Publix

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. No non-grocery posts.
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Publix

Post by wnetmacman »

I can now say with authority that I know why Publix truly is Where Shopping is a Pleasure. I got to go into a store in Kissimmee, FL down the street from Disney. It is well laid out, with a great selection in a fairly small store.

You walk in and are immediately greeted by a large seasonal department. Then, you walk into the Deli, Bakery and Meats department. Nice to get those out of the way really fast. The Dairy was along the back wall, with the dry Grocery in the middle. Then, you finish with Produce.

The staff was very friendly, and it was a really good experience. The store was really busy. And I love the terrazzo floors.
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Re: Publix

Post by storewanderer »

The locations I visited in Nashville, Birmingham, and Atlanta typically had you walk in, then go to the right for bakery and deli, then produce was in the back right corner. Meat was on the back wall, and dairy rounded out the remainder of the wall space, as I recall.

Publix wasn't quite what I was expecting, as you note, the stores aren't very large. They also didn't strike me as being terribly high volume. Service deli was strictly lunchmeat and chicken, all salads were prepackaged. Bakery mix was great but they seem to run small batches so getting what you want was a bit of a roll of the dice. I thought the quality of the produce was okay, but not exceptional. Pricing on dry grocery seemed competitive, despite the reputation for high prices the chain seems to have.

I found Publix to be a good option to the poorly run, not very clean, sloppy Kroger Stores I saw in Atlanta. I'd probably shop both in Atlanta though. In Birmingham, Publix was definitely the best option. But in Nashville where the Kroger Stores seemed to be run better, I do not think I'd use Publix much.
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Re: Publix

Post by Knight »

Does anyone see Publix undertaking a significant expansion westward? Its McCalla, Alabama, distribution center, projected to open in 2017, will support stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. Further expansion in Tennessee into Memphis and entering new states in Mississippi and Kentucky could be probable. The completion of Interstates 22 and 269 will improve connections from Birmingham to Memphis.
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Re: Publix

Post by veteran+ »

Knight wrote:Does anyone see Publix undertaking a significant expansion westward? Its McCalla, Alabama, distribution center, projected to open in 2017, will support stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. Further expansion in Tennessee into Memphis and entering new states in Mississippi and Kentucky could be probable. The completion of Interstates 22 and 269 will improve connections from Birmingham to Memphis.

Someday for sure but it will be into States that are non union.

They have quite a bit of infilling to do for now.
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Re: Publix

Post by pseudo3d »

Their westward expansion kind of stopped at Mississippi, and instead Publix worked its way up to Virginia instead. As for Publix, it's been a few years since I went to one, so here's my take:

- I haven't had any of their subs.
- I got the impression it was really expensive (like donuts), but then again, so was Winn-Dixie, and the latter wasn't nearly as nice.
- The chain has smaller stores, and I don't think even one reaches 70k square feet, kind of the "optimal" supermarket size.
- Unfortunately, the smaller stores gave me a really bad impression of the store as recently as 2014. I remember how pathetic one of the wine department was, just a little alcove in the back of the store.
- Everyone I know that has been to Publix loves it. My cousin (who hails from Florida) managed to convert his wife (from Texas) to prefer it over H-E-B.
- The first grocery store sushi I ever saw was from Publix.
- Despite the smaller size of the stores, it doesn't seem like a small store. The store I visited in Knoxville in 2012 was only 56k square feet, and it still felt pretty good as far as sizes go. Albertsons to H-E-B conversions don't have that feel, for starters.

Overall, I have a somewhat positive impression.
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Re: Publix

Post by Knight »

Publix appears to be doing well expanding into new markets and infilling in existing markets with additional stores and improving existing stores through expansion, rebuilds or replacements without going into debt.

I think Publix can easily expand into western Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky in the future. Its northern expansion into Virginia could open opportunities in Maryland and the District of Columbia.
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Re: Publix

Post by architect »

pseudo3d wrote:Their westward expansion kind of stopped at Mississippi, and instead Publix worked its way up to Virginia instead. As for Publix, it's been a few years since I went to one, so here's my take:

- I haven't had any of their subs.
- I got the impression it was really expensive (like donuts), but then again, so was Winn-Dixie, and the latter wasn't nearly as nice.
- The chain has smaller stores, and I don't think even one reaches 70k square feet, kind of the "optimal" supermarket size.
- Unfortunately, the smaller stores gave me a really bad impression of the store as recently as 2014. I remember how pathetic one of the wine department was, just a little alcove in the back of the store.
- Everyone I know that has been to Publix loves it. My cousin (who hails from Florida) managed to convert his wife (from Texas) to prefer it over H-E-B.
- The first grocery store sushi I ever saw was from Publix.
- Despite the smaller size of the stores, it doesn't seem like a small store. The store I visited in Knoxville in 2012 was only 56k square feet, and it still felt pretty good as far as sizes go. Albertsons to H-E-B conversions don't have that feel, for starters.

