalized it, and brought it to someone else's mind. Brilliant!

[@Chronic10101]

Haven't stepped in one in close to twenty years, but they used to be sprinkled all around West Tennessee up until the early 00s. Most either closed down or got replaced by other regional grocery store chains. I know the Pink Palace museum in Memphis TN had a recreation of the first Piggly Wiggly inside with a lot of the various items once sold there and the original prices, as it went into detail about the innovations the grocery store chain had.

[@D.A.T.J.]

Several in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana area have closed over the last two decades and that broke 3 generations of peoples’ hearts, bc me, my mom and dad and their parents went there, We grew up going there 😕💔

[@Tyjet88]

The Piggly Wiggly stores near me are owned by a company called Food Giant, I think. Several stores near me rebranded to Food Giant and Ramey's Marketplace. We also still have a Piggly Wiggly. Not much changed other than the store name. Brands and sales still remain the same. Usually great deals on meats.

[@ashleyj0]

I live in iowa.. wisconsin is a drive for us, but we do get up there. It's beautiful & the ppl are just precious. I love WI. Anywho, on one of our northern day trecks we found ourselves at a Piggly Wiggly. My first time ever. It was like everything I ever stumble across in WI: quirky & adorable. ❤ they had my fav jalapeno pretzel chunks that no store in my city had anymore i bought like 4 bags 😅 the workers there were... like everyone i've met in WI.. quirky & adorable. The moral of this story is, go to WI. And if you get lost, google the nearest piggly wiggly for refreshments 😊

[@splitsee2526]

Piggly Wiggly is a bit close to us by our grandma's, and the few times we visited it in my life it was honestly horribly outdated and felt like a time capsule. The products were decent as I can remember. Overall Piggly Wiggly will forever be one of those Southern things that defined a huge market for the short time it was thriving

[@HayTatsuko]

We have a Piggly Wiggly in nearby Gurley, Alabama, that still has interior decor straight out of the 1970s. I feel like I'm traveling straight back to my childhood every time I set foot in the place. Even better? It's right next door to a pretty cool antiques shop.

[@shadowj390]

I was really surprised to find out that there is still one open nearby where I live. I stopped in and it felt like a time capsule. Old wooden freezers and non-modern signs. The workers were extra friendly and I got the feeling the people who still shop there are tight knit.

[@Drolly95]

Living in a town of around 7,000 in Wisconsin, the Pig is the only grocery store we have in town. It’s a nice little store if I just want to run for quick shopping.

[@ZZ_Tops_007]

I seriously thought that PIGGLY WIGGLY was a MADE UP grocery store from THAT 70'S SHOW

[@ZZ_Tops_007]

@@spirals7354 Well shit man I live in FLORIDA for 10 years and NOT ONCE I'VE SEEN IT man

[@skyden24195]

I grew up and have lived (for the most part) on the west coast of the U.S. (California in particular.) However, I do have family living in Alabama and in East Texas. When I was a kid (mid 1980s,) my family took a trip to visit our relatives in Alabama. During our visit, the "Piggly Wiggly" was brought up for whatever reason, and when I had first heard it mentioned I thought someone was pulling my leg about it being a real grocery store with that name. 😄

[@thenofilterchannel8247]

RIP Jay Briscoe 🙏

[@xenondestiny]

Did he like piggly wiggly?

[@d.j.ashley]

First job was at The Pig in a small Alabama town. This one brought back some memories!!!

[@tylermccann848]

I dig the pig. I literally have a Piggly Wiggly T-shirt that says "I dig the pig." 😂

[@blackpants]

Wisconsonite here. Piggy Wiggly feels like stepping straight back into 1995. It's like a time capsule of grocery stores 30 years ago.

[@jerrychandler7094]

When Taiichi Ohno (Toyota) came from Japan to the US in the 1950’s to see Ford’s assembly lines, he was impressed to see how grocery stores restocked shelves so quickly. I’m pretty sure it was a Piggly Wiggly he went to. So imagine that, Piggly Wiggly was influential in the birthing of the Toyota Production System that revolutionized the world!

