Publix Super Markets general discussion

[HARTride 2012]

Publix for the most part has very friendly and helpful associates and they try to get customers through the checkouts relatively fast.

WalMart is almost the complete opposite. I've seen many instances where there are tons of customers but barely any checkout lanes open. And some of their associates will try to run away from you.

Originally Posted by cityscapes

floridian-will - be happy you have a job!

The chicken tender subs they make are so delicious, and the new publix stores are very nice. I wish there was a nice new Publix in central West Palm Beach the Southern, CityPlace, and Palm Beach ones are crappy.

Older stores I guess? Or many just not out-of-the-box architecture?

I must say that here in Tampa, there have been many nice looking Publix stores. However, nearly all of the ones that were previously Albertsons stores look awful on the outside. Just a standardized maroon facade, no real significant changes. I'm really hoping that future remodels will help change this.

[tampasteve]

The best Albertsons remodel is the Publix on Ehrlich Rd - it looks great.

As per the associates....they are indeed nice, but in EVERY Publix I have been to they are always chatty between the checkout people and baggers. Rarely do they stop the conversation but to say "hello" and then continue on their talk of personal matters. This is very annoying, but at least they usually have enough associates compared to some other stores.

Steve

[HARTride 2012]

I think the Albertsons across from Seminole Mall will turn out to be a nice remodel too. Perhaps Boot Ranch as well.

I do agree that many of the Publix associates tend to be very chatty, but overall, I like the level of customer service. WalMart just lacks a lot of customer service....period.

And actually, I've seen some Target stores, including the one on Gandy/South Tampa where I used to work, where the associates also try to run away from you. Home Depot was about the same, but supposedly they're trying to improve CS relations.

[kevinkagy]

Publix deserves it, their customer service is really great and their food is good. Yay for Publix!

[HARTride 2012]

I found this while searching Google. It's a Flickr photoset of the original Publix store in Winter Haven.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hyku/40871064/

[HARTride 2012]

Friday, May 1, 2009, 1:01pm EDT
Sales up, profit drops at Publix
Tampa Bay Business Journal

Despite the down economy, people still need to eat and some are still choosing Publix Super Markets Inc.

The Lakeland grocery store chain picked up a 2.2 percent increase in sales during the first quarter of 2009 from $6.2 billion to $6.4 billion. However, comparable-store sales were down nearly 3 percent.

That allowed Publix to earn $321.5 million, or 41 cents per share, although that was down more than 6 percent from the $343.2 million, or 41 cents per share, tallied the year before, according to a release.

Publix remains a private company, but offers stock to its employees and members of its board of directors. Beginning Friday, Publix stock price will drop from $16.10 to $15.55.

“The economy continues to affect our results and stock price,” said Ed Crenshaw, Publix’s chief executive officer in the release. “We look forward to an improving economy.”

The stock is available to Publix’s 140,000 employees in 1,005 stores in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee.

http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tamp...7/daily75.html

I think it will remain this way for a while. The good thing in my area though is that all three Publix stores have been very busy. Even the new store (the former Albertsons) is picking up speed.

[TampAGS]

Originally Posted by HARTride 2012

In South Tampa, I'm especially worried about the Sweetbay (Delhaize) store in the area, as a WalMart is still slated to be built right across the street. If they force Sweetbay to retreat from South Tampa, it could open the doors for Publix to take over the spot, as well as perhaps entice Aldi to step into the space nearby that was once occupied by Winn Dixie. (See this thread for further details, insight: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=810002)

I don't know... WalMart just doesn't seem very "South Tampa" to me. Most people I know relish trips to WalMart about as much as they do a trip to the dentist. I know the only reason I ever set foot in the one on Dale Mabry near I-275 is that it is open 24 hours.

Publix, on the other hand, is somewhere that I could imagine just about anybody from South Tampa shopping at. The shopping experience in your average Publix is much nicer, I think, than at any WalMart. And let's face it... South Tampa has a higher percentage of people for whom the cheapest price isn't necessarily the determining factor in where they shop.

Originally Posted by HARTride 2012

Tuesday, April 7, 2009, 2:57pm EDT | Modified: Wednesday, April 8, 2009, 2:00am
Publix No. 3 in grocery chain survey
Tampa Bay Business Journal

Publix Supermarkets Inc. ranked third on Consumer Reports’ survey of the best national and regional grocery store chains.

