[Mleeja]

Many people talk/write about how Publix is more expensive than some other grocery stores. Here is our experience at Publix today that will keep me coming back, regardless of the price. "The Boss" likes Mountain Dew Diet Code Red. Not all stores carry this soft drink. We shopped at the Publix in Spanish Plaines which is now undergoing reconstruction. We have been going to the Publix in Southern Trace. In the soft drink aside, the slot for Mountain Dew Diet Code Red was filled with a different soft drink. On the way out we stopped at the Customer Service desk to ask for a rain check. The young lady that was helping us told us she would order the soft drink for us. As she was writing up the rain check, she said "just a minute, I would like to check the shelf tag" and was off. She was gone a couple of minutes and called back to the service desk. She was in the back of the store and found some Mountain Dew Diet Code Red on a pallet of Pepsi products. She dug out our soft drinks and brought them up to the service desk for us. This is what I call outstanding service and developing customer loyalty!

[mtdjed]

Wow! No reason to shop anywhere else.

[Mrs. Robinson]

Originally Posted by Mleeja

Many people talk/write about how Publix is more expensive than some other grocery stores. Here is our experience at Publix today that will keep me coming back, regardless of the price. "The Boss" likes Mountain Dew Diet Code Red. Not all stores carry this soft drink. We shopped at the Publix in Spanish Plaines which is now undergoing reconstruction. We have been going to the Publix in Southern Trace. In the soft drink aside, the slot for Mountain Dew Diet Code Red was filled with a different soft drink. On the way out we stopped at the Customer Service desk to ask for a rain check. The young lady that was helping us told us she would order the soft drink for us. As she was writing up the rain check, she said "just a minute, I would like to check the shelf tag" and was off. She was gone a couple of minutes and called back to the service desk. She was in the back of the store and found some Mountain Dew Diet Code Red on a pallet of Pepsi products. She dug out our soft drinks and brought them up to the service desk for us. This is what I call outstanding service and developing customer loyalty!

Originally Posted by mtdjed

Wow! No reason to shop anywhere else.

Wow! There is a reason to shop elsewhere.

Yes, for most people there is a reason to shop elsewhere unless some sort of special is going on.

While good customer service is usually a reason for shopping somewhere -- sorry, but overall, price is king!
And overall, Publix happens to (probably) be the most expensive supermarket in Florida.

[rubicon]

Originally Posted by Mrs. Robinson

Wow! There is a reason to shop elsewhere.

Yes, for most people there is a reason to shop elsewhere unless some sort of special is going on.

While good customer service is usually a reason for shopping somewhere -- sorry, but overall, price is king!
And overall, Publix happens to (probably) be the most expensive supermarket in Florida.

exactly, my wife has a photographic memory when it comes to store prices food, clothing , etc. So to her, like you, the best store is the store with the best price ( and yes value is always in her equation)

[Mleeja]

Originally Posted by Mrs. Robinson

Wow! There is a reason to shop elsewhere.

Yes, for most people there is a reason to shop elsewhere unless some sort of special is going on.

While good customer service is usually a reason for shopping somewhere -- sorry, but overall, price is king!
And overall, Publix happens to (probably) be the most expensive supermarket in Florida.

Yes, for some, price is more important than service or quality. If price is the most important factor, then by all means drive out 20 minutes out of your way to save your 3 cents on a can of green beans.

The grocery store stores in and around TV aggressively compete with each other. On any given week, items will be on-sale at Publix, Winn-Dixie, Aldi, Sam's, Walmart, etc. Overtime all the stores will average out to be about the same. If a person is a savvy shopper, they can purchase their favorite items when on sale and save dollars.

[Lindaketchup]

Glad you took the time to post about your positive experience!!

[Taltarzac725]

I go to maybe eight different Publixes in the Villages' area. Hard to keep their aisle arrangement's in mind as they seem all to be different from one another. We compare the various ads in the newspapers on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for prices and will go to Publix, Winn-Dixie, or Wal-Mart according to these ads.

One is closed unfortunately and that is a Public I would go to quite often. They are doing some kind of remodeling at the Spanish Plaines Shopping Center off of US 441/27 where there is a Publix. http://www.publix.com/locations/1334...hopping-center

[Challenger]

Service minded- great community citizen- fair prices(IMO)- clean. wide range of products.

