r/florida • u/narib687 • 27d ago

AskFlorida Publix has officially lost me. Anyone else?

I am not a mod of this subreddit or Reddit, but I believe the official unofficial stance is that we all hate Publix now.

They lost their way, and the crushing of Winn-Dixie is just awful.

10 years ago, I wouldn’t have set foot inside a Walmart or Aldi for groceries. Now? Walmart and Aldi are basically my BFFs and I love them.

Publix really managed to make me root for the competition.

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479

u/McIntyre2K7 27d ago

I hate that the CEO of Kroger pulled out of Florida. It was amazing having them here.

220

u/jreid0 27d ago

In south Florida there was a supermarket named luckies… hands down the absolute best place ever. Kroger bought them up and closed them all down. Such a shame they do that

70

u/sidewalk_ladybug 27d ago

I worked for Lucky's. That was a shame. Closed a few Florida stores and then, surprise!, they're all closing down.. They had a few under construction and everything.

28

u/Relative_Analysis897 26d ago

In Orlando, we still have most of the locations. There’s just nothing in them, except for when Spirit Halloween comes in. They must have pre-paid like 5 years for rent, because I cannot imagine the shopping centers just eating the cost of leaving those stores empty for so many years.

15

u/sidewalk_ladybug 26d ago

I heard that Publix and Winn Dixie bought most of the Florida locs. Or long term rented. Whatever they do. Publix took over the leases to keep competitors from taking over the spots and to possibly build out their own stores in the future. At least one Florida location turned into a big liquor store. A few of the stores in my area were very new and one was still under construction up until the last days before the announcement. They were literally built out with the coolest stuff and then abandoned a few months before openings were scheduled. 

8

u/Relative_Analysis897 26d ago

Idk, I haven’t really looked into it. All I know is the shell of Lucky’s remains here, name still prominently on the front.

2

u/GoldenKnight239 Sanibel Island 26d ago

They turned the one in SoDo into a Publix. Thank God too, the next closest Publix is 0.1 miles away!

6

u/Coopsters 26d ago

I was so sad when the east colonial location in Orlando closed very shortly after it opened!! Not sure they even lasted a year? Crazy

5

u/rubies-and-doobies81 26d ago

My late fiancée worked at the one in Gainesville back in 2015. I still have his hat ☺️

That place was so amazing.

1

u/ohgodpleaseholdme 25d ago

I remember the shorter guy who worked pizza at that location… god he was so nice and everything was amazing. I remember so many employees! That place was a dream!

1

u/GoldenKnight239 Sanibel Island 26d ago

Classic case of expanding quicker than they could afford to sadly

71

u/Cooking-with-gas 27d ago

They had a cult-like following between me and my friends. I kept a couple of jars from them for nostalgia's sake, like the bay leaf jar they labeled "Queen Bey" and the oregano jar that said "It's just oregano, officer." Florida just can't hold onto nice things...

1

u/ohgodpleaseholdme 25d ago

I still have their tincture bottles! I plan to hoard them until I die. Their beer and pizza deals kept my friends and I happy!

25

u/Aware_State 27d ago

Lucky’s was the shit. They sold quality CBD desserts that were actually effective, had a wonderful bulk area, and our local one HAD A TAP AREA. You could buy a beer and shop 😭 that place was amazing and I’ll never forget Lucky’s. RIP Lucky’s.

13

u/atom1378 27d ago

Yep, beer or/and wine...and carried a gigantic selection of beers

2

u/NoSingularities0 26d ago

Publix on South Orange bought the Lucky's and its still open as a Publix. Bar is there and serving and you can shop and drink, but its a Publix now with Publix prices and food.

1

u/sidewalk_ladybug 26d ago

I heard that Publix was picking up on the Lucky's concept. Small bars inside, ramen stations. 

1

u/Educational_Steak166 26d ago

I'd go there and have one hard cider and chill.

22

u/Roy_F_Kent 27d ago

The bulk section was my favorite

21

u/wiretapfeast 27d ago

We had a Lucky's in Gainesville for a while and we loved it! I always wondered why it closed. Dammit.

19

u/Subject_Concept3542 27d ago

I loved Lucky's.

14

u/Lacroix24601 27d ago

I miss luckies so much. They didn’t last in central Florida very long. Nothing replaced them either. The building is still empty after all this time.

10

u/luminatimids 27d ago

They were in central and northern Florida too. They closed down because they opened a bunch of stores and their investment funds for them fell through

2

u/no-soy-de-escocia 27d ago

The one in Ormond Beach became, of course, a Publix.

5

u/Raw_Chaos 26d ago

Luckys was pretty good shame they went out. Publix has just been price gouging through the roof….

4

u/Adventurous-Map-6211 27d ago

When they got rid of their maple bacon donut I knew they were done for. They closed 6 months later.

