Growth of American Supermarkets and Chain Grocery (1930-1980)

1. Piggly Wiggly opens pioneering self-service store

   Sep 6, 1916Labels: Piggly Wiggly, Clarence Saunders

   • PigglyWiggly
   • Self service

2. Saunders secures self-service store patent

   Oct 9, 1917Labels: Self-serving patent, Clarence Saunders

   • Saunders
   • PigglyWiggly

3. Michael Cullen proposes the supermarket concept to Kroger

   Jan 1, 1930Labels: Michael J, Kroger

   • Cullen

4. King Kullen opens, often cited as first supermarket

   Aug 4, 1930Labels: King Kullen, Michael J

   • KingKullen
   • Cullen

5. Safeway merges with MacMarr, expanding chain scale

   Jan 1, 1931Labels: Safeway, MacMarr

   • SupermarketNews
   • Safeway

6. Kroger tests parking-centered store model

   Jan 1, 1932Labels: Kroger

   • Kroger

7. A&P shifts from many small stores to supermarkets

   Jan 1, 1937Labels: A&P

   • A P case
   • A P

8. Humpty Dumpty introduces the shopping cart

   Jun 4, 1937Labels: Humpty Dumpty, Sylvan Goldman

   • Goldman
   • Cart

9. Court documents A&P’s market power and supermarket strategy

   Jan 1, 1946Labels: A&P, Federal district

   • Justia

10. Supreme Court strengthens limits on protectionist food licensing

    Apr 4, 1949Labels: H P, Supreme Court

    • Hood v DuMond

11. A&P checkout-counter patent case highlights “cash-and-carry” design

    Dec 4, 1950Labels: A&P v, Supreme Court

    • Justia SCOTUS

12. Federal-Aid Highway Act accelerates suburban retail access

    Jun 29, 1956Labels: Federal-Aid Highway, Interstate Highway

    • FHWA
    • Highway Act

13. First Walmart opens, foreshadowing grocery’s discount-era competition

    Jul 2, 1962Labels: Walmart, Sam Walton

    • Walmart
    • WalmartHist

14. First UPC barcode scan at a Marsh supermarket

    Jun 26, 1974Labels: UPC barcode, Marsh Supermarket

    • Marsh
    • SupermarketNews

15. Food Marketing Institute forms via major trade-association merger

    Jan 1, 1977Labels: Food Marketing, FMI

    • FMI