The No. 1 spot in the survey went to Wegmans and Trader Joe’s took the second spot — chains that do not have locations in Central Florida.

What I wouldn't give for a Trader Joe's in Tampa!! I've traveled for business to cities which had a Trader Joe's and brought an empty duffle bag to pack with as much non-perishable items as I could fit.


One of my favorite things about Publix is their weekly "Buy one, get one free" specials. It is rare that I don't find at least one item which I purchase semi-regularly on their two-for-one list for any given week. I've gotten so I only buy things like cereal when it is featured in this promotion. There is almost always at least one breakfast cereal product available two-for-one, which is great for me since I don't just stick to one favorite brand.

Another favorite from Publix is their Deli's Mojo rotisserie whole chickens.
Y U M M !

[aaabbbccc]

I like the publix on 17/92 lee road in winter park
the associates there are very nice and helpful

[HARTride 2012]

Speaking of the South Tampa WalMart, its gonna happen. The fence has gone up around the property and pre-demolition work has begun. There's no doubt I like Publix, but some of their items have become pretty expensive since the decline of Albertsons. Not to mention they have killed competition in South Tampa and most of Pinellas. I think the WalMart Supercenter in South Tampa will spark a much needed grocery war, that will give the three Publix stores in the area a good run for their money.


And now for this sweet dealmaker....

Publix, Giant Eagle Focus on Dollar Deals
Jun 12, 2009 6:00 AM

LAKELAND, Fla. — Publix Super Markets took a page out of the dollar store book earlier this week when it hosted a 10 for $10 promotion that let shoppers mix and match different items.

“One of each. Ten of something. Or any combination you choose. Just grab what you need and enjoy the savings,” read its sales circular.

Relevant items included Large Shrimp Skewers, Banquet frozen entrees, Duncan Hines brownie mix, Aquafresh toothpaste, Pillsbury Crescent dinner rolls, and other items.

Giant Eagle, Pittsburgh, is also hosting a $10 for 10 sale, but savings can only be obtained when 10 of certain single items are purchased with the Giant Eagle Advantage Card. Eligible products include Coca-Cola or Sprite, 2 liters; Barilla pasta, DelGrozzo pasta or pizza sauce; Hunts Snack Pack pudding, 4-packs; and Chef Boyardee canned pasta with meat.

http://supermarketnews.com/news/publix_dollar_0612/

[I-10east]

I guess that every other supermarket chain other than Publix has a bunch of uncouth, bloodthirsty savages for their staff. No matter what supermarket you're at, people for the majority are friendly and courteous; The "friendly" card is highly overrated IMO.

[HARTride 2012]

Albertsons management is just plain out greedy and uncaring. I feel sorry for their store associates.

Winn Dixie staff were mostly upbeat and caring, same thing with the staff at the Albertsons store I used to shop at. I've never had a problem with Publix staff, but at times, the cashiers chat too much.

WalMart associates often infuriate me, they try to run away from the customers...at least when I shopped there.

[HARTride 2012]

Publix purse snatching captured on tape
Tuesday, June 16, 2009



TAMPA (Bay News 9) -- A 17-year-old male was arrested just three short minutes after he nabbed a purse from an 81-year-old woman at a Tampa Publix Tuesday, police say.

Police say Geritrudis Bosch was shopping at the Publix at 2427 W. Hillsborough Ave. with her 80-year-old brother, Ramon Bosch, when the teen grabbed the bag and ran out of the store. Both the brother and sister were knocked to the ground.

As the suspect was running out of the store, another shopper confronted him.

Police say the shopper pulled the suspect from his bike. They say the suspect then left the purse and ran. Publix managers and shoppers pursued the suspect and directed police to Mendenhall Drive and Alexander Road.

The suspect was arrested a short time later. Police say the suspect was carrying a knife in his pocket and was supposed to be on home detention.

http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2...ptured+on+tape

[TampAGS]

Originally Posted by HARTride 2012

Publix purse snatching captured on tape
Tuesday, June 16, 2009



TAMPA (Bay News 9) -- A 17-year-old male was arrested just three short minutes after he nabbed a purse from an 81-year-old woman at a Tampa Publix Tuesday, police say.

Police say Geritrudis Bosch was shopping at the Publix at 2427 W. Hillsborough Ave. with her 80-year-old brother, Ramon Bosch, when the teen grabbed the bag and ran out of the store. Both the brother and sister were knocked to the ground.