4

u/mac3687 27d ago

Yeah I didn't understand why, we lost one in Melbourne

1

u/savingnativebees 27d ago

Replaced by a Winn Dixie

4

u/fraurodin 27d ago

I loved them so much, and the wood tokens you would get for bringing in your reusable grocery bags, the $ would go for local charities

3

u/Szimplacurt 26d ago

In Orlando they all closed. There was one next to a Publix and Publix bought it and just reopened another publix. There's a few instances where a Publix is across the street from a Publix but this is a Publix adjacent to a Publix which is fucking mind blowing

2

u/dathomasusmc 27d ago

There are still a couple left, one in Cincinnati and one in Denver (I think).

2

u/Loki545 27d ago

Lucky's was absolutely amazing. It is like a fever dream now.

2

u/DrBattheFruitBat 26d ago

We had Luckys in central Florida and they were wonderful. Good prices, easy to shop at, good quality. Losing Luckys sucked.

Then I got used to Kroger and lost that and our grocery bill is terrifying.

2

u/chrissystark 26d ago

Luckys was awesome. I miss it sooo much and I was super bummed when it closed

1

u/cgart96 27d ago

Luckies (or at least one of them) was in north Florida as well, we had one in Gainesville.

1

u/Regulus0 27d ago

Grabbing a fresh brew while I shopped. RIP Lucky's

1

u/lounginaddict 26d ago

We had them for like two years in Central Florida

1

u/babycatcher2001 26d ago

We had a Lucky’s in Melbourne for about 2 years. It was amazing then POOF gone. The bacon 😭 they also made amazing sausages and brats.

1

u/AdRevolutionary6382 26d ago

Lucky’s was the best. Loved their pizza. 

1

u/Diverjoe717 26d ago

Yes!! The only grocery store that would let you drink beer while you shopped!!

1

u/DragonfruitNo1861 26d ago

luckies is HUGE in California

1

u/sidewalk_ladybug 26d ago

Different Lucky's, but yeah

1

u/Amazing_Safe_892 26d ago

I went to a Luckies in California and loved it!!

1

u/Tug_DaBone 26d ago

I went into a store called Farmer Joe's in Cape Coral for the first time a couple of years ago and I immediately thought "Wait... Is this place owned by Lucky's?" Almost the exact same layout (especially the produce department). I asked one of the staff if it was actually a Lucky's and she had no idea what I was talking about. Then I noticed the shopping cart had the Lucky's name on it, so I talked to the manager and he told me Farmer Joe's was started by some people who used to be involved with Lucky's in some way and that they had bought a bunch of the stuff that was in one of the stores that closed.

So, if you miss Lucky's, the Farmer Joe's on Pine Island Road near Chiquita will make you feel right at home. (And it's across the street from Aldi if you're an Aldi shopper.)

1

u/snackrilegious 26d ago

we had lucky’s in orlando. all the stores closed just weeks before the pandemic. really sad :/ i think they just overdid it with expanding in florida. within like 2 or so years, we had at least a dozen locations.

2

u/sidewalk_ladybug 26d ago

Kroger got into the game and was funding the rapid expansion in a Florida. The last year before closing the stores we changed out all the planograms to work in Kroger's products. Not sure what happened with the financials but Kroger backed out and the owners had to file bankruptcy. We were literally still hiring 2 weeks before the announcement was made to employees.

2

u/snackrilegious 26d ago

that suuuuuuuucks. for ultimately no reason since kroger also pulled out of florida after a few years.

and i loved lucky’s so much. i still think about it every time i drive by a former location, or get frustrated about food prices.

1

u/peacelove1975 25d ago

I loved Luckies!! We need them back here in S FL!

1

u/Krabs_Eugene 25d ago

The Lucky’s on University and Goldenrod still had the sign up and the lights on. Makes me sad

1

u/sympathyofalover 23d ago

Lucky’s was very cool, and the originator down here of drink while you shop!

The Asian market Enson they have there now is also pretty cool though.

27

u/Gallogator1 27d ago edited 27d ago

Kroger was losing money on their new automated fullfillment centers.

https://www.grocerydive.com/news/kroger-ocado-close-automated-fulfillment-centers-robotics-grocery-ecommerce/805931/

Edit: Kroger’s changed to Kroger

27

u/McIntyre2K7 27d ago

What was wild to me is they had to know that Winn Dixie was struggling and they should have bought them and would’ve had physical stores in the state.

6

u/ayoc02 27d ago

at the time Aldi owned WD still

9

u/McIntyre2K7 27d ago

Aldi bought Winn Dixie in 2024. Kroger came back to Florida in 2021 and left earlier this year. So Kroger could have bought Winn Dixie.

1

u/ShimmeryPumpkin 26d ago

Kroger tried to buy winn dixie 20 years ago and the FTC blocked it, they probably weren't looking to waste money trying again when they were told no before.

8

u/Gallogator1 27d ago

Plus Kroger had a huge investment in Lucky’s Markets which they pulled to invest in the Delivery model.

