Publix voted best grocery chain in US (Jacksonville, Fernandina Beach: 2014, pharmacy)

[WrongStreet]

Originally Posted by MegaJoy

Safeway! Giants! ( Maryland )

I grew up in the DC area and I don't see how Safeway or Giant are any better than Publix.

[ruski]

Originally Posted by WrongStreet

I don't think the survey was just Floridians, since Publix is in several states.


What would be an example of a better "mainstream" grocer?

Harry Teeter's

[elias9193]

Wegmans blows all of them away, its not even close.

[Awsi Dooger]

Originally Posted by pslhomie

If you go to Las Vegas you see "Voted Best...." all over the place. Someone makes these things up. Its all fake. Publix produce is some of the worst on the planet.

Hardly fake. I lived in Las Vegas full time for 25 years. I was surveyed in those, "Best of Las Vegas," polls several times. I was quoted in the articles more than once. Once you are known to answer the phone surveys or fill out the questionnaires they'll come to you time after time.

Now, the caliber of the author does vary quite a bit. Some guys took it seriously and had pride in the role while others viewed it as beneath them.

Also the categories had vastly different response rates and therefore reliability. One phone rep told me they had to severely shorten one survey to make sure they got enough responses to questions nobody was bothering to answer.

Anyway, Publix is just bright and courteous and wide and convenient enough that nobody really has a legit beef. Most of the complaints are unrecognizable and forced. Prices are higher than most but not ripoff and easily countered via sensible use of buy one, get one.

However, IMO a new standalone Aldi is the top of the line grocery shopping experience for everything I prioritize. Produce, in particular. I'll load up the belt and yet the final tally is a fraction of what it would be anywhere else. Difficult not to snicker, especially if paying via a 5% off card. Just too darn bad Sallie Mae Mastercard met its demise a few months ago. That was 5% back on groceries, gas and Amazon. I think I'm still in mourning.

Now, the cluttered Aldis are a mess. For example, enter the one on Coral Way at Westchester at the wrong time of day and I could see why someone would be immediately turned off by the experience and condemn the chain as a block. You'll see families competing with each other to open the bags of grapes and swallow handfuls, before moving to the next bag.

The one further west on 8th Street isn't a standalone but it's only a few months old and an exponentially more clean and pleasing experience. Undisturbed grapes. Unbelievable. They actually have a few checkout clerks who don't speak any Spanish, which is locally bizarre these days.

[rnc2mbfl]

Originally Posted by ruski

Harry Teeter's

Harris Teeter is a much better grocer. Agreed. If Harris Teeter was in South Florida, you'd see why I say that.
As for Publix being outside the state, the reality is that most of the stores are still in Florida and it doesn't really have much true competition in a huge chunk of its market. According to Wikipedia, Florida had over 67% of its total store count as of 2015.

[Carolina Knight]

Originally Posted by WrongStreet

Of those you mentioned, only Ingle's and Walmart Neighborhood Market are familiar to me.


I'm not a huge fan of the Walmart Neighborhood Market and the Ingle's I went to was in Asheville. So it was kind of hard to compare it to a Publix. It was much smaller and less organized but with great prices, but that is relative to the location methinks.

Ingle's is actively replacing/rebuilding two stores and constructing an additional store in North Carolina, and will be replacing/rebuilding one store in South Carolina later this year. The four stores will be 72,000 square feet each. I see many of Ingle's North Carolina stores undergoing improvements as Publix further expands across western North Carolina.

Walmart Neigborhood Market has helped obliterate BI-LO and Food Lion supermarkets in South Carolina. Walmart Neighborhood Market's stores will not top Publix, but they are better in many ways than BI-LO, Food Lion, and Winn-Dixie.

[Carolina Knight]

Originally Posted by ruski

Harry Teeter's

Originally Posted by rnc2mbfl

Harris Teeter is a much better grocer. Agreed. If Harris Teeter was in South Florida, you'd see why I say that.
As for Publix being outside the state, the reality is that most of the stores are still in Florida and it doesn't really have much true competition in a huge chunk of its market. According to Wikipedia, Florida had over 67% of its total store count as of 2015.

I wonder if the Kroger Company would consider expanding the Harris Teeter banner across Florida to give Publix competition.

[AnnRyan]

Every time a grocery store is mentioned, the mysterious Carolina Knight is sure to appear.

Wegmans' is an excellent grocer, along with HEB out west.

But I'm still fond of my local Winn-Dixie, and based on the constantly full parking lot, I appear to have good company.

[Carolina Knight]

Sadly, four Winn-Dixie stores in Florida are among 23 BI-LO, Harvey's Supermarkets, and Winn-Dixie stores Southeastern Grocers is closing chain-wide in June. Additional stores have also closed food (grocery, meat, produce, and seafood) and pharmacy departments, have eliminated hourly full-time positions, and have converted to Harvey's Supermarkets and Fresco y Más banners.

[WrongStreet]

Originally Posted by Carolina Knight

Sadly, four Winn-Dixie stores in Florida are among 23 BI-LO, Harvey's Supermarkets, and Winn-Dixie stores Southeastern Grocers is closing chain-wide in June. Additional stores have also closed food (grocery, meat, produce, and seafood) and pharmacy departments, have eliminated hourly full-time positions, and have converted to Harvey's Supermarkets and Fresco y Más banners.

How do you know so much about grocery stores in the Southeast? Are your privy to some inside information?