[@stevew8513]

I live outside Dallas, TX. About 15 years ago or more I had visited Denton, TX and was shocked to see a Piggly Wiggly store. They hadn't been in any area I've lived in since I was a child in the '70s. Went inside, and it was a great nostalgia buzz for me. I noticed as I was checking out that the magazine racks were all empty except a few scattered mags, and I thought that was not a good sign. Visited again six months later to find it closed. Turns out they completely pulled out of Texas. Years later I came across a few around southern Louisiana, and even bought a T-shirt at the Jennings, LA location that I got endless compliments from (seriously, I was barraged with comments every time I'd wear it). That location closed a few years later. I'd stop at a location around Lafayette, LA, and a few years later that one would close. It's really sad to see this beloved icon of the grocery industry slowly die off. Although there's a bit of hope, two locations opened up in Shreveport, LA in the past few years, but they're in really bad parts of town and they're essentially a "cost-plus" type with Piggly Wiggly branding. And two locations have opened in Texas, so at least we have a couple of 'em still here.

[@Lithilic]

I never been to one until I lived in Alabama. I thought their slogan "Shop the Pig" was clever because it was fun to say. What stood out to me was the couple of ones I saw had quite the beer selection for the size of the store, which was nice as I didn't have to go to a liquor store to find something interesting.

[@Swampwookie]

Proud Pig of the Month award winner! Piggly Wiggly store #55, Florence SC

[@ottobaron6392]

I moved to Wilson NC in 2011, and the one here, was the first one I shopped at. It'a a decent grocery store.

[@uspockdad6429]

I’m big on the pig. I don’t have any in my area, but anytime I go anywhere in the south east, Piggly Wiggly is always my go-to grocery store.

[@christianwurtzbacherakabub5498]

The one I go to has a deli; I can always smell the barbequed meats from across the store, and it makes me hungry. 10/10

[@Demagora]

Piggly Wiggly Carolina Company imploded about ten years ago, they operated over 100 stores in South Carolina before things went south. It's an interesting story how that one fell apart, but none of it is listed on the Wikipedia page. There's only a fraction of Piggly Wiggly stores left standing from it.

[@pyperb3901]

Im a 34 year old man and been out of school since 08. I leaern something new with company man with each and every video. And i have a blast learning at 34 years old. Aye company man, dude you make education fun. Someobe else said this also and i agree. Im learnin alot more here with you, han in my 12 nightmarish years in school. Your one of my top 5 faves comapny!!!!! Keep educating and stay frosty brother!!!💯

[@TsarAlexander1918]

I love the Piggly Wiggly merchandise! I only go to the Piggly Wiggly stores when I visit my family in Nashville. I feel their prices are high, compared to Kroger or Target. But nice to hear that they were the “first” at a lot of stuff. I too became obsessed with the Piggly Wiggly because of the movie Driving Miss Daisy!

[@kevinb7510]

I don’t have anything profound to offer beyond respect for a great tagline. ‘Shop the pig”. LMAO. I absolutely love their marketing.

[@margaretdrew2844]

I am from the uk and in the eighties we drove to Miami. Then drove from there going inland to the southern states we saw piggly wiggly stores and just burst out laughing as it was such an odd name . ❤

[@everettefloyd8545]

My family has been a licensed franchisee for Piggly Wiggly since the 70’s and I love when you go to a random place where there is not a piggly wiggly, but yet someone has a piggly wiggly souvenir and knows all about it. It is just a great store that will always be engrained in our culture forever.

[@lucky13farms99]

The Pig was the only store we had growing up. On Sundays they had fresh rotisserie chicken and bread right out of the oven. It was timed to be ready right after most Churches finished their service. That way it was perfect when we showed up. Still remember the ride back home munching on that fresh bread. Local farms pretty much provided all the produce so everything was usually very fresh and seasonal. It was a great store.

[@beccadora3561]

I grew up in WI. They are everywhere here! I had no idea they were big in the south. Very interesting video.

