Interestingly, given the local push to limit use of self-checkout, The New York Times' morning briefing newsletter today brings mention of a related anniversary in the history of grocery shopping.
When Piggly Wiggly opened its doors on this day in 1916, grocery shopping changed forever.
The Memphis business was one of the first self-service groceries. Customers could fetch and compare items themselves rather than wait for clerks to wait on them.
It quickly became the standard.
I’ll be honest here: I didn’t even realize our current method of grocery shopping wasn’t the way it’s always been, but then I guess it’s been eighty years since the transition began. Did organized labor oppose the move to self-service grocery shopping, the way Oregon labor is coming for self-checkout?