Publix vs. Kroger vs. Walmart vs. Winn-Dixie: Full Comparison & Verdict 2024

• Publix

History

George W. Jenkins, the late founder of Publix Super Markets Inc., was born Sept. 29, 1907. Growing up in Harris, GA, he worked in his father's general store. In 1925, he headed to Tampa, FL at the age of 17 with hopes of making his fortune in the Florida real estate boom. Instead, he took a job as a stock clerk in a Piggly Wiggly grocery store. After only a couple of months, he was promoted to manager and was later transferred to manage the chain's largest store in Winter Haven, a position he held from 1926 to 1930. It was that year that he resigned from Piggly Wiggly to start his own grocery store.On Sept. 6, 1930, George Jenkins opened his first store, called Publix Food Store, in Winter Haven.

Now, Publix became one of the largest U.S. grocery store chains with over 1,200 stores. Each store provides products and services in its grocery, deli, bakery, produce, floral, meat, and seafood departments. Some stores have valet parking, cafés, sushi bars, pharmacy departments, and/or a liquor store. But it operates only in the southern states. These stores are condensed into just seven states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia (via Publix). Publix was also rated the best grocery store in the country for customer service in 2021 (via Supermarket News). It is also  the largest employee-owned company in the US. Employee-owned company means the workers gain an ownership interest in the company. This creates a great incentive for Publix workers since the supermarket chain is known to have superior customer service with super-friendly staff.

Product Selection and Quality

Publix and their suppliers work hard to provide their customers safe, high-quality products each and every day. The food safety training programs implemented at Publix have been recognized as industry-leading platforms that help them maintain food safety throughout the company. Tens of thousands of Publix managers have achieved Food Protection Manager Certification. This certification standard established by the Conference for Food Protection has been endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2013, Publix was recognized by the International Association for Food Protection with its Black Pearl Award for Corporate Excellence in Food Safety and Quality. In 2017, the Food Marketing Institute, in conjunction with the International Food Protection Training Institute, honored Publix with its inaugural Food Safety Innovation Award.

Aside from grocery staples, Publix has its own popular private brand and in-store bakery. Plus, the deli counter also churns out classic and custom sandwiches(including the Havana Bolds and the Chicken Cordon Bleus), which have a cult following(They’re lovingly dubbed “Pub subs.”). Fresh cuts of ham and turkey make any sandwich delicious enough to compete with sandwich chains. All in all, their in-house bakery and delis are top-notch — their fried chicken is also somewhat famous. The displays are arranged quite nicely, and they handle perishables with extra care. If the product isn’t sellable, it’s donated or tossed instead of ending up in a sad discount section so that whatever you get is always top quality.

Price

Consumer Reports notes  Publix is one of the most expensive supermarkets you can shop in the Southern US. The store’s prices weren’t quite competitive enough to beat out some other grocery stores such as Walmart, Winn-Dixie.Grocery shoppers have long complained that the prices at Publix Super Markets are much higher than groceries at other stores in Florida, including Target. Lately, there have even been complaints that eggs are more than double at Publix locations in Florida and that milk is 50 percent more.

However, if you spend a little time strategizing, you can score some good deals that make Publix affordable. “Buy One, Get One Free” is the most-used sale tactic at Publix, and it most often applies to pantry staples. This allows you to stock up on favorites while they are on sale and save on your grocery bill.  They also frequently have 10 for $10 sales on seasonal produce. Their Publix Brand, Publix Premium, and GreenWise products are comparable to their national brand equivalents, but typically priced lower. Whether it's spaghetti sauce or paper towels, when you see their Publix brand items on the shelf, you'll know you're getting true quality at a great price.

Membership

Unlike other grocers, Publix does not offer a loyalty card that triggers extra savings at checkout on select items. Club Publix is a free loyalty program that offers savings, convenience, and personalization to their customers. Members receive:

• Personalized communications and relevant savings;

• Digital tools to make shopping easier;

• Special perks for membership anniversaries, birthdays, and even half-birthdays.

Customer Service

Cheap isn't their specialty, but having a giant, clean, friendly store is.  Publix is known to have superior customer service with super-friendly staff.They will even take your groceries to the car, unload them into your trunk, and they are not allowed to accept tips. Shopping at Publix  is a pleasure.

Delivery Service

Publix has partnered with Instacart for delivery and curbside pickup service in select areas across the Southeast! Instacart delivery starts at $3.99 for same-day orders over $35. Fees vary for one-hour deliveries, club store deliveries, and deliveries under $35. There will be a clear indication of the delivery fee when you choose your delivery window at checkout.