[Mikeod]

They must be doing something right as you can barely get into the one at Colony, let alone find a parking space. Plus there are 7 within TV.

[Chatbrat]

clean, wide isles and well stocked--best super mkt meat-despite what Winn Dixie claims

[Gpsma]

I hate when all the slicers behind the deli have to yell out..WELCOME TO PUBLIX DELI.

I don't think "service" is all that important in a supermarket. More important to me is that it be clean and well stocked.

[Boomer]

I love Publix. I really miss Publix clean, bright, service-oriented stores when I am north in the land of Krogrrrrr. (I wish Kroger and Meijer would send reconnaissance teams to Publix to see how it should be done.)

I love those Publix recipes with the ingredients all in a row. Before I headed north this time, I bought the Publix cookbook to bring along. (Of course, now I will have to forage for the ingredients at Krogrrrrr where the plot seems to be to make anything not a Kroger brand almost impossible to find.)

I even love the green shirts the Publix employees wear, as well as the green theme throughout the store.

I love Publix reusable grocery bags, hanging there at checkout, with their lovely, ever-changing designs. I have used those bags as Easter baskets. And I even bought the one with the big letter P on it so I could use it as a monogrammed purse. (Goodbye Coach. )

But the biggest reason I love Publix is because I love their business plan. The employees own a big percentage of Publix through their privately held stock. The family that owns Publix has its share of billionaires but their successful business was not built on the backs of their employees. Publix was built alongside the employees.

According to an article in Forbes, "All staffers who have put in 1000 work hours and a year of employment receive an additional 8.5% of their pay in company stock." Publix makes the Forbes "America's Best Employers" list. Publix is on Fortune's "100 Best" list, too.

Even though Publix stock is not publicly traded, it functions like many publicly traded companies that believe in profit-sharing. Cincinnati-based Procter and Gamble has been well known for its employee stock plan. There are many successful companies that do the same thing.

Employee ownership in a company is capitalism in its best form. And that's the kind of capitalism I love. (Just imagine if all the cashiers at Walmart received company stock in addition to their pay.)


Link to cited source from Forbes:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianso.../#48db5bf95d3f

[Mrs. Robinson]

Originally Posted by Mleeja

Yes, for some, price is more important than service or quality. If price is the most important factor, then by all means drive out 20 minutes out of your way to save your 3 cents on a can of green beans.

The grocery store stores in and around TV aggressively compete with each other. On any given week, items will be on-sale at Publix, Winn-Dixie, Aldi, Sam's, Walmart, etc. Overtime all the stores will average out to be about the same. If a person is a savvy shopper, they can purchase their favorite items when on sale and save dollars.

For the average American anywhere in the country, price is the most important factor in buying anything.
All grocery stores and supermarkets are always in competition with one another, as are department stores, discount stores, etc.

Over time, Publix, Winn Dixie, Walmart and Aldi's do not average out to be the same.
You cannot put a big box store in the same category as a supermarket or grocery store.

If "Mountain Dew Diet Code Red" is the most important thing on your shopping list and Publix is the only one who has it, by all means, shop there.
However, Aldi's prices for produce are the best of all the stores and their quality is excellent. They are significantly less than even Walmart on many items and they happen to donate their "still edible" older fruits and vegetables to charity.
No one is less expensive for pet food than Walmart and they are significantly less expensive than Winn Dixie or Publix.
Winn Dixie has always been known for their meats and Publix has always been known for breaking up a package of produce, if necessary.
While Walmart is certainly not known for their great customer service, most customers have really never suffered from a lack of it.
So again, if it's a question of being a savvy shopper, by definition, that means that someone is shopping for the best prices overall.

[Nucky]

Each supermarket in The Villages serves a niche. Come on anybody ever shop in Whole Check? I mean Whole Foods or Wegmans or Kings? Those in my opinion are in another world on prices. We tried Aldi's and thought it was OK. We use a combo of Sams, Walmart and Publix. We switched our pharmacy to Publix and it is our go to store for weekly shopping. They respect everyone in that store on Bichara. I watched them jump into action on a person who was having a medical episode. They really have their act together. Kind, Caring Staff and cleanliness counts. I'm with the OP we love Publix also.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by Challenger

Service minded- great community citizen- fair prices(IMO)- clean. wide range of products.

I love Publix and really miss it when I'm up north.
Our local Publix offers to bring items in if they're not regularly stocked.