Self-service stores are gaining more and more popularity around the world. On the one hand, they are convenient for the buyer, since they allow choosing the right products without asking the seller for help. On the other hand, they provide a relatively high income while reducing staff costs. The first self-service stores appeared in America in the last century and gradually began to be used in many countries.
The very idea of a self-service store appeared at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1912, California, the owners of Wards Grosetaria and Alpha Beta Food Market decided to slightly change their establishments to minimize staff costs. At the same time, Humpty Dumpty stores appear in the United States, which translates into Russian as "Humpty Dumpty". However, in all these establishments, the idea of self-service was only partially used, and some goods were still impossible to purchase without the help of the seller.
In 1916, Clarence Saunders was finally able to finalize the idea of self-service and patented it as his own invention. His idea of a self-service store is largely implemented in modern supermarkets. Saunders described in detail the appearance of such an establishment and indicated that it should have an entrance equipped with a turnstile, many counters with goods and a cash register. Of particular importance was not only the reduction in employee costs, but also the ability to offer the buyer a wide range of goods, thanks to which he could at the same time purchase many things in addition to those for which he came to the store.
On September 6, 1916, the first self-service store opened in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. It was owned by Clarence Saunders, the owner of the patent, and was called Piggly Wiggly. At first, the store brought in very high income, incomparable with the income from sales from the counter, but soon the Americans realized that the lack of control from the sellers gave them a unique opportunity to take goods away in their pockets without paying. The number of thefts was huge, and then Saunders changed the location of the checkout and sales areas. Tracking shoppers has become easier, and losses due to theft have been reduced.
And finally, it wasn't until 1937 that a full-fledged large self-service store with a trolley that was convenient for storing goods appeared. It was the refined Humpty Dumpty in America. In the USSR, the first self-service store opened only in 1954 in Leningrad.