As always, Instacart+ members get free delivery on orders over $35 or more per retailer. All orders must be at least $10 to be eligible for delivery.

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• Kroger

History
Kroger 's story began in 1883 when Barney Kroger invested his life savings of $372 to open a single grocery store at 66 Pearl Street in downtown Cincinnati. He had a simple motto: “Be particular. Never sell anything you would not want yourself.” In the 1980s, their supermarkets evolved into combination stores, adding pharmacy, beauty and health care to a growing store selection. Their stores today offer everything from basic grocery staples to organic vegetables, natural foods, and hot meals ready to eat. They operate more than 2,255 in-store pharmacies that fill 238 million prescriptions a year. Floral shops boom with enough blooms to make them the world’s largest florist. And fuel centers in more than 1,545 locations let their customers gas up and save where they shop.

Now, Kroger have become the second biggest retail company in the United States next to Walmart. They’re also the fifth largest in the world and, with nearly 2,800 stores across the US, they operate the highest number of locations of any supermarket chain in the country with store formats that include 134 multi-department stores, 2,277 combo stores, 188 marketplace stores, and 121 price-impact warehouse stores.  With annual sales of more than $132.5 billion, Kroger today ranks as one of the world’s largest retailers.

Product Selection and Quality

Kroger is home to many store brands products and it brings in a lot of business for the retailer. Store brand products include everything from home goods to groceries and even clothing. Its most popular brand is the Simple Truth line of organic and natural selections and has attracted many buyers.It also produces private-brand products that are unique, as opposed to copycats of existing national brands. Take, for example, Kroger Deluxe Unicorn Swirl ice cream, which has inspired a social media frenzy (and spawned a Walmart knockoff of its own) or the store’s Private Selection General Tso’s Chicken potato chips.

Kroger is also one of the largest organic-food sellers in the country. They sell more seasonal products and work with startups to make their produce last longer. Throughout their history, Kroger have been both innovator and pioneer in the food retail industry. During the 1930s, they were the first grocery chain to routinely monitor product quality and scientifically test foods.In 2012, the company’s long-standing commitment to food safety and quality earned it the highly prestigious Black Pearl Award, awarded to only one company each year by the International Association for Food Protection. So the products quality of Kroger is trustable.

Price

Kroger houses more popular name-brand products, so the groceries price is not cheap. However, they offers steep discounts on a few of the most purchased items, like apples, green grapes, baby carrots, and bell peppers. However, most of the remaining produce, like bananas, spinach, pre-cut produce, and organic produce are more expensive at Kroger. Savvy shoppers can save more by using digital coupons at the store or online.

Kroger's loyalty card program offers rewards in the form of lower prices on groceries and on fuel when filling up at a Kroger pump or select gas stations. Customers can earn as much as $1 off each gallon of gasoline on one purchase up to 35 gallons.

Membership

In November 2021, Kroger launched its Kroger Boost program.  Join Boost and you can SAVE up to a $1,000/ year on gas, groceries, and delivery fees, any way you shop. Here's how the program works:

• Members who pay $59 a year can get free next-day delivery on grocery orders of at least $35;

• Members who pay $99 a year can get free delivery in under two hours on grocery orders of at least $35;

• All Kroger Boost members can earn two fuel points per $1 spent on groceries and general merchandise;

• For every 100 fuel points earned, shoppers can get a discount of $0.10 per gallon of fuel and up to $1 off per gallon.

Pay attention: you can try Kroger Boost FREE for 30 Days.

Customer Service

Although the Kroger is massive, on my shopping trips, employees were still relatively easy to find for assistance. Although checkout was not as speedy as Publix’s, it rarely took long, with plenty of open lanes as well as express checkout and self-checkout for smaller orders. Kroger continues to innovate ways to get customers out the door faster, introducing a “Scan, Bag, Go” program that allows shoppers to scan items as they shop and pay with a smartphone. Kroger offered more conveniences for customers.

Delivery Service

You can shop for over 70,000 items online!  Krogers offer both grocery curbside pickup and delivery service. Kroger curbside pickup allows you to order items from your local store and then pick them up without leaving your car. It is free for orders over $35. For orders that don't reach the said amount, a $4.95 fee will be charged.

Kroger charges a fee of $9.95 to $11.95 per delivery for both same-day and next-day deliveries.Depending on your area and program availability, your groceries may be delivered by Kroger, Instacart, Shipt, or another third-party delivery service. If you are a Kroger Boost member, there are no fees charged for delivery as long as you meet the order minimum of $35.

