![Oral history interview with Fred G. Meyer [Transcript]](/uploads/r/oregon-historical-society-library/0/a/a/0aafd907ccfc03175122e3a7498ea1e413b3c198e1031de4b6e67593e364cf5e/f762429f-1659-4118-a400-93cd29a66921-SR9474_Transcript_142.jpg)
![Oral history interview with Fred G. Meyer [Sound Recording 01]](/images/generic-icons/audio.png){kind=icon}
![Portrait of Fred G. Meyer [Image 01]](/uploads/r/oregon-historical-society-library/c/a/4/ca4e2091a2876448b4f9c2b72cd6237fef28b62b973ac243af888200e1125022/837e45e5-13e9-422d-b2d4-902110513d3b-SR9474_Image_142.jpg)
Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Collection
Title
Oral history interview with Fred G. Meyer
Date(s)
- 1970-08-25 (Creation)
Extent
0.1 cubic feet; 1 audiotape reel (25 min., 43 sec.) + transcript (15 pages) + photograph (black and white; 5x7 in.)
Name of creator
Biographical history
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.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
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.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
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/
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
General note
Preferred citation: Oral history interview with Fred G. Meyer, by Gerry Pratt, SR 9474, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Finding aid based on DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard), 2nd Edition.
Sources used
Archivist's note
Sarah Stroman
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Pratt, Gerry (Contributor)
- Fred Meyer, Inc. (Subject)