Publix Super Markets

I honestly don’t know why so many people praise this grocery chain. I don’t just mean on Unilocal.I mean in everyday life hearing about the store. Yes it’s nice and its clean. Customer service is good, though I imagine it is a requirement of management. Other than that I don’t know what people see in the chain. The products sold are extremely overpriced, and I’m sorry there is no need of that. In Lakeland which is not a high income area, I don’t see how people afford to shop here. It’s a small thing but the bakery in the stores. They even offer sandwiches that are prepackaged which is nice. Yet there isn’t even one area to sit in, or out of the store to enjoy the sandwich. It’s the first grocery chain I have ever seen that has gone out of its way, to prevent you from eating in or out of their store. Other than the Lake Mariam store. I think Florida really needs some competition concerning grocery stores. Some new ones need to show up in the state.

I avoid Publix at all costs when I do my usual grocery shopping because their prices are just way more expensive than other grocery stores. I even cringe to have to pick up a few items here simply because it’s close to home. Why the four stars then? All the credit goes to their bakery. It was my baby’s first birthday, and I am NOT one of those moms who’d throw a party that costs more than a wedding because, yeah, the baby’s ONE and doesn’t even know the 100+ guests invited, but I digress… Anyway, there’s not a whole lot of good bakeries around town (another thing I miss since moving from NJ), and my SIL’s always raving about the desserts at Publix, so after looking around at other bakeries, I thought I’d give Publix a shot. My SIL was spot on! Their cakes are comparable to what you’d find at a standalone specialty bakery rather than the crappy generic cakes at the crappy generic grocery store. They also happened to have a BOGO sale, and I had to remind myself I was buying a cake for my baby — not me! Thanks to Cindy and Mac for being so friendly, helpful, and definitely going the extra mile to make our baby’s special day that much more memorable. My DH and I finally decided to get a decadent chocolate cake with chocolate mousse, chocolate ganache, decorated with rolled white and dark chocolate, adorable chocolate butterflies, and no nuts — it was for my baby after all;)

This Publix is conveniently located across from the Lakeside Village Shopping center and next to Target.
I am new to town and found this location to be easy to get to as I pass by it on my way to and from work. The parking lot is neat and tidy and the store is clean and bright.
During our first trip to Publix we noticed that it seemed to be a little higher priced than what we were used to paying, but since we assumed that groceries were just higher priced in FL we continued shopping. Our final bill was much more than we had expected.
Most recently, we needed just a few groceries to get us through the week. We had staple items such as bread, milk, cheese and lunch meat on our list. I was shocked to see the Publix brand of Oven Roasted Turkey priced at $ 8.99/lb. The ½ gallon of milk priced at $ 2.19 seemed a little high, too. Hesitant to continue on this trip, we headed to the bakery where hamburger buns were $ 2.49 for 12. It was at this point that we gave our basket to the nearest employee and headed straight to WalMart.
The only item that we found that was priced lower than Walmart was the Big and Sexy brand of hairspray that was $ 12 — almost $ 5 less than at Walmart.
If you need one or two items and you are near Publix, I would recommend shopping here, but if you’re buying groceries for the week and/​or for a family, I would strongly encourage you to shop around.

We have shopped at this Publix since 1990, shortly after it was constructed. It is neat and clean and offers acceptable value and marvelous service. The pharmacists are wonderful and we know a bunch of the younger cashiers and baggers.
I wish the store was larger and that it offered more of a variety; I am spoiled by periodic trips to Giant and Harris Teeter in the DC area and even the newest Asheville-​area Ingles stores. For local variety I prefer the Lake Miriam Publix and will check out the renovated Southgate Publix when it opens, but this is convenient and satisfactory.