As the suspect was running out of the store, another shopper confronted him.

Police say the shopper pulled the suspect from his bike. They say the suspect then left the purse and ran. Publix managers and shoppers pursued the suspect and directed police to Mendenhall Drive and Alexander Road.

The suspect was arrested a short time later. Police say the suspect was carrying a knife in his pocket and was supposed to be on home detention.

http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2...ptured+on+tape

I used to shop at that Publix frequently. It was on my way home from work. BTW.. the address they give is incorrect. The street number for that Publix is 2724, not 2427. It's at the corner of Hillsborough and Habana.

The kid is a total ingrate, among other things... The victims were standing along the store's rear wall when this occurred. The genius didn't notice the surveillance cameras aimed right at him as he was casing his target, nor did he apparently take into account the distance he would have to run before he could even exit the store.

Kudos to whoever the shopper was that foiled the kid's escape plan, as well to the Publix managers and other shoppers who followed him till the police arrived. They had trekked about 0.7 mile by the time he was apprehended. There's no telling how far he'd have gotten had he not been separated from his bike.

[HARTride 2012]

Agreed, a big kudos to those who stopped this person from fleeing the scene.

I also noticed that this store has the old blue/coral livery?...yuck! I remember when the store at 3615 W Gandy had this livery, it was just plain awful. Though I do remember every X-mas, they used to have a toy train running across the wall just above the produce section. In fact, they used to be able to really deck the store out for the winter holidays before all the corporate changes took place in the mid 2000s, at which at that time, the Gandy Blvd store was renovated to the current green/orange livery. The blue and white tile floors is the only remaining element from the old livery that is still in that store.

[HARTride 2012]

Crispers to leave West Bay Village in Largo
By Lorri Helfand, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Wednesday, June 24, 2009

If you have a hankering for a summer salad or a tropical chicken sandwich next week, you won't be able to grab one at Crispers in Largo.

The once-popular soup, salad and sandwich shop on West Bay Drive is closing its doors Saturday.

"That's a shame," said Rob Blanken, 42, one of several Largo patrons who hadn't heard the news. "Now, I won't have a sandwich place around here."

The restaurant had many dedicated customers, said Maria Brous, a spokeswoman for Publix, a privately held company that owns the Florida restaurant chain.

"We just didn't have the consistency at that location," Brous said.

Crispers, which has 40 stores including the Largo one, last month closed another store in Bartow for the same reason.

The Largo shop had 20 employees, who were offered opportunities to apply at other Crispers and Publix markets, Brous said. The chain's other Pinellas store is in Safety Harbor.

Other tenants at the West Bay Village commercial center knew about Crispers' departure and said they weren't too concerned.

The location is great and business won't be affected by a temporary vacancy a couple of doors down, said Ehab Wasif, an owner of Alexis Jewelers.

"We're a mom-and-pop store," said Wasif, who moved the shop to West Bay Village five years ago. "We've been around 22 years."

Brian St. Arnold, one of the owners of the Thirsty Marlin Grill & Bar, said he didn't want to see any business leave, but Crispers' farewell may actually boost business because there's a lack of full-service lunch places in the area.

"I'm hoping that people that used to go to Crispers will come over here and try our food," St. Arnold said.

Other tenants in the 11-unit center include a salon, a fitness center and a vitamin store. Besides Crispers' 5,400-square-foot space, another 1,400-square-foot unit is also available, said Ross Realty's John Stoner, who handles the leases for the center.

When the center opened five years ago, Crispers was the lone tenant. Alexis and Vitamin Discount Center came a couple of months later. Several other tenants followed. A few came and went.

Now, the owner and developer is trying to find the right fit to replace Crispers.

"We're really going through a whole analysis to find out what would be best for the urban core of Largo," said Scott Shimberg, president and owner of Hyde Park Builders, which developed West Bay Village.

West Bay Village, a $12 million project with 54 homes and a 21,000-square-foot commercial center, was the culmination of years of planning aimed at revitalizing downtown.

To entice developers, the city offered several incentives. In the fall of 2002, Hyde Park paid the city $1.08 million, a little more than half of the appraised value, for Largo's old City Hall site. The city also waived building permit and planning fees and spent $4.2 million to widen and beautify West Bay Drive.

