Kevin and the teams frequent mention of PUBLIX

[SorcererHeidi]

How are the prices on salt at Publix?

I hear they're sold out lately.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Publix is fine but it's basically just a plain old supermarket.

but those were also just regular stores.

We're those weird types who actually like doing stuff like that when we're on vacation. How far from Disney do we need to get to find the non-touristy locations?

I'm starting to think we might expect different things from a grocery store.

I expect it to be clean, have a good selection, competitive pricing and that's about it.

To me a grocery store is a necessity and not much more. It's where I go to buy groceries. I'm rarely....okay never....entertained by my trip to the supermarket.

Sorry, but I cant point you to the better Publix. I'm pretty sure we have different criteria.

 

[Anastasia Tremaine]

Wegmans is the only thing I'd miss when I relocate from NY to Florida. Nothing really compares to it

This was me! Everyone thought I was strange when I moved to FL last year and missed Wegmans so much. When I go back to MD to visit family, I visit Wegmans When I go to Publix, I shop there with my Wegmans bags. Some of the employees have asked me which store I like better. I cannot lie

 

[Alicenwonderment]

How are the prices on salt at Publix?

Ha! Ha!! Good one Llama!!!
When I lived in VA they had a Legman's open that I loved going to. Two summers ago when Market Basket workers went on strike I wrote Legman's and begged them to take over the Market Baskets. Lol. In my area we have Shaws, Market Basket, and Hannafords. When I was living in FL I mostly went to Publics and Wally World.

 

[safetymom]

Love, love, love Publix. I shop there quite often. I have 2 close to me. They greet me with a smile, they are always so friendly and helpful. The bakery and deli are great. Stores are always clean, if I need something special they will run and get it for me. I have been to other chain grocery stores but no one beats Publix. No I haven't been to a Wegmans.

 

[lennyd]

in south fla they have penn dutch, I dont know if they have one in orlando bur they treat there customers great, my mom loved that place , she use to call me to tell me about the great deals they had, do they have any in orlando?

 

[DSNYDREAMER]

My favorite Publix near Disney is on 192 at the corner of....can't remember, but it is near Celebration. In fact the store may be considered "Celebration". I am not sure you can compare pricing from say a NJ store to a Fl store, whatever the chain. We find often pricing can be regional...for example things we pay a lot for in Canada are cheaper in the US and vice versa. To take it one step further, we shop in Buffalo quite often. We find a difference in some product and pricing between Buffalo and Orlando.

Every trip we will usually hit Publix for Subs upgraded to Boars head ingredients! YUM, we love them. Maybe because around here we can only get Subway and Quiznos, so these subs are a step above in my opinion. If you were from an area that had other options for subs, you may be less impressed with Publix. Same is true for the fried chicken. We liked it from Publix, but only got it once. Didn't find it terribly special because I could get similar or better where I am from. BUT, if I was in Orlando and decided I wanted friend chicken, I would get it from Publix. Because it is the best option and value for my money in the area. I think this is the hardest part of recommending or "endorsing" something, it is relative. While I may say something near Disney is, in my opinion, your best option. I don't necessarily mean it is the best in the world.

 

[NeuroCindy]

I disagree with this completely.

I think Publix is great.

If you are shopping at any of the Publix near Disney, they cater to tourists and are very different than the neighborhood stores.

Last time we were down in FL (Venice beach area) my friend was doing a vow renewal. She pre-ordered the cake from Publix, it was beautiful on top of delicious. I think it's a great grocery store.

 

[OKW Lover]

My favorite Publix near Disney is on 192 at the corner of....can't remember, but it is near Celebration. In fact the store may be considered "Celebration".

That would be this Publix.

 

[disneysteve]

I'm starting to think we might expect different things from a grocery store.

I expect it to be clean, have a good selection, competitive pricing and that's about it.

