Piggly Wiggly
In this review, John Green talks about the history and background of Piggly Wiggly and its founder Clarence Saunders. When he first opened the store, it was supposed to be more convenient and less expensive. The main point of his discussion is that the world is a place where the bigger eat the smaller to grow - Piggly Wiggly ate the small town grocery stores, Walmart ate Piggly Wiggly, and Amazon ate Walmart.
I think Green wrote this review because he would think back on his grandfather’s job at the small town grocery store and how his job was lost because of Piggly Wiggly. He is really targeting capitalism in America and how markets and supply and demand are controlled by private owners that tend to fight against each other to stay open. I do feel like this topic helps Green to live a life of significance because he is observing how our country’s market works and can apply it to understand their struggles, not only relating to grocery stores but to many other types of businesses that are fighting for their lives to stay open.
I am originally from Mobile, and when I lived there, I never went to Piggly Wiggly. My family would mainly shop at the larger stores, like Walmart, Target, etc. However, when I moved to Greensboro, which is very small, we would go to the Piggly Wiggly several times a week. Unfortunately, our Piggly Wiggly closed several years ago because a new grocery store opened and took all of the business. From watching this happen, I agree with Green’s point about how competitive the businesses can be in our country. Though I love going to the large grocery stores like Walmart and the convenience of shopping from Amazon online, I also loved going to the small Piggly Wiggly and was sad when it closed. I give Piggly Wiggly three stars.