Potter’s Piggly Wiggly

this is the best place to get fried chicken
Also cheap golden apples

I remember shopping the Pig with my Grandma and Mom when I was a kid. This location on Rawson is very, very, small. I chose it because it had the best price on Christmas ham. However you had to make a $ 30 separate purchase and many of their items are overpriced. This particular Pig has a coupon restriction or limit of 10 so no crazy couponing allowed! The staff is very friendly though and helped me find items. I probably wouldn’t come if it were not for the good price on the ham. Woodman’s is just a short trip away from here. It reminded me of a small town grocery store like they have in Oconto.

Sadly, this self proclaimed locally owned super market (at least the banner out in front says so) could use a bit of a remodel. If it were 1990, Piggly Wiggly might have been a desirable destination for those in the area. But now, the whole store just seems outdated. Not that there is anything overtly wrong with the the store. In fact, the people seem to be generally friendly and willing to help. And the patrons in the store seem like regulars, who enjoy the small town grocery store feel. But as Oak Creek continues to develop, I can’t see this store continuing to operate successfully.
I do enjoy the bakery, however, and have picked up my fair share of donuts and danishes. It seems like others like to head to the donut case in the morning as well.
Not that my advice means anything, but they are in dire need of a remodel. Hopefully, they’ll close up for a while, reopen and continue to deliver on that small town grocery store feel with excellent items at competitive prices.

FRUMPTY DUMPTY
When I learned that Piggly Wiggly was coming to my Bay View neighborhood, I was encouraged because it meant another alternative the the Pick N’ Save Monopoly. To get an idea of what to expect, I decided to check out Potter’s Piggly Wiggly in Oak Creek. I had been there a few months ago to pick up specific deli and bakery items for a seminar, but hadn’t really shopped the store. I was very impressed with those departments. Other than that, I considered the store «the dumpy, dirty grocery store down the road».
To acquaint myself with Piggly Wiggly, I signed up in-​store with for their savings card. Furthermore, I perused their website to familiarize myself with their specials and coupons. I was enthused to see that the current ad indicated coupons would be doubled for an entire week (typical $ 25 minimum purchase, and five coupons would be doubled up to $ 1 face value).
I visited on a Sunday night at 7:45 p.m., being used to longer store hours at their competitors. That was a mistake. When I walked in, the service counter was the first thing I saw, so I got the attention of the woman behind the (dirty looking, disorganized) desk and asked her for the store’s current ad flyer. I was shocked when this fossilized version of «Mortisha» barked at me, «You have fifteen minutes!». Not understanding, I must have looked puzzled so she elaborated, «We close at 8!». Wow. Okay, I had planned my trip and had all my coupons in order, so I thought it would be no problem to get my shopping done. What annoyed me was the incessant, gruff announcements every five minutes from the «human prune» that the store would be closing at «eight p.m. sharp!» I was literally running with the cart down the aisles tossing items in the cart. I felt like I was playing «Beat the Clock». The layout of the store was so unfamiliar to me, and quite frankly not very logical. My time had run out and I dashed to the checkout.
The gal at the checkout was as sweet as could be – such a contrast to the other woman behind the service desk, who was frantically scurrying around accomplishing nothing. My tape total on the few items came to $ 23, and I needed $ 25 in order for the five coupons to double. I was contemplating rushing to get another item to push me over the top, but the lights in the store had been turned off and I just felt uncomfortable, so I decided to «stop the insanity» and left my items at the counter. I apologized to the gal that was waiting on my, who by the way was very sympathetic. Then I got in my car, reorganized my coupons, and dashed over to Woodman’s. I actually saved money by doing so, because Woodman’s every day prices netted more savings than had I been given double value at Piggly Wiggly for the coupons I had.
Here is a + and — list about my experience at Piggly Wiggly, sans the above mentioned incident:
+Great bakery department. The best! I wish I could actually eat the stuff myself, but guests love the flavor and freshness of their baked goods.
+Deli offers Boars Head Deli Meats and Cheeses. And if you watch their specials, you can get some nice cold cuts at a fair price. The gals at the deli counter give great customer service, offering samples and their opinion on the flavors of various items before you make a purchase.
+Food Club is the store’s own label, and some items, particularly in the baking department offer items at substantial prices for comparable quality. For example, vanilla extract, marshmallows, condiments.
+Friendly checkout personnel. The couple times I’ve been to Piggly Wiggly, I’ve always experienced friendly people at the registers.
+Decent produce. I definitely notice an advantage over competitors like Pick N’ Save and Woodman’s, although the prices are higher than Alid’s produce and the quality is about the same.
+Specials can be impressive if you plan your shopping trip carefully.
+Guaranty Bank inside store (Good for me, that is. It’s my bank).
+Pig Points Rewards Program.
–Weird, limited store hours.
–Dated store design and fixtures – think circa 1985. Antique.
–That «stale» smell in the store – think about the odor of the old Koh’s Food Stores.
–Unpolished, gruff, and unattractive service desk manager. The old gargoyle behind the service desk looked like that little creature in the movie Ghostbusters, when they opened the fridge-«I AM ZUUUULLLL!»
–REALLY HIGH REGULAR PRICES on staple items. For example, right off the top of my head: Village Hearth Bread was $ 1.69 more expensive than Target’s price. That’s insane!
–Antiquated «store savings card system». Just give me the price Dammit! I don’t need another piece of plastic crap in my wallet or on my keychain.
–Not as much selection as competitors.
In conclusion, I’m really hoping that the store in Bay View, being independently owned, will offer more than this dumpy Potter’s Piggly Wiggly location. But if it is the same, there are just not enough compelling reasons for me to patronize this chain.