[Kim in FL]

Originally Posted by Corrie22

That's the code.....they cater to their clients

Our Winn Dixie is in a very up scale expensive area....it's the best thing going
...our closest Publix is in a not so nice area....not so good

If you guys are running into bad stores, look around where you are...and up your game

Totally agree. Orlando is a big place and if you're not careful, and don't know any better, you could end up in the hood/ghetto. Do these areas have a Publix? Sure do, but I can tell you they're nothing like the Publix in Celebration or any other upscale area. The 'area' makes the store what it is.

[sinatras]

Originally Posted by Thundarr457

I stayed in a hotel next to a Whole Foods for 2 weeks and ate there everyday. I would get 2 soups, a water, a bakery item or 2 and something from the hot foods/salad bar and it was $25. The quality was decent but the baked goods were nothing special and were not nearly as good as Wegmans. The cookies were a bit hard and too sweet, the pan de yucca was awful and the bread was bland. Wegmans is much better in terms of selection and quality. I would know since I shopped there for 30+ years.

The Wegmans bakery is enormous and has several departments. A chocolate shop, organics, pastry shop, bread shop, etc. Don't recall the quality.

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by Kim in FL

Totally agree. Orlando is a big place and if you're not careful, and don't know any better, you could end up in the hood/ghetto. Do these areas have a Publix? Sure do, but I can tell you they're nothing like the Publix in Celebration or any other upscale area. The 'area' makes the store what it is.

Exactly. Speaking of Orlando, there is one in Pine Hills off of Silver Star, and it is absolutely horrible. In contrast, the one in Heathrow and the one on the edge of Mount Dora at Stoneybrook are absolutely wonderful.

[floridarebel]

Aldis is good, just their parking spaces are too small. Publix has too much customer service. Just want to go in to get what I need and get out, not be asked a million times if I need help with anything. Not to mention expensive.

[gypsychic]

Once again, I must state that FOR ME, Publix supplies all of my everyday needs and then some. The bakery now even has those European fruit tarts that I love so much, and they are even better than the ones from the authentic French bakery that I love here. They have decent breads too, including more organic ones than they used to have. The city where I live (Sarasota) has tons of specialty markets and bakeries if there is ever anything special or unusual I have to have (which usually there isn't). I think it is crazy that so many people feel like a supermarket has to be all things to all people. Publix supplies the basics and then some, and they do it very well. All in clean stores with good service. And yes, the butcher meats are excellent. The steaks I buy from Publix are better than any I have bought anywhere else. The worst steaks I ever bought were from Whole Foods ( the one time I went) Paid $30 and my husband and I actually gagged while trying to eat them......

[RexLan]

Originally Posted by sinatras

This notion of Publix in affluent areas being better than Publix in poor areas is hogwash.
I live in an extremely affluent area and my Publix has the same big name brands as the Publix in the ghetto. The same aisles of soda, snacks and canned goods. The same ice cream. The same meats and cupcakes and bags of charcoal. It’s not like the Publixes in rich neighborhoods have three floors of caviar, fairy godmothers and unicorns. They are all pretty much the same. Uninspiring and overpriced.

Sounds like you know where all the good stuff is !!... lol

I got all the caviar and fairy godmothers (chocolate ones) last week

[RexLan]

Originally Posted by Samiamnh

Just curious why you say not to buy meat at Walmart.I rarely shop there but noticed their meat is USDA
choice which is the same as every other store....

They do not cut their meat is why and awhile back the had it boxed with a gas.

The meat industry has changed dramatically in the last 40 years and not the stores just get whole sections of an item like a loin and slice it for the steaks. Few real butchers around anymore. But Wal Mart meat comes pre-cut by who knows. There is no trace=back to the certification either but I do not think they would try to cheat you.

All of the cryovac stuff is the same everyplace like Smithfields pork shoulder, ribs, brisket, chicken, etc.

For grocery hard goods you will save 12-20% at Wal Mart and it is identical.

[RexLan]

Originally Posted by sinatras

Is Sam's Club meat the same quality as Walmart meat?

NO ... Sam's has excellent meat. It is cut on site and generally thick as a good steak or roast should be.

When there was still Certified Angus the meat was considered Prime. 95% of all cattle now are Angus so the marketing has evolved to Black River Angus and a myriad of other nonsense names ... none of which are "Certified Angus" as originally established. Sam's dropped it a few years back and the quality went to crap ... they called it Members Mark Angus I think, they still may.

A few months ago they reintroduced "Prime" and it is teriffic but you won't find it in the cheap isle ... lol.

Overall Sam's has the best meat in town with Publix running a close second. However, we come back to service and Publix will bend over backwards to cut what you want and to your satisfaction. Sam's this is it, take it or leave it.

[Bert_from_back_East]

Most people in Florida are poor Southerners or working-class ethnic whites from the Northeast and industrial Midwest (i.e., OH, IN & MI). Trust me, those people have never shopped at higher-end grocery stores like Gelson's or Lazy Acres, hence the reason why they fawn over a grocery store like Publix with mostly outdated, unstylish, dimly lit stores; overpriced items, especially meats and produce; terrible customer service (people in Florida are the rudest people in the nation); long checkout lines (Lean / Kaizen methodology has not been widely adopted by Publix like it has by Kroger); and, most importantly, no discount or club card (and accompanying gas stations). Please.

[sinatras]

Originally Posted by Bert_from_back_East

Most people in Florida are poor Southerners or working-class ethnic whites from the Northeast and industrial Midwest (i.e., OH, IN & MI). Trust me, those people have never shopped at higher-end grocery stores like Gelson's or Lazy Acres, hence the reason why they fawn over a grocery store like Publix with mostly outdated, unstylish, dimly lit stores; overpriced items, especially meats and produce; terrible customer service (people in Florida are the rudest people in the nation); long checkout lines (Lean / Kaizen methodology has not been widely adopted by Publix like it has by Kroger); and, most importantly, no discount or club card (and accompanying gas stations). Please.

you make some good points about Publix lacking a club/rewards card, gas stations, etc. and having high prices.

However I am a native Floridian and I have certainly shopped at Gelson's, Lazy Acres, Bristol Farms, Wegmans and 99% of the better grocery chains in the US. And NONE of them compare to Europe's!