Piggly Wiggly

Best prices in town! When I’m not at Whole Foods then PW is my place to shop… Eddie who has been working there for years gives an extra friendly touch… He is one reason we keep coming back! We love Eddie… Only thing about the store I would change is that I would like to see an Organic section!

Locale:
Do you remember when the Piggly Wiggly was in Raleigh and Charlotte?
Today I stumbled upon a Piggly Wiggly supermarket. It has been eons since I have last stopped inside one of them (maybe 3 years ago in a South Carolina location) and the curiosity got the best of me. They were just like I had remembered them. As soon as I stepped inside it was 1985 all over again.
There is really a weird feeling to be inside this type of supermarket as they have not been prevalent since the ‘90s. It should give all you gen-​Xers a twinge of nostalgia as soon as you step foot inside.
The merchandise:
I started off in the produce section and was not impressed with the selection as they did not look as fresh as they should. The funeral flowers were a bit ominous near all of the fruits and vegetables. Were they trying to tell me to avoid their produce? It worked.
Next I went into the meat section, where I found lots of hard-​to-​find animals parts like chicken necks, chicken feet, country ham fat, and so forth (hard to find for a good reason, yuck). Don’t get me wrong, these are used in many fancy foodie dishes but for some reason I don’t see their hardcore clientele using them for that style cooking; no this is clearly for deep Southern-​style home cooking of yore, today.
Then I came across a display of imported Corona from Mexico, which is way different from the ones tailored to the American market. I wish the Mexican tienda vaguely near where I live stocked this.
From there I started walking the aisles and was surprised to find Red Rose (granny-​style) pantyhose. I can’t believe they’re still in business and that they have a prominent place in the endcap.
Eventually I reached the end of the store where the refrigerated and frozen items are located. The Hussmann coolers are just like the store — stuck in the past; not that this is a bad thing as I find the vintage appeal charming.
In the bag:
Finally I reached the awkward cashier where I purchased another Piggly Wiggly t-​shirt, refrigerated gelatin, and wine. You can never get too much of their logoed t-​shirts with the pig face on it. The prices of the items are competitive with other stores, although you’d really expect it to be lower here due to the location and cost of operations.
Overall this is a solid supermarket, but those who have been coddled by newer, «deluxe,» Harris Teeter will have a heart attack here. There’s no reason to avoid it if you’re in the area.