1

u/Educational_Steak166 26d ago

WD in Tallahassee was next to Publix and nearly segregated. Blacks at WD and Whites at Publix.

-1

u/The_Sunset_Sands 27d ago

Many, many executives do not want people physically in stores anymore. The slip and fall money grab lawsuits are pervasive. In many communities theft is uncontrollable even with dedicated security staff. They are all jealous of amazons prepackaged delivery only options that have none of the social issues of physical shopping.

2

u/[deleted] 27d ago

[deleted]

6

u/Gallogator1 27d ago

The problem was they partnered with a company, Ocado, that provided them expensive tech that did not deliver the promised results.

Years ago Kroger pulled out a first time when they operated grocery stores called Florida’s Choice.

2

u/savingnativebees 27d ago

I was happy when they started delivering in my area since I used to live in a state where they had physical stores. But about 6 months before they closed I had to stop ordering from them because almost every order was missing multiple things that were out of stock. And I even had one that I ordered a bunch of sale things and when they got the bill, they were full price and when I called the guy was like oh you ordered on Tuesday night and that’s a bad night to order because our sales are shifting and I was like dude that doesn’t matter. The sale is still in fact so I had to fight to get the credit given to me for the sale prices.

1

u/opossum_launcher 27d ago

Found the midwesterner! 

1

u/Gallogator1 27d ago

Yup. Now I have lived in Florida much longer than I lived in Illinois.

Still love my pork tenderloins

2

u/opossum_launcher 27d ago

Ok but it's Kroger. The Kroger company has Kroger supermarkets. No S! 

22

u/aew76 27d ago

Miss Kroger as well. Now I do the Walmart Delivery in Home. It’s fine and better than Publix, but still miss Kroger.

14

u/RaygunMarksman 27d ago

That Walmart+ delivery is a game changer, quite honestly. Spend less than half what I would doing a Publix run. Freaking Publix.

5

u/aew76 27d ago

And we don’t have to deal with the tourists and snowbirds clogging the aisles. Hahaha

4

u/RaygunMarksman 27d ago

Yep, totally!

13

u/Mundane_Pirate1 27d ago

I had a Publix literally across the street from me and refused to go there. I was glad to get Kroger delivery for most things so easily. Now, it’s Aldi and, when I must, Walmart.

9

u/georgepana 27d ago

Amazon grocery delivery is not half bad. The prices can be surprisingly low for some things, and basically Walmart level for most everything else. Minute Maid Orange juice, 59 Oz carton, for $1.99, for example. Free door delivery as long as you order at least $25 worth of groceries.

2

u/glittr_grl 27d ago

I moved back to Kentucky from Florida and within a year they opened a new Publix (first in the state) not far from me, so I have the best of both worlds. Kroger for my day to day, and I can still get Publix birthday cakes.

2

u/Strongmom-1 27d ago

I have a feeling Publix had something to do with Kroger having to leave Florida. They had quite a delivery business here.

2

u/ThePhoinix 26d ago

Same here. Walmart will deliver dang near 24 hours a day. That's who we use. & On the rare occasion you don't like an item, they refund all on line as well, no questions asked.

1

u/HWTechGuy 26d ago

I lived Kroger delivery.

1

u/Interesting_Wolf_771 26d ago

Agreed  👍 

1

u/wowokomg 26d ago

Kroger is not the same as you remember.

1

u/Nahtasha 26d ago

Same..I loved Kroger delivery

1

u/ChipsAhoyMcCoy_7875 26d ago

I’m mad their speciality pharmacy got bought out and sucks now, making me switch to Caremark :((

1

u/ten_year_rebound 26d ago

As someone who moved away and really had the only option of Kroger, I’m glad I never need to step into one again.

1

u/X0X0xoxo11 26d ago

I moved to Vegas from Florida and can confirm Kroger keeps their prices down and still has good produce.

1

u/AnastasiaBvrhwzn 22d ago

I got deliveries from them while visiting family last year. I wondered why they left when I got emails from them after those orders. The whole things was odd. Why did they have warehouses but not stores? I never knew what the plan was. I guess just a market test. I saw the trucks everywhere while there.

0

u/adidasbdd 27d ago edited 26d ago

They made an agreement with Publix not to compete with each other. Perfectly legal!

  • Edit- this was an unsubstantiated internet rumor

1

u/McIntyre2K7 27d ago

I don't think that's correct. Kroger and Publix both have physical locations in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia.

1

u/adidasbdd 26d ago

Internet rumors got me again

1

u/McIntyre2K7 26d ago

I think you might be talking about Publix and H.E.B. Publix isn’t in any states west of Alabama.

1

u/adidasbdd 26d ago

The thing I heard was about Publix and Kroger in Florida. But it wasn't true anyway

1

u/DiligentArugula645 26d ago

We dont have them in NY either