Publix or Winn Dixie? (North Port: appointed, sales, 2015)

[Big House]

Originally Posted by Seafood Junky

When we move down full-time, one thing we will sorely miss is Wegmans.

If you have never been, it is an experience. They have good prices on standard grocery items, but their meat and seafood departments are light years ahead of any other grocery store.

We have shopped at the two (??) Publix on Tamiami trail in PG. Eh, OK..

The 2 PG farmers markets have good to great produce depending on variables.

Have bought the fresh shrimp from the boat at Boca. Looking forward to buying from Bill at the Iron Ox (would love to go out shrimping with him some time).

Mike

Seafood, I grew up in WNY where Wegmans is from. Then when we lived in MD, finally they opened one in Hunt Valley - I shopped there all the time. I also miss Grauls!! Publix is pretty good, but once you shopped at Wegmans there is NO comparison to that and any other super market. Very few people down here have had that experience.

[wpc691]

Originally Posted by Big House

Seafood, I grew up in WNY where Wegmans is from. Then when we lived in MD, finally they opened one in Hunt Valley - I shopped there all the time. I also miss Grauls!! Publix is pretty good, but once you shopped at Wegmans there is NO comparison to that and any other super market. Very few people down here have had that experience.

2x on Wegman's BH - the best supermarket in the country, hands down.

[Macgregorsailor51]

I would think It would be pretty dang tough to rank Grocery stores from all over the country unless you have lived in all 50 states..
THAT SAID I was in 1 Wegmans One Time around 1984 and remember it to this day..Who da heck remembers a Grocery Store? .. Well I had been impressed with Demoulas MB and was working a quick in and out in Western NY and was told to try Wegmans.. I believe a lot stores got their ideas/model format , from having been in a Wegmans..
Anyway with that dream never to come to fruitation.. It was Butera's Market in Chicago NW Suburbs and as I mentioned its been 20+ Years, but back in the day 80-85 in NH it seemed to be, Demoulas Market Basket.. NH was like a Grocery Desert.. Yes Trader Joes is really nice , we had one close by the house before we moved here, but that said, they are a VERY small store.. Publix is pretty good for down here.. Better than the rest ( IMHO), but still needing greater selection ..The Ethnic section is a Joke.. at least compared the previous 3..

[Big House]

Originally Posted by Macgregorsailor51

I would think It would be pretty dang tough to rank Grocery stores from all over the country unless you have lived in all 50 states..
THAT SAID I was in 1 Wegmans One Time around 1984 and remember it to this day..Who da heck remembers a Grocery Store? .. Well I had been impressed with Demoulas MB and was working a quick in and out in Western NY and was told to try Wegmans.. I believe a lot stores got their ideas/model format , from having been in a Wegmans..
Anyway with that dream never to come to fruitation.. It was Butera's Market in Chicago NW Suburbs and as I mentioned its been 20+ Years, but back in the day 80-85 in NH it seemed to be, Demoulas Market Basket.. NH was like a Grocery Desert.. Yes Trader Joes is really nice , we had one close by the house before we moved here, but that said, they are a VERY small store.. Publix is pretty good for down here.. Better than the rest ( IMHO), but still needing greater selection ..The Ethnic section is a Joke.. at least compared the previous 3..

At least they are seem to be improving....
I hope Wegmans decides to expand down here sooner rather than later.

I am glad to see WAWA has opened up down here. Now all the other Circle K's and 7/11 type convenience / gas shops will have to begin competing with them, and I hope, they will begin making up-grades soon.

[PortCharlotteNewbie]

The only Wegmans I have been in is Northboro MA, fairly new at the time. I didn't enjoy it as much as the hype coming in.
H.E.B. in Tx is still my favorite. The Whole Foods stores are OK, but few in FL and also, noticed the stores can be quite different depending on their location. A great and no comparison to others for ethnic food is the Phonecia, also in Houston.
And aren't we all funny enjoying tours of grocery stores all over US? We are so lucky to have so many choices.

[Big House]

Originally Posted by PortCharlotteNewbie

The only Wegmans I have been in is Northboro MA, fairly new at the time. I didn't enjoy it as much as the hype coming in.
H.E.B. in Tx is still my favorite. The Whole Foods stores are OK, but few in FL and also, noticed the stores can be quite different depending on their location. A great and no comparison to others for ethnic food is the Phonecia, also in Houston.
And aren't we all funny enjoying tours of grocery stores all over US? We are so lucky to have so many choices.

If you like health food items. Check out Richards in Port Charlotte. Its not Publix, or Trader Joes, or Whole Foods, but it has a lot of health food items you might not normally find in one of those stores. There is a pretty nice Whole Food store in Sarasota, if you want to check that out.

[Ellwood]

Originally Posted by double6's

most publix's are nicer, cleaner and just have a better feel to them than winn-dixies..but they are also more expensive..Florida needs more grocery store chains just for the competition stand point.

I agree with you there. We spend winters in FL and find groceries much more expensive than upstate NY. The buy one get one free can be a come on IMO.

[sware2cod]

There is a new Aldi that is currently being built in North Port. It's near the Home Depot. They have some decent store brands - such as frozen foods. I love their frozen crab cakes. Aldi stores are very small overall, so there isn't a bunch of selection.

They haven't yet announced the grand opening for the North Port store. But it's going to be this summer. Likely in the next 1.5 months.

[wpc691]

Originally Posted by Ellwood

I agree with you there. We spend winters in FL and find groceries much more expensive than upstate NY. The buy one get one free can be a come on IMO.

2x on the cost. When we go visit our kids on the IL/WI state line, I go to Woodman's, which isn't as good as Wegman's, but pretty good. I find prices 30, 40, even 50 % lower than here. I fill a shopping cart and it's 70 bucks, here easily $125. I guess it's the lack of competition.

[Macgregorsailor51]

The wife says food is higher here but never expressed it being that high.. There are 3 major players here Publix Winn Dixie and now Walmart and soon Aldi's..Oh and there is Sams as well. Gas I am aware of because a friend who lives in Two Harbors Minnasnowda a very smalll town and 50+ Miles to Duluth pays less for his gas and reminds me about it hahaha... Interesting enough when my foks moved to Lakeland in 85 Food and Gas was less in Fla. than in The NW-Burbs of Chicago. Now Both cost more here and there are more people living down here than ever before, which should hold the prices down.

Originally Posted by wpc691

2x on the cost. When we go visit our kids on the IL/WI state line, I go to Woodman's, which isn't as good as Wegman's, but pretty good. I find prices 30, 40, even 50 % lower than here. I fill a shopping cart and it's 70 bucks, here easily $125. I guess it's the lack of competition.