Weekend was a learning experieice.

Jan 20, 2025, 10:20 AM

Originally had plans to stock up on TP, eggs, bread, and milk since the impending death blizzard of 2025 was about to descend on us. Instead made regular grocery run. Still needed milk, eggs, and bread, oddly. ANYWAY.....

Went to the Publix in Lexington, as usual. I knew it would probably be crowded as Sunday is the most crowded anyway, plus possible (improbable) weather MAY be coming. I could NOT FIND A PARKING SPOT. Circled for a while, saw a few people cut me off into spaces. Said fuggit. Went to Food Lion.

LET ME TELL YOU, I'm no longer a Publix customer. DONE with them. Went in with a fairly hefty grocery list, a sure $200+ list at Publix. I slowly shopped, not knowing the aisles, etc. Ok, so the produce was on par with Publix. They were missing the vine-ripe tomatoes and the pineapple strawberries, but whatever, not an issue. Coffee, they had everything except my Nespresso pods Ok, I can handle that. What they DID HAVE though was Propel, in stock, and Dr. Pepper Zero, in stock. They had a NICE selection of kids lunch chips, that wife had been getting at Sam's because Publix doesn't have the shelf space I guess. Ribeye steaks were just as nice a cut, and $6/lb cheaper. Filets were $8/lb cheaper. The store was not crowded at all. I never ONCE had to say excuse me. People moved out of my way, just as I move out of their way all the time at Publix. No entitled old ladies or millennial babes in spandex, reading labels, oblivious to your needing the can right by her belly button. Someone was reading a can and saw you, they stepped back so you could get what you needed, JUST LIKE I ALWAYS DO. Was amazing. And they fully had 100% of everything on the list.

Get to checkout. Now I bought sausages, some steaks, and a few other things not on the list. 100% positive this was a $200 grocery run at Publix. Total? $166.

Now, the ONLY thing I can say about the experience that was the ONE thing I missed from Publix, were all the hotties. The shoppers were "different". More polite. They smiled. They were courteous. I didn't have wait on anyone or say excuse me to get a single item. Now these were normal people, normally dressed, and I really have been missing this as Publix shoppers are evidently NOT normal, at our store anyway. I didn't see one hottie in spandex loading groceries into an over-priced SUV, but what I did find was a much better shopping experience, much nicer and more polite people, and a store that has nearly everything we need, and the two things they didn't have that Publix carries, were replaced by the things they do carry that Publix is always out of.

This is about as monumental of an epiphany as when I went from Gillette blades to a straight razor. I've wasted probably $2K+ on over-priced razor blades over the years, and probably more shopping at Publix. And at my age, who cares about the hotties, let them shop away at Publix, I'll shop with the plebes. They're nicer people.

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As I was about to back out of my spot, I heard a loud bang and thud along with a man screaming. Ten yards behind me, an elderly Publix employee lay on the ground in front of a sedan that some idiot woman had whipped into the parking aisle too fast and hit him.

I ran to the man, who was thankfully conscious and alert. He wouldn't start rolling and thrashing around despite me telling him to lie still. Another shopper called 911. He said his back hurt but the rest of his body was fine. He had slightly hit his head but he had no open wounds. Poor guy said, "This has already been a terrible year" and begged us to call his wife, which a manager did shortly after arriving to the scene.

Eventually I realized I couldn't really do anything else and was just taking up space, so I left. Fire trucks pulled in as I bounced over to the liquor store.

Weekend was a learning experieice.

TL:DNR***

Short version.

I have seriously considered making a t-shirt that reads

Oh. One more thing. Guess where I found salt for the driveway pre-snowpocalypse?

For me it's the people/the shoppers, that sold me as much or more

And surprisingly, while there are probably more "poors" at Food Lion,

At Publix, out of sheer necessity, I developed a routine to streamline

We've kinda discovered Food Lion Clemso/Seneca

Re: Weekend was a learning experieice.

I, too, had a Publix parking lot experience this weekend

Edited your last sentence for clarity:

For being a First Responder....

Been trying to tell yall FL is the place to go***

Don't you have a pretty big family?

We do Sam's every other week.

You really didnt know that Publix was more expensive? Sit down amigo.

Re: You really didnt know that Publix was more expensive? Sit down amigo.

Re: Weekend was a learning experieice.

This ALL MAKES SENSE NOW

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