Publix vs. Winn Dixie - St Johns Co (hardwood floors, sales)

[Florida2014]

We've been to both Publix and Winn Dixie (both off of CR 210) here in SJC and both seemed nice. Aesthetically, Winn Dixie seemed a tad nicer on the inside - hardwood floors in certain areas, a nice takeout area and super wide aisles, which is probably top 3 in importance to me when going to any grocery stores. I HATE HATE HATE the stores that bottleneck you up with in-aisle stand up cardboard advertising.

Anyway, wondering what other folks here think about the two, mostly in terms of price. I didn't do the math but it seemed like WD was just a hair cheaper for most things and they offer the fuel discounts at the Shell stations - big for a guy who owns 2 gas guzzling SUVs. Has anyone cared to do a price comparison for the staples like meat, fruits/veggies, milk, etc.?

We also tried the Wal-Mart Grocery store off of San Jose and didn't care for it. Prices were good, the shopping experience was not (crowded, smaller aisles, etc.) so we can cross that off of our list.

[skooba]

That Winn Dixie carries Lagunitas Lil Sumpin Sumpin, which is one of my favorite beers, so I'll often go there to buy beer. I've found their produce/beer/wine/deli section looks and feels nicer than Publix, but the rest of the store is pretty blah. I prefer Publix. Everyone there is much nicer and I just find it to be a better shopping experience overall. I'd say my money goes about 80% Publix and 20% WD.

[ilfaith]

I do most of my shopping at Publix, because it's closer. But the 210 Winn Dixie happens to be a particularly nice one.

I know a lot of people prefer Winn Dixie for meat, but Publix for overall selection and service.

[JimRom]

While I can't comment on the particular stores in the OP, I can say that overall Winn Dixie has saved me quite a bit of money over shopping at Publix. Their sales are better, their regular prices are usually a little bit lower, and with the fuel rewards and judicious shopping for the extra fuel perks items (only when it's something I actually need) the savings is pretty spectacular.

That being said, there are certain things that I've found I'm better off buying at either Walmart or Target. In general, paper goods and soaps are cheaper at Walmart, while certain groceries are much cheaper at Target than at any of the other three. (Example: A large box of Welch's fruit snacks - which my kids love - is $5.99 at Winn Dixie, $5.19 at Walmart, and $3.99 at Target).

[Florida2014]

Yeah, I will still make the trip up to Costco probably once a month for the toilet paper, bulk chicken, etc but dear God was that a huge mistake going there on Saturday. You literally could not push your cart 2 feet without running into someone. Lesson learned. Can you tell I don't like crowds??

[fsquid]

I've found the produce to be quite poor at Winn-Dixie on 210. Maybe I need to give it one more shot.

[SaintCabbage]

Originally Posted by JimRom

While I can't comment on the particular stores in the OP, I can say that overall Winn Dixie has saved me quite a bit of money over shopping at Publix. Their sales are better, their regular prices are usually a little bit lower, and with the fuel rewards and judicious shopping for the extra fuel perks items (only when it's something I actually need) the savings is pretty spectacular.

That being said, there are certain things that I've found I'm better off buying at either Walmart or Target. In general, paper goods and soaps are cheaper at Walmart, while certain groceries are much cheaper at Target than at any of the other three. (Example: A large box of Welch's fruit snacks - which my kids love - is $5.99 at Winn Dixie, $5.19 at Walmart, and $3.99 at Target).

Publix will take coupons from just about every other store available, including Walmart and Target if you are willing to talk to a manager if they give you any guff about it. We "spend" about $400 a week at Publix, but about $150 of that is taken off due to coupons from competing stores. Food is so damn expensive....

[sware2cod]

Originally Posted by SaintCabbage

Publix will take coupons from just about every other store available, including Walmart and Target if you are willing to talk to a manager if they give you any guff about it. We "spend" about $400 a week at Publix, but about $150 of that is taken off due to coupons from competing stores. Food is so damn expensive....

Does Publix match sales ad prices from other stores? If yes, do you bring the competing sales paper and show to the Publix cashier? For example, if a certain brand of frozen pizza is on sale, will they match the price for same product?

I know Walmart matches sales prices of competitors if you bring the sales paper and show to the cashier and request a price match. They even do it for produce and meats, I am pretty sure. I have not tried it at Walmart but know people that do it all the time(price match at Walmart) with competitor's sales papers.

[SaintCabbage]

Originally Posted by sware2cod

Does Publix match sales ad prices from other stores? If yes, do you bring the competing sales paper and show to the Publix cashier? For example, if a certain brand of frozen pizza is on sale, will they match the price for same product?

I know Walmart matches sales prices of competitors if you bring the sales paper and show to the cashier and request a price match. They even do it for produce and meats, I am pretty sure. I have not tried it at Walmart but know people that do it all the time(price match at Walmart) with competitor's sales papers.

I dont think so, but I havent tried that. If they ever have an issue with something, they'll call a manager over and you give them the ol' "I guess I'll just go over to <insert competitor> here and give them my business from now .... <sigh>" and they acquiesce everytime.

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by Florida2014

Yeah, I will still make the trip up to Costco probably once a month for the toilet paper, bulk chicken, etc but dear God was that a huge mistake going there on Saturday. You literally could not push your cart 2 feet without running into someone. Lesson learned. Can you tell I don't like crowds??

Costco on Saturdays is only for masochists who enjoy super crowded parking lots . Best time to hit it IMO is on weekdays - especially in the late afternoon.

My husband and I much prefer Publix to Winn Dixie (it's not a price thing - more of a "look and feel of the store" and service kind of thing). But we also shop at Fresh Market - Whole Foods - Costco and various ethnic grocery stores in the metro area (our "grocery basket" is pretty eclectic). Note that Publix has lots and lots of BOGOs. BOGO items at Publix are usually cheaper than their equivalent at Costco. Publix also tends to put things on sale at the right times (like all the Passover items went on sale shortly before Passover). We get lots of coupons in our print newspapers (Florida Times Union and WSJ) - a FTU subscription is low/no cost if you use a fair number of coupons.

FWIW - Costco has the best fish prices in town IMO (especially when it comes to higher priced stuff like fresh halibut - sockeye salmon and similar). Since the turnover is big - the fish is very fresh too. We don't eat a lot of meat. But buy prime rib eyes at Costco for grilling season. Its boneless short ribs (which you probably won't find elsewhere) are too (for braised short ribs and the like). Note that I don't particularly like the fresh chicken at Costco (high water content) - but it's hard to beat its BBQ chickens (both in terms of quality and price). Robyn