The area has seen little development since. But Largo and local business leaders hope that a new redevelopment plan will encourage more projects. Next month, city leaders will consider the new plan, which would increase density and allow buildings up to eight stories in parts of the West Bay Drive district.

Shimberg said such plans, and a commitment to them, are a draw for developers like himself.

"It's about planning and focusing on what that vision is, so you do attract the developers that see the potential of that area," he said. "But that community's got to maintain that vision going forward to stimulate more development and opportunities."

Lorri Helfand can be reached at lorri@sptimes.com or (727) 445-4155.



[Last modified: Jun 23, 2009 07:17 PM]

http://www.tampabay.com/news/busines...cle1012795.ece

[jzquince69]

a couple of observations about Publix:

1. they are the cleanest stores, without a doubt.

2. I worked there as a teen and their management is very spartan; I can't say I blame them looking back on it.

3. Orlando market-- when Winn Dixie bought up most of the Goodings' locations, it pretty much ended meaningful competition for Publix... some of their stuff is expensive, but some of it is cheap too.

4. Distribution Center-- weren't they supposed to build a 1M sq ft center near Lee Vista north of OIA?

[HARTride 2012]

I agree with 1 and 2. Plus, the level of customer service is undoubetly wonderful compared to some other supermarkets.

Yes, in recent years, meaningful competitition among supermarkets have been killed off in some areas of the US, including much of Florida. One reason being is the continued decline of Albertsons, which back in the day, brought on a lot of good competition. The problem with Albertsons, which I have mentioned time and time again, is that corporate management got too greedy and basically dug the grave for Albertsons during the mid and late 90s. The internal damage was so bad, that there was no way Albertsons could escape bankruptcy unless they sold and chopped themselves up, which was exactly what they did. My guess is that the remaining FL stores will fold up within the next five years. I've been to two of the remaining stores, one in Clearwater, and the other in Carrollwood, and the scene was just down right depressing...

Winn Dixie is the other grocer that has had some rocky times. They practically pulled out of Tampa Bay years ago, with only a couple stores here and there. After they went bankrupt, I know they had to close down a lot of stores, but still hang on to Jax and Orlando. Kash-N-Karry also pulled out of some areas, including Orlando, cause they were doing poorly in these areas. Even now with Sweetbay, some stores aren't doing as well.

I think Publix will pull through the recession and come out even stronger than it was before. Winn Dixie and Sweetbay have a lot to do to catch up and regain their footing, but I think they will also come out strong later on. Now if only we could get Kroger to expand down to Central FL, I'd be happier. Of course, in South Tampa, we're getting a WalMart, so that alone will give the five Publix stores in the area a good run for their money.

[jzquince69]

has Aldi opened up in Tampa yet? there's several in Orlando already and the plan was to open up in the Bay area as well. I wonder how much competition they would provide... I doubt very much, since they are a different type of supermarket.

[I-275westcoastfl]

Originally Posted by jzquince69

a couple of observations about Publix:

1. they are the cleanest stores, without a doubt.

2. I worked there as a teen and their management is very spartan; I can't say I blame them looking back on it.

I agree with #1 and #2 it all depends on the store, it's a hit or miss. In the stores I've worked in, I've found quite often the management is lazy and only pushes helping customers out for the most part. There are many lazy people working at Publix who either kiss ass or for some reason aren't noticed by management.

Originally Posted by HARTride 2012

The problem with Albertsons, which I have mentioned time and time again, is that corporate management got too greedy and basically dug the grave for Albertsons during the mid and late 90s.

Publix is doing the same now, they are being so cheap it's not even funny.

[HARTride 2012]

I don't doubt that. I think Publix is slowly digging themselves a grave next to Joe Albertson. Give it time and the next all out depression will knock the shoes off Publix. I think a Kroger expansion (which is dearly needed for Florida) would also give Publix a good reason to reorganize.

However, I do like that Publix does not let a lot of stores just outright go downhill, as was with Albertsons. For instance, the Gulf to Bay Albertsons looks like a pile of trash really. They let that store go downhill so much that the environment looks down right depressing. They even let the Britton location go downhill after the 2002 remodel, and you could tell it was going downhill cause they never bothered to redo the restrooms, let alone fix the plumbing, half the lights went out in the store and none of those bulbs were replaced in a timely manner, the floors looked disgustingly dirty (even worse than some Publix stores), and some of the shelves looked they were going to fall down. I should mention that Target is the same way with some of their stores "cough" Gandy Target "cough".