What Has Happened to Publix?

Today I wanted to make a peach pie. When I shopped at my local Publix, there were no peaches so I bought nectarines. I also bought some apples while I was there. Often the produce I buy at this store is not all that great, but I was hopeful.

So I mixed the flour, sugar and cinnamon and then went to cut the nectarines. They were hard and dry. I couldn’t use them. I had 3 apples. I thought maybe I can make a small apple pie instead. One apple was okay. One apple was partially brown inside and the other had only a small spot of brown. They did not look great, but I salvaged around 2 cups of slices. This was not enough for a decent pie so I wrapped the filling with one piece of dough and baked it that way.

Sometimes we must improvise. Since this was a total change in plans to begin with I used coconut flour, brown sugar (only a little), and some real maple syrup for the filling. I dotted it with butter and wrapped the filling with the bottom crust. I’ll freeze the other crust for a later time when maybe I can find some decent fruit.

Back to my title question. When I moved from Florida to New Hampshire one of the things I missed most was shopping at Publix. Since my return to the South, I have been quite disappointed in the stores. Things are different these days.

First of all, Publix stores are all different. Some are large, and some are set up similarly and some are confusing to me when I enter. But the most disappointing thing is the produce area. Only the New Smyrna store, on state road 44, had good produce. It has been under construction for many months now and I can only hope the produce there will remain good once it re-opens. My fingers are crossed.

Publix is still pretty good at getting you out the door fast. Usually every store I’ve shopped in opens registers when lines form. They were great when we were all shopping for the hurricanes (photo above)! The lines were long but every register was open.

When my kids were little that is what drew me in. I was willing to pay more for food (compared to Winn Dixie) to have a quick check out.

But my local store in Edgewater is disappointing. I’ve found food which is out of date. Right now I have a jar of fresh oysters in the fridge which is bulging at the top and bottom. The expiration date is 5 days away, but that container doesn’t look good. It looked fine when I bought it, but what’s up with it now? I don’t take risks with food so I won’t be eating oysters.

My son often orders sliced meats and cheeses for pick up and has gotten the wrong cheese twice! It’s pre-sliced and wrapped, which is fast and easy, but when you get home you want to see that you have the correct item!

I do like the cashiers and baggers in Edgewater. They are friendly, talkative and mostly bag my groceries with care. I usually leave the store in a good mood even when shopping is not exactly a pleasure. The bakery is a nice area as well, although I try to avoid eating that type of food. Their Brioche loaf is amazing and I can’t pass it up.

For now I will stick to buying frozen fruit and vegetables whenever possible and continue to check expiration dates carefully. Hoping for happy shopping days ahead when the New Smyrna store opens this summer. Until then, I can’t help but wonder what has happened to Publix?