Publix and Piggly Wiggly

What an exciting adventure this past week.  I traveled with friends to Hilton Head Island, SC to spend a few days enjoying some R&R in a wonderful resort.  As always when we arrive at a condo, we make a grocery store run.  You always need to some wine, coffee, diet coke, cheese, crackers, fruit and breakfast foods.  So naturally you get on your iPhone and locate the nearest grocery store. 

What a surprise when I discovered that there was an actual Piggly Wiggly and a Publix nearby.  Publix is a great market - clean, upscale and wonderful selection of cheeses, wines, fruit and coffee.  My first experience with a Publix was last year when we traveled to Florida.  Publix must be our Texas version of HEB.  It is sad when you look forward to a great grocery store.

However, to my great surprise was that there was a Piggly Wiggly on the island.  It has been in the same family since 1969.  There was a Piggly Wiggly in my hometown growing up.  I loved going to Hiram's store.  He (and later his son David) had a wonderful grocery store.  Steve was the butcher and always selected the best cuts of meat.  They always carried your bags (paper of course) to your car no matter how many or how few groceries you had.  And there was a always the pig you could ride in the front of the store.  Mr. Hiram was generous too.  He gave away turkeys at Thanksgiving. 

This was a great trip down memory lane.  We are so spoiled to fantastic supermarkets that we forget how important personal service is in the retail business.  I'm glad I grew up in a town where there was a Piggly Wiggly!