What's up with "Publix doesn't have good selection?" (Tampa: 2013, buy)

[annerk]

Originally Posted by boy3365

I looked up Wegmans. It appears to be a combination traditional supermarket and specialty store. I define specialty as what I assume Trader Joes to be though I haven't been there yet. Publix is more traditional supermarket, though it appears to be spicing things up in certain stores depending on the neighborhood.


Given our area's wages, I think Publix could be more concerned about losing 10% market share to stores that claim (emphasis on claim) to be cheaper than 1.3% to the organic market. (Totally made up percentages by the way.)

I think you are significantly underestimating the market for organics.

[annerk]

Originally Posted by lovfl

Publix has wonderful PR and is very clean, love their bakery, but they are so small. They cannot possibly stock new variations of anything because there is no room! I'm surprised after being around for what almost 50 years, they have not built bigger stores. That would be their competition up north where I come from. They have enormous stores and so many new items, which make it exciting to shop at and fills my cart like a mountain! They even have an organic department within the store besides their huge organic produce. I did shop at a smaller store for fresh meat which had a great reputation but everything else was that big store.

Maybe you haven't been in some of the new stores, but they are 130-200% larger than the older ones.

[annerk]

Originally Posted by lovfl

Publix has wonderful PR and is very clean, love their bakery, but they are so small. They cannot possibly stock new variations of anything because there is no room! I'm surprised after being around for what almost 50 years, they have not built bigger stores. That would be their competition up north where I come from. They have enormous stores and so many new items, which make it exciting to shop at and fills my cart like a mountain! They even have an organic department within the store besides their huge organic produce. I did shop at a smaller store for fresh meat which had a great reputation but everything else was that big store.

Maybe you haven't been in some of the new stores, but they are 130-200% larger than the older ones.

[annerk]

Originally Posted by hmcs934

fyi - i follow stocks quite a bit and recently there was a strong rumor that publix was interested in taking over whole foods.

bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah aha

[lovfl]

Originally Posted by annerk

Maybe you haven't been in some of the new stores, but they are 130-200% larger than the older ones.

Really! Where??????? If I have to drive forever to get to one, it's not worth it.

[boy3365]

Originally Posted by lovfl

Really! Where??????? If I have to drive forever to get to one, it's not worth it.

Orange/Michigan

The Winter Park Village one used to be an Albertson's, and Albertson's stores were usually pretty big.

[lovfl]

Originally Posted by boy3365

Orange/Michigan

The Winter Park Village one used to be an Albertson's, and Albertson's stores were usually pretty big.

Way too far for me to go to. Seems like "winter Park' gets everything.

[Spring Hillian]

Originally Posted by annerk

bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah aha

There was speculation of a Publix move on Whole foods in late May. It became news in June and caused a rise in Whole Foods stock.

[TheMartianChick]

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

There was speculation of a Publix move on Whole foods in late May. It became news in June and caused a rise in Whole Foods stock.

Interesting... I hadn't heard that either. I wonder what was behind the speculation?

[boy3365]

Talk of Publix buying Whole Foods not likely to lead to anything | Tampa Bay Times

It looks like the Publix/Whole Foods thing was just a rumor. I couldn't imagine Publix going from mostly Florida and the Southeast to a national chain overnight through buying Whole Foods.


Annerk: Organic Market

There IS a huge demand for organics. Paleo, Cross Fit, documentaries, blogosphere, farmers markets, co-ops, etc. have caused an uptick in demand.

But even like the Tampa Bay article states in the last sentence, Publix's biggest threat is Walmart. Perhaps they are more concerned about our area's typical $8-$10/hr workers passing two of their stores to go to Walmart to "save" money than they are people with more discretionary income who will go to the farmers markets and Whole Foods to make up for the handful organic items Publix doesn't carry.