[@rjmcallister1888]

Piggly Wiggly is currently a franchise operation, owned by C&S Wholesale of Keene, NH. Many of their stores are in older locations, in small towns where they're the only store besides Dollar General, and yes, they are quite popular in Wisconsin, especially the southern part. When the Pig started, A&P was the dominant US grocer; at one time the biggest retailer in the country. A&P is now gone. The Pig survives. And if you think that's bad, try shopping at Jitney Jungle, another Southern chain that has faded into history.

[@zariaeaster9237]

Piggly Wiggly was my first job! I loved working there and the people who I used to work with. Our Piggly Wiggly is in a small town, so most of the prices are more expensive than at neighboring grocery stores.

[@JeffDeWitt]

There is a Piggly Wiggly in Bailey, NC that I shop at once in a while on my way home from work. The Bailey Pig is exactly what you’d expect from a small town grocery store. Small, a bit tired, but with friendly people, good prices, and being in rural North Carolina it has an excellent meat department with good prices. If it wasn’t 40 minutes from my house I’d shop there more often, that little store is easy to navigate… I never have a problem finding anything I want (and somethings seeing things I really don’t want, like chitterlings, and 5 pound tubs of lard, it’s a great little store and has more character than the whole Food Lion chain. Plus it’s got that great history… I love the Pig!

[@frankhall7005]

We had one in Jerseyville, Illinois back in the late sixties early seventies. A time long gone but never forgotten.

[@Republic75]

Piggly Wiggly was the very first supermarket we had in Sault Sainte Marie, MI. WE loved shopping there!!!

[@chivalryremains9426]

In Eastern NC, Piggly Wiggly is the best place to get local good-quality meat. They are often the anchor retailer of a small town. Granted, this has diminished in recent years with the expansion of Food Lion and Wal-Mart. Still a great store and I used to frequent the one in Swansboro often.

[@JMShearer]

This episode really made me remember a local or perhaps regional grocery chain we had in the Upper Midwest when I was a kid in the early 1980s called Hinkey Dinkey. This was 35-plus years ago now, of course, because I don't recall having seen any of them around since I was ten or so. I'm not entirely sure of the history, but given the similarity of the names, I get a sense that there was at least a tangential relation to the Piggly Wiggly franchise. It was one of the places my grandparents went to while it was open, but other than the name, that's about all I remember of it.

[@craglabrake6802]

I am from New York State, the last time I knew the one in New York recently received mixed reviews, I never shopped there. I do find this video fascinating, thank you!

[@everydaydave]

We had one in our town for many many years. In the 90’s, you would pay more for products but the store wax always clean and good customer service. Towards the end, even a local mom and pop store had better prices. Also, they had greenback stamps. Save up enough to trade in for merchandise. They also recycle glass bottles.

[@nickmcclellan9623]

I worked at "The Pig" in Kissimmee, Florida, in the 80's. That was a fun job and I miss that store. When I moved to Texas I found a Pig and it was a nice trip down memory lane.

[@floridapanhandling3136]

The Pig runs deep in my family! I worked at the local store (owned/run by the same family for over 50 years) while in school, and my grandmother was the bookkeeper and head cashier at the Pig the next town over for over 40 years. Not to mention that her store still has the best lunch counter with the finest southern fried chicken around!

[@amai_zing]

super interesting video - had no idea so many of these things we take for granted were innovated by Piggy Wiggly

[@redstickham6394]

Piggly Wiggly was once all over but they tend to be in smaller communities these days. I never realized until recently that they are what made grocery shopping what it is today. My dad used to buy meat at a local one because it was priced right and good quality. That store is gone now. I heard a scammer on one of the scambaiting streams telling a victim to get gift cards at Piggy Wiggly. Most of the people in the stream didn't know what it was. Thanks for the cool video about the pig!

