[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Says the person shopping at Publix in Lakeland, where you can throw a rock and hit Publix HQ.

I lived in Sanford-Lake Mary, an upscale suburb of Orlando within minutes of four Publix stores none of which had any kind of selection of "grown in Florida" despite repeated requests. Green Beans, Citrus and some niche produce items like sprouts were local but beyond consistently all out of state or Mexico/Canada.

I've learned over time that Publix varies quite wildly base on location. The one in Baldwin Park, for instance, did carry quite a bit of Flo grown produce, and even eggs. They also carried a wider variety of "ethnic" foods. I had no issues finding dolmas there, for instance, both the canned and fresh varieties.

The Publix downtown Orlando carries none of the above. Well, they have a small selection of Pero Farms products -- mainly just the small sweet peppers -- but that's pretty much it.
Let's not even get started on the two Publix stores in Mount Dora. Just as bad as the Downtown Orlando one.

The one closest to my last place in East Lake in Pinellas also carried a decent selection of Flo Grown, albeit at outrageous prices. But absolutely nothing that would cater to ethnic tastes... Which I guess makes sense, considering the demographic of the area.

Definitely no citrus though. I think all Florida citrus either gets exported out to other states and Canada, or gets turned into Florida's Natural juice


I always find it funny when I go back to Montreal and I see crates upon crates of Florida citrus. Like, "OH! So THIS is where all of our oranges have been going!"

[TwinbrookNine]

[quote=beach43ofus;66399356]Florida is on a long Penninsula in a corner of the USA.

A large portion of grocery costs are transportation, so our remote locale is what drives up the prices, to some extent.

So, like, why does orange juice (including the carton with the hunky Florida guys picking oranges on it) costs 50 - 95 cents more a bottle or carton in Florida than it does in Michigan? That's one I can't figure out. Are they shipping them to, and juicing those oranges in Omaha?

[Ghaati]

Originally Posted by TwinbrookNine

A large portion of grocery costs are transportation, so our remote locale is what drives up the prices, to some extent.

So, like, why does orange juice (including the carton with the hunky Florida guys picking oranges on it) costs 50 - 95 cents more a bottle or carton in Florida than it does in Michigan? That's one I can't figure out. Are they shipping them to, and juicing those oranges in Omaha?

No idea but - if I want orange juice I go to my next door neighbor's tree, pick a few oranges, and squeeze them in my manual juicer.

[LKJ1988]

Originally Posted by Arcenal813

Because it's nonsense LOL...

I just looked at my most recent Instacart order, from Sprouts. This was last week,







Total, $122.50

Often times, add beer or wine, so throw in another $30 for good measure. That's around $150.

I'm pretty sure that the vast majority of Floridians don't shop like this at all.

I don't buy any crap like that.

[LKJ1988]

Originally Posted by Arcenal813

~$600/month is roughly what I spend for our family of 3 also (me and two boys in their early teens.) But I would think I am on the higher end of the spectrum, considering I highly doubt the average Floridian is buying whole organic chickens and whatnot, and doing most of their shopping at places like Sprouts and Whole Foods.

As a matter-of-fact, if I were to properly plan my grocery shopping (I don't... I kind of just... go) I would end up spending even less than that.

I about spend that on myself a month.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by Arcenal813

Because it's nonsense LOL...

I just looked at my most recent Instacart order, from Sprouts. This was last week,
Total, $122.50

Often times, add beer or wine, so throw in another $30 for good measure. That's around $150.

I'm pretty sure that the vast majority of Floridians don't shop like this at all.

Those are higher than what I pay, but I live in a VERY low cost area and they aren't crazy for that store.

Note post #30 the rankings are a SURVEY, they are not a cost comparison of the same purchased items.

As such, the survey and rankings are BS.

Absolute garbage and statistical abuse to claim any validity.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by LKJ1988

I about spend that on myself a month.

Sure but how much of that is booze? That's not meant to be mean but the idea that 1 person is spending that much a month....it's gotta be booze and high end seafood and steaks assuming the informaiton is accurate.

[gball721]

Originally Posted by sinatras

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/mos...a-atlanta-rank


The Free State of Florida is the 5th most expensive state in the USA to buy groceries. More expensive than NY, IL, TX!

And Miami is the MOST expensive city in America for groceries. That's right! More expensive than NYC, LA, Chicago, SF, etc.

Go Florida!

This and a Florida-based grocer (Publix) brought it's high(er than NC-based grocers) prices to North Carolina in recent years. We have a few Publix stores now in the Triangle region of NC and when a new one opened near us I ran in to check it out. Prices on everyday house-brand stuff were 20% higher in Publix than our Harris Teeter (similarish to Publix, North Carolina-based) grocery just down the road. And higher again than our NC-based Food Lion stores. So Publix is bringing higher prices to other states too, it seems to me. How Publix is going to really compete here, I'm uncertain. It's a new-and-shiny, but I'm not going to over pay to go to a slightly newer store.

[cfbs2691]

Originally Posted by pvande55

What this shows is that you must consider the TOTAL cost of living when you move. Some consider taxes alone, forgetting that, in a low-tax State; housing, insurance, and groceries can be higher. Often enough ro negate the tax advantages.

Excellent point

There’s so much more to consider than taxes.

[cfbs2691]

Originally Posted by Arcenal813

Florida soil is trash. That's the key difference. I remember in Canada, the soil was naturally thick, black and rich.

I hate to admit it, but NJ has some secret soil… produce grown there is phenomenal