We typically shop at the one at 192 and Orange Lake Blvd across from Target center. It definitely meets all of those criteria. It's a nice store. Years and years ago, we shopped at Goodings at Crossroads because we didn't know of anything else and a lot of the current places weren't built yet. Then we started going to the Goodings at Formosa Gardens (which is a Winn Dixie now). That one was really nice and definitely played to the tourist trade with the theming, decor, and animatronic figures. But once we discovered Publix, we stuck with it and really don't grocery shop anywhere else (except for stuff we pick up across the street at Target). That one still attracts mainly tourists but we like it anyway, and it's the one most conveniently located to where we typically stay (Windsor Palms).

You can't really compare Publix or other chains to Wegman's, though. They just aren't the same. We have Shop Rite and ACME as the two big chains around here and they're both nice, just like Publix, but Wegman's is a different experience. When folks have friends and family visiting from out of town, they often make it a point to take them to Wegman's. I don't think anyone ever says, "You've really got to see our Shop Rite".

 

[OKW Lover]

Love, love, love Publix. I shop there quite often. I have 2 close to me. They greet me with a smile, they are always so friendly and helpful.

This!!!

The workers at our Publix always have a smile and happy greeting. See one in the aisles and they will always ask how you are and if you need help finding anything. We also use the pharmacy and, given our ages and amount of medications we take, they recognize us on sight and always have a smile and nice word for us.

 

[rmm7e]

We're getting our first Wegman's here in a few months and I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone is talking about. I hope it lives up to the hype.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Wish we had Wegmans - but they can't break into the NY Metro area. Stew Leonard's is good and where we do our major shopping

My favorite chain in my area is DeCicco's but mostly because they have craft beer bars inside the grocery stores with up to 28taps and hold brewery events

 

[GAN]

You can't really compare Publix or other chains to Wegman's, though. They just aren't the same. We have Shop Rite and ACME as the two big chains around here and they're both nice, just like Publix, but Wegman's is a different experience. When folks have friends and family visiting from out of town, they often make it a point to take them to Wegman's. I don't think anyone ever says, "You've really got to see our Shop Rite".

I agree -the Wegmans I've been to, have been "destinations" not just standard grocery stores. I haven't been to a Publix in a while, so when the topic came up I wasn't sure if they were going for the same model as Wegmans in some of their locations. In my experience, I would take a Publix over a Stop & Shop any day of the week.

 

[*NikkiBell*]

This is such a fun thread. Love hearing the different stores everyone has.

I've never been to a Publix. We have Kings, Fresh Market, Wegmans, Stop & Shop, and ShopRite all within 15 minutes from here. With the exception of the last two, most are way too overpriced for my weekly shopping. I used to go to ShopRite religiously but now find that it's cheaper to go to Costco which is also closeby. I will say that I enjoy stopping at Kings for a treat once and awhile as their prepared sandwiches and foods are incredible.

 

[AndyPok1]

I love Publix, but as mentioned, it's mainly for fried chicken, sushi, and deli/bakery. The things that make it stand out as a grocery store is the cleanliness and helpfulness (which can actually be *too* helpful at times). Beyond that, it's just a grocery store, and somewhat overpriced at that. I rarely will buy anything that isn't on sale, but I don't cook at home all that much.

 

[disneysteve]

I've never been to a Publix. We have Kings, Fresh Market, Wegmans, Stop & Shop, and ShopRite all within 15 minutes from here. With the exception of the last two, most are way too overpriced for my weekly shopping. I used to go to ShopRite religiously

Around here, Wegman's is cheaper than ShopRite or ACME which is part of why I've switched to shopping there, along with the store being so much nicer. Their store brands have also been universally good in our experience.

 

[disneysteve]

The workers at our Publix always have a smile and happy greeting.

The things that make it stand out as a grocery store is the cleanliness and helpfulness

While certainly true of Publix, I just find it sad that being clean and having pleasant workers distinguishes it from others. That's a disturbing commentary on our retail system.

 

[OKW Lover]

Another plus for Publix (at least for locals that shop there regularly) is their BOGO specials every week. Val & i peruse their new flyer every Thursday for BOGO's and stock up on things we use regularly when they go on sale. That's obviously not a factor for those that are just visiting though.

 

[NeuroCindy]

Anyone have Mariano's? That's my absolute favorite grocery store.