[1] Its first outlet opened in 1916 in Memphis, Tennessee, and is notable as the first true self-service grocery store, and the originator of various familiar supermarket features, such as checkout stands and individual item price marking.

[5] It was founded by Clarence Saunders on September 6, 1916[6] (although it did not open until five days later due to delays in construction),[7] at 79 Jefferson Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee.

[2] A replica of the original store has been constructed in the Memphis Pink Palace Museum and Planetarium, a mansion that Saunders built as his private residence, which was later sold to the city.

[8] Piggly Wiggly Corporation secured the self-service format and issued franchises to hundreds of grocery retailers to operate its stores.

Customers at Piggly Wiggly entered the store through a turnstile and walked through four aisles to view the 605 items sold in packages and organized into departments.

In November 1922, Saunders attempted a squeeze on the substantial short interest in the stock, running the share price up from 40 to 120 and profiting by millions on paper.

[11] Following these events, the company was divided into strategic units, which were sold to regional grocery chains, including Kroger, Safeway, National Tea, and Colonial.

[2] American artist George Condo painted the "Piggly Wiggly" logo as part of his Memphis Series.