• Walmart

History

On July 2, 1962, Sam Walton opens the first Walmart store in Rogers, Arkansas. In the 1970's, a decade of incredible growth, "Mr. Sam" begins to take Walmart national, providing his vision's widespread appeal. In the 1980s, the first Sam's Club opens, serving small businesses and individuals, and the first Walmart Supercenter opens, combining a supermarket with general merchandise. By 1990, Walmart is the nation's No. 1 retailer. As the Walmart Supercenter redefines convenience and one-stop shopping, Everyday Low Prices goes international.Walmart enters the new millennium dedicated to offering customers a seamless shopping experience, whether they are online, in a store or on a mobile device.

Now Walmart has stores in 50 states and Puerto Rico offering low prices on the broadest assortment of products through a variety of formats including the Supercenter, Discount Store and Neighborhood Market. Walmart’s goal is to help consumers save money so they can live better. By its “Daily Low Price” strategy, which aims to provide clients with products at the lowest rates while maintaining quality, the company fulfils this purpose. Groceries, apparel, electronics, home goods, and personal care items are just a few of the many products Walmart’s retail division sells. In order to give customers quick access to healthcare goods and services, the business also runs its own pharmacies and optical clinics.

Product Selection and Quality

Walmart Supercenters offer a one-stop shopping experience by combining a grocery store with fresh produce, bakery, deli and dairy products with electronics, apparel, toys and home furnishings. Most Supercenters are open 24 hours, and may also include specialty shops such as banks, hair and nail salons, restaurants, or vision centers. Walmart Discount Store is smaller than Walmart Supercenter. They offer electronics, apparel, toys, home furnishings, health and beauty aids, hardware and more in about 106,000 square feet of open, brightly lit space.Walmart Neighborhood Markets as a smaller-footprint option for communities in need of a pharmacy, affordable groceries and merchandise. Walmart Neighborhood Markets offer fresh produce, meat and dairy products, bakery and deli items, household supplies, health and beauty aids and a pharmacy.

Walmart aims to improve the lives of millions of people around the world by providing access to safer, healthier, more affordable food and products; educating and engaging people on food safety, nutrition and product safety; and facilitating industry innovation to promote access to safer, healthier options for food and other products (for example, sustainable chemistry). But in the 2021 American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) study, Walmart finished last in retail, drugstores, supermarkets and online retailers, according to TheStreet. It had the lowest score of any retailer in the supermarkets category and finished well below average in every category.

Price

Walmart stores are known for their massive size and their vast selection, but if there is one thing that defines the company, it is low prices. Walmart is unabashedly proud of its low-cost merchandise, stating on its website that "Every Day Low Price (EDLP) is the cornerstone of their strategy, and their price focus has never been stronger."  What's more, it has codified in its Every Day Low Price guarantee.

The brand's Great Value line offers shoppers the opportunity to get everything from frozen meat and veggies to cookies and chips at a fraction of the cost of the national brands.

Membership

Walmart+ is a new kind of Walmart membership that can help you save over $1,300 each year. You can enjoy free 30-day trial, thenafter it cost $12.95/month or $98/year. As a Walmart+ member, you’ll enjoy benefits including:

• Enjoy over 40,000 episodes, hit movies, live sports & more with a Paramount+ subscription included with your W+ membership!

• Get fresh groceries & more with $0 delivery fees, all at the same low in-store prices (that means no item markups!). $35 order minimum. 

• Even small orders ship for free! Choose from a huge assortment of eligible items and never pay shipping fees.

•  Save up to 10¢ per gallon at 14,000+ locations nationwide including Exxon, Mobil, Walmart & Murphy stations.

•  Earn rewards on eligible items online & in-store to use on future Walmart purchases.

• Use your phone to scan items as you shop in-store & check out contact-free. Fast. Easy. Done!

• Members enjoy special prices, product releases, online Black Friday deals & more.

Customer Service

Walmart isn't exactly known for its friendly and helpful employees — and that may be one of the reasons it scores low on the customer satisfaction index. While the local store seemed clean enough, it was definitely packed, and workers were hard to track down when I needed assistance. Checkout lines were also long because too few registers were open.

Delivery Service

You Save time by shopping online by using Walmart’s pickup and delivery service. Walmart has over 4,700 stores in the US and offers curbside pickup at more than 3,700 of them. There’s no charge for the pickup of items you buy. They cabn also delivery your order right to your door.

• If you aren't a Walmart Plus member, you pay delivery fees between $7.95-$9.95.
  

• If you are a member, you don’t pay for delivery if you spend over $35. If you spend less than $35, you pay the below order minimum fee of $5.99.

• Additional fees may apply for Express delivery if you want Walmart same-day delivery. Express delivery costs $10 on top of any existing delivery charge, and Walmart Plus members simply pay the $10 Express fee.

