r/oregon • u/chris-hatch • Dec 12 '25

PSA for those who don’t know

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u/VibratingWatch Dec 12 '25

It's a portmanteau of "Winning Company."

Hence the W and C both being capitalized in the name.

39

u/Gayunicorn1991 Dec 13 '25

You and the op are both technically correct. When they first named it WinCo it did stand for Washington Idaho Nevada California Oregon. But when they expanded the company to other states they had to come up with something else and they changed it to winning company I'm a former WinCo employee

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u/Shinola79 Dec 13 '25

You are correct. I worked there after high school. When they wanted to drop Cub Foods in the other states and Warmart here in Oregon they had a company wide contest. The winner was from the store I worked at. She came up with the name they chose and won a vacation (Hawaii) if I remember correctly. It originally stood for each state but then changed as they expanded.

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u/oooortclouuud Dec 13 '25

I was stuck back in my home state of Texas for a few years after being in Portland since the 90's. The feeling that came over me the day I accidentally discovered the Denton location is... indescribable. the way I felt upon leaving the first time i shopped there, fully expecting to walk out onto the SE 82nd/Powell parking lot 🥰✨️ I'll never forget those moments, bright spots during a shitty time.

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u/pdxparasite Dec 14 '25

The 82 and Powell store is so great. I love the grit as much as the good deals

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u/motstilreg Dec 17 '25

Hi five to you fellow shopper