Is Publix better than Walmart?/20OFF LLC
When it comes to groceries, I have always been Publix kind of gal. I live in Georgia and have been going to Publix for years. This grocery chain is headquartered in Florida and currently has locations in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.
Publix features weekly sales flyer
As I said, my love for this store started years ago, first of all due to convenience – I had one right by my house. It was always clean, well-stocked, and had the friendliest employees working there who became my friends. I was going through two pregnancies one after another at that time and I had people measuring my stomach every time I came in and looking forward to seeing my babies. That kind of attention I cannot imagine experiencing in any other grocery store!
Publix is always clean and well-organized
As much as I like Publix, I used to dislike Walmart with the same passion, until very recently, when I had to visit Walmart a couple of times simply because I needed something and it was on the way. Those visits made me realize that Walmart is changing for the better and is becoming a decent grocery store. I still don’t like its size and the amount of walking it takes just to get a few items, but grocery section is OK.
Walmart advertises daily low prices
Let me tell you about both grocery stores from my point of view and share my experience. You might agree or disagree, but here is my honest review:
Walmart
The closest Walmart to my house is about 15 min away, in a nice area, close to Costco and Home Depot. I was surprised how clean it was and how to empty on a Friday morning. There were virtually no shoppers, just employees stocking vegetables and fruit for a busy shopping day ahead. It was probably because I stopped there after my gym class, at 8:30 am. I imagine this store is crowded on the weekends and afternoons.
Walmart stores are huge and busy
I grabbed a weekly flyer by the door and proceeded with my shopping. The store was very clean, nothing was out of place. I loved the abundance of signs pointing to different departments as Walmart can be a bit daunting to navigate if you are not familiar with it.
I was only interested in grocery part and paid no attention to the rest of the store. Walmart is known for low prices and it was evident in every grocery section. Cherries, strawberries, peaches, pears and bananas were nicely displayed and very affordable, or at least as affordable as anywhere else.
Walmart brings local and organic produce
Walmart also has a bakery with fresh baked goods every morning, deli with great cold meat selection, and pharmacy, which was closed at the time.
Fresh bakery goods from Walmart
All of those departments were close to produce. Everywhere I went I saw low prices, roll back prices, deals, sales, and no people. Needless to say, I loved it.
Walmart is definitely one of low price leader’s
Walmart also has organic produce section, but the selection is smaller than Publix’s. I didn’t need many things, so grabbed some bananas, strawberries, yoghurt for kids, cherries and fresh greens mainly for comparison reasons before heading out.
Organic department at Walmart is fully stocked
- $10 OFF First Grocery Order
- Free Two-Day Shipping on $35+
- $10 OFF 1st Grocery Pickup of $50+
The checkout had no lines and there were plenty of self check-out machines with one attendant there. I had no problems checking out my 4 items and didn’t even have any reason to talk to anybody, but I’m sure they would’ve been polite and helpful if I needed them. It was the beginning of work day after all, so nobody was tired or cranky.
Publix
Next was my trip to Publix. The closest store is about 9 minutes from me, close to Target and Home Depot, so yes, I visit it often.
I feel like home there. The store is always very clean, well-stocked, and I have never seen anything misplaced or hard to reach. It was also morning when I came, so not many customers, but the store was full of employees stacking, cleaning, and busy saying hello and offering help.
Publix – where shopping is a pleasure
My shopping usually starts at Deli, where everybody is extremely helpful and never makes you wait for more than just a minute. I pass Dining hall on the way to Deli, and let me tell you – that dining hall gets very busy during lunch.
Publix deli and dining are popular lunch stops
Our family loves fresh bakery, so I have to get it pretty much every day. Next goes meat section, which is not huge, but always has all the essentials I need. The staff will gladly cut any steak you want or ground any meat you need.
Publix bakery is deluxe
We also love fish section and sushi station, which is again not huge, but versatile enough to feed our family of four with different preferences. We have fish night about once a week and always buy salmon from here.
Seafood section always features fresh fish
The rest of the store is standard with well-organized isles and plenty of discounts everywhere, such as buy one, get one free or 6 for $10 (yoghurt).
We eat lots of fruit and vegetables, so this section is very important to me. Publix has many organic options in every department, but especially in produce. There is organic and non-organic option for pretty much everything.
Seasonal Fruit at Publix taste best
I love the quality of produce here and have never bought something not ripe or spoiled there. I couldn’t say the same about Walmart, where produce is cheap, but fruits are hard and not ripe.
At the end of my shopping trip there I pass pharmacy, flower department with balloon service, and customer service.
Flowers for every occasion from Publix
And let me tell you about Publix customer service – once I bought a box of Perrier canned water and somehow forgot it at the bottom of my cart. I came back two days later, without a receipt, and they just took my word for it and gave me a box of water without questions. Now try that at Walmart!
Publix has plastic bags or paper bags at no cost and also sell reusable bags. They pack your products for you and insist on helping to your car. Most of the time I do the loading myself, but used to accept the help when kids were babies.
Organic goodies and free paper bags from Publix
Both stores have grocery order online option with delivery, pick-up, or curb side pick-up, but I have never used those services.
Publix offers online shopping and store pickup
All in all, Publix is my store and I will stick with it, especially when they ask you about your kids and give you water that you forgot without questions.
Let’s take a look at price comparison for those four products:
- Bananas were $0.59 per pound at both, Publix and Walmart
- Cherries were $99 at Publix and $2.49 at Walmart, so price points go to Walmart
- Strawberries were on sale at Publix for $5 for 2, similar strawberries were $2.99 each at Walmart
- Organic Gogurt for kids was $95 per pack at Publix and $4.55 for a different brand at Walmart.
As you can see, the price difference at both stores is minimal, but I’ll go with Publix for its atmosphere and customer service, always.