Oral history interview with Fred G. Meyer

Collection

Identifier: SR 9474

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Fred G. Meyer was conducted by Gerry Pratt on August 25, 1970. In this interview, Meyer discusses the reasons he settled in Portland, Oregon, in 1910. He talks about the history of Fred Meyer, Inc., including the growth of the company. He discusses inflation and tax increases, and how that has affected grocery prices and labor costs; shares his opinion on the younger generation; and speaks about a recent court case, FTC v. Fred Meyer Inc. He closes the interview by sharing his business philosophy.

Dates

1970 August 25

Creator

Meyer, Fred G., 1886-1978 (Interviewee, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Joint copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society and the estate of Fred G. Meyer. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-NC/1.0/

Biographical note

Fred G. Meyer was born Frederich Wilhelm Heinrich Grübmeÿer in Bruchhagen, Niedersachsen, Germany, in 1886. In 1889, his family immigrated to the United States and settled in Brooklyn, New York. He moved West in the 1900s, starting in Alaska and eventually making his way to Portland, Oregon. In 1909, his long career in grocery retail began when he bought a coffee business in downtown Portland. In 1919, he changed his name to Fred G. Meyer. That same year, he and Eva Chatfield Chiles were married; Chiles had a son, Earle A. Chiles. In 1922, Meyer; his brother, Henry; and a third partner opened a Piggly Wiggly store in downtown Portland. In 1927, Meyer left the partnership to open his own self-service grocery store, Fred Meyer, Inc. Over the next fifty years, the business grew to 63 stores in five states. Meyer is credited with developing the concept of one-stop shopping, and served as the inspiration for Sam Walton's Walmart Stores. Meyer died in 1978.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (1 audiotape reel (25 min., 43 sec.) + transcript (15 pages) + photograph (black and white; 5 x 7 in.))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Fred Meyer conducted by Gerry Pratt on August 25, 1970. Meyer, the founder of Fred Meyer, Inc., discusses the history and operations of the company.