Overall, I have a somewhat positive impression.
Due to demographics, Publix's typical smaller store size could actually be considered a plus in their home state of Florida, considering the number of snowbirds which live there. For most older retirees, walking around a large grocery store is a daunting task which is especially difficult for shoppers with health challenges. Publix seems to have been able to strike a balance between offering a diverse product selection and keeping stores at a manageable size, which is more user-friendly. However, this same plus could also prove to be a liability as they expand northward into states like Virginia and North Carolina, which puts them into direct competition with Wegmans; known for their vast selection and destination stores. Outside of Florida thus far, Publix has been able to be successful simply due to weak competition (a sloppy Kroger Atlanta operation, Bi-Lo's struggles, Food Lion, etc). Northern Virginia and DC will be their real test!
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Re: Publix

Post by veteran+ »

architect wrote:
pseudo3d wrote:Their westward expansion kind of stopped at Mississippi, and instead Publix worked its way up to Virginia instead. As for Publix, it's been a few years since I went to one, so here's my take:

- I haven't had any of their subs.
- I got the impression it was really expensive (like donuts), but then again, so was Winn-Dixie, and the latter wasn't nearly as nice.
- The chain has smaller stores, and I don't think even one reaches 70k square feet, kind of the "optimal" supermarket size.
- Unfortunately, the smaller stores gave me a really bad impression of the store as recently as 2014. I remember how pathetic one of the wine department was, just a little alcove in the back of the store.
- Everyone I know that has been to Publix loves it. My cousin (who hails from Florida) managed to convert his wife (from Texas) to prefer it over H-E-B.
- The first grocery store sushi I ever saw was from Publix.
- Despite the smaller size of the stores, it doesn't seem like a small store. The store I visited in Knoxville in 2012 was only 56k square feet, and it still felt pretty good as far as sizes go. Albertsons to H-E-B conversions don't have that feel, for starters.

Overall, I have a somewhat positive impression.
Due to demographics, Publix's typical smaller store size could actually be considered a plus in their home state of Florida, considering the number of snowbirds which live there. For most older retirees, walking around a large grocery store is a daunting task which is especially difficult for shoppers with health challenges. Publix seems to have been able to strike a balance between offering a diverse product selection and keeping stores at a manageable size, which is more user-friendly. However, this same plus could also prove to be a liability as they expand northward into states like Virginia and North Carolina, which puts them into direct competition with Wegmans; known for their vast selection and destination stores. Outside of Florida thus far, Publix has been able to be successful simply due to weak competition (a sloppy Kroger Atlanta operation, Bi-Lo's struggles, Food Lion, etc). Northern Virginia and DC will be their real test!
Those approximately 29,000 square foot stores pop up for many different reasons (real estate market, fill ins to prevent competition, neighborhood or city restrictions, etc.).

Interestingly, those small stores may be the correct size for senior citizens but the shelving is not. Because those stores are so small, Publix installs these very high shelves (well over six feet tall) to accommodate a decent variety. This is very challenging for senior citizens and even average height females. Though Publix may have more staff on hand on the sales floor than other grocers, it is never enough for every customer that cannot reach that top shelf.

Believe me I managed one of these small stores (new) and it was not easy by any measure (lots of seniors customers).
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Publix opens 1,000th pharmacy

Post by Knight »

Publix #1528, Arcadia Crossing, 2551 Southeast Highway 70, Arcadia, Florida 34266-8590, opened with an important milestone. Besides being Publix's 1,120th store, it is Publix's 1,000th pharmacy.
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Publix: McCalla, Alabama, Distribution Center

Post by Knight »

Publix's McCalla, Alabama, distribution center opens Wednesday, 22 February 2017.

Having a new distribution center and the completion of Interstate 22 and Interstate 269 by 2018, Publix should be in position to enter Mississippi and Kentucky and further expand in Tennessee into Memphis. The Jacksonville, Florida, and Dacula, Georgia, distribution centers should have space to serve additional stores opening in their service areas.

Another distribution center will be necessary to support additional stores in North Carolina and Virginia.

Further reading
Cloud, Kristen. "First Trucks To Depart From Publix’s New Alabama Distribution Center On Feb. 22." The Shelby Report. 15 February 2017.
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