[@ExaltedDuck]

It was observation of Piggly Wiggly that led Taiichi Ohno to come up with what is now called the Supermarket concept in in the Toyota Production System or - as most would refer to it these days - Lean Manufacturing. It is the Kanban aspect of Just-In-Time supply management. The idea is, each part bin should be refilled frequently to minimize floor stock so when a certain supply point is reached to where a little more is left than what would be consumed in the time it takes to restock, then the restock is called for and fills the bin just before it would run out. Standard restock amounts are then devised to minimize resupply complexity and provide a little bit more than what would be needed to ensure just enough to keep operating through a restock cycle. The process itself, then, is able to communicate its supply needs. It's simple and subtle and so perfectly ingenius like so much of TPS/Lean is.

[@snausages43]

This was my grandma’s grocery store of choice before they closed the one in our town down. There are still a few in the county, but none super close so I haven’t been to one in a long time. Winn Dixie however, completely disappeared from my area about 15 years ago for some reason.

[@laurallewien2165]

I so miss the Pig, brings back so many childhood memories of my late grandpa 👴, thought they were all closed, until we came across one in Wisconsin, great day indeed...🤗

[@chrisbonde7488]

I'm from Wisconsin, every city/town had a Piggly Wiggly when I was a kid. Now they are actually more expensive than other grocery stores.

[@tstahler5420]

1968, Grand Prairie, Texas. Mom drives to PW, leaves 3 year old me in the Colony Park wagon. I proceed to get behind the wheel and slip it into neutral. The car slowly drifts back about 6ft, just enough to block traffic right in front of the store. Fortunately it was a parking lot not a street. One of those things I'll never forget. 😂

[@ducky19991]

The one in my town closed when I was too young to remember but I love going there very time I visit my family in Illinois. It’s just so nostalgic! It’s not a trip to Grandpas if we don’t go to piggly wiggly

[@raeganj6744]

I work part time at a Piggly Wiggly in my town and we carry a lot of items that the other grocery stores in town don’t, such as specific international foods and locally made food like wine, chow chow, and local honey. I also hear a lot of people in my town say that they only get their meat and/or produce from the Piggly Wiggly. The one I work at is locally owned by a family in my town and they own another one in town.

[@Minnie_Bear]

I live in Kenosha WI. I shop at Piggly Wiggly all the time. I love it!

[@retroryan838]

I’m from Wisconsin and my hometown has a Piggly Wiggly. Since my town is small and only has a little less than 6,000 residents, our Piggly Wiggly has a bit more expensive prices. My parents occasionally go there to pick up a few things like milk. Normally when they shop, they go into another town 3 miles away with 10 times the population. It’s cheaper in the bigger city and that’s why they go there more. My Piggly Wiggly is still a nice small town store to shop at from time to time.

[@earl1394]

I’m from Georgia and my mother was born and raised in Monticello. I know whenever we may be visiting her home town or we are headed away from where we are in Atlanta, the minute I see a Piggly Wiggly, we in the country lol. All that aside, I always just looked at it as just another country store but this video certainly enlightened me. Thanks for this! Very informative and the reason I follow this channel.

[@abqmalenurse]

I like Piggly Wiggly. It was my grandmother's favorite grocery store and she was very loyal. That was in San Antonio, TX but they no longer exist there. Now I live in AL and there's one only a few blocks from my house. I do most of my shopping there, though dependent on what I need.

[@d.kayeharris8236]

There are Piggly Wiggly stores here in SE Wisconsin, & one is within walking distance. It's a bit more expensive than other area groceries, but it carries a few items others don't, & hasn't (yet) caved in to self-service checkouts. Although the smallest "regular" (non-specialty) grocery store in my area, it usually has more full service checkouts open than does the nearby "big" store (Kroger-affiliiated Pick n' Save).

[@mikeifyouplease]

I love your videos! Many are like a walk down memory lane. This video really surprised me, as I never knew how many innovations Piggly Wiggly added to the grocery store experience! Originally the name embarrassed me, but now that I am much older, and the world is much colder...that funny little name puts a smile on my face!!

[@fromthehaven94]

I live where Kroger stores have been the #1 supermarket for as long as I can remember. The only challengers at present are Walmart, Giant Eagle, Meijer, Aldi, and Save a Lot. The nearest Piggly Wiggly is an hour away from where I live, based on Google maps.