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• Winn-Dixie

History

 Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. is a subsidiary of Southeastern Grocers, which is one of the largest supermarket chains based in the Southeast.The Winn-Dixie name began taking form in 1939 when the Davis family, which owned the Table Supply stores in Miami, bought 51% of a chain called Winn and Lovett and adopted that name. It moved the headquarters to Jacksonville in 1944. In 1955, it acquired Dixie Home Stores and renamed the company Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. The company continued to grow and added several stores in Florida. Eventually, the Davis family would buy several grocery store chains throughout the southeastern United States and even in the Bahamas.

Now Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc.  operates more than 1,070 stores in 12 southeastern states and the Bahamas in two general formats: more than 1,000 combination food and drugstores under the Winn-Dixie, Marketplace, Thriftway, and City Markets banners and about 60 grocery warehouse stores under the Save Rite and Sack & Save brands. About three dozen of the supermarkets also feature gas stations, while 44 contain separate liquor stores. The company maintains 16 facilities to produce or process such products as soft drinks, frozen pizza, sausage, eggs, milk, ice cream, crackers, and cookies.

Product Selection and Quality

The southern grocer, Winn-Dixie is known for its line called SE Grocers. It is an exclusive line of store brands with a great selection of products. You can enjoy the same (or better) quality as beloved national brands, and it's typically 20% cheaper!  Everything from fresh items, to grocery staples, to household must-haves. The best values are typically found with everyday items like white sandwich bread and raw chicken. Their Deli, Bakery, Meat and Seafood Departments also have all your freshest faves.

Winn-Dixie also offers more than 8,000 products through its Prestige, Essentials, and Naturally Better product lines and encourages customers to try it, love it, or get their money back – guaranteed.Plus, Winn-Dixie is known for its private label Chek brand soft drinks too, which are produced in over 20 different flavors plus diet and caffeine-free varieties—one of the widest assortments. In fact, every Winn-Dixie department is filled with premium products, not premium price tags. Save money on every purchase without sacrificing quality or freshness.

Price

In terms of pricing, Winn Dixie offers cheaper pricing than Publix across multiple categories. Winn-Dixie customers can also save an average of 20% when they shop the grocer's store brand products instead of name brand.Winn Dixie also offers digital coupons and occasionally runs deals for free delivery on pick-up orders. You can also check out their rewards program that offers cashback at the register for collecting points.

 In addition, Winn-Dixie is helping customers save on groceries by offering deeper discounts on more than 150 most-shopped products each season. As part of the grocer's “Down Down” program, Winn-Dixie shoppers will save more than 15% on average when shopping items marked by the red hand on signs and tags throughout the store; these items are also marked as "Down Down" on the Winn-Dixie app.

Membership

It is worthing being a member of Winn-Dixie Rewards, where you'll be rewarded for your patronage with extra perks and savings that are just for members.  There is no cost to join Winn-Dixie rewards. The following are the Winn-Dixie Rewards benefits:

• 0.5% back in rewards;

• Earn 1 point per $2 spent and redeem 100 points for $1 off;

• Sale prices and discounts across the store;

• Purchasing select gift cards will earn you at least 3x points;

• Get bonus points on products and points coupons on your receipt;

• Load digital coupons to your card and get last minute deal alerts;

• Personalized deals sent to your inbox each week.

Customer Service

Winn-Dixie is well-known and well-respected regional brands with deep heritages, strong neighborhood ties, proud histories of giving back, talented and caring associates and strong commitments to providing the best possible quality and value to customers. Their staff are friendly and knowledgeable, and they go above and beyond to provide excellent customer service.

Delivery Service

You can order your groceries online directly with Winn-Dixie through  their Curbside Pickup or Delivery services on shop.winndixie.com.  Delivery service lets you shop from your local Winn-Dixie store online and get your groceries delivered right to your doorstep. Delivery hours are from 10am-10pm local time, the beginning of the last time slot will be 9pm. Winn-Dixie delivery are available in as little as two hours. There is a $9 service fee for delivery orders.

Curbside Pickup lets you shop from your local Winn-Dixie store online and pick up your order, all without leaving your car. When your order is ready, just head to your location and notify them that you are here using the link in your email or text notification on your phone. Park in a designated Curbside Pickup spot, and Winn-Dixie workers will come to you! Curbside pickup hours are from 10am-8pm local time, the beginning of the last time slot will be 7:30pm. There is a $1.99 service fee for Curbside Pickup.

Bottom Line

Walmart wins and in the lead with reduced prices. If you like to buy the cheapest items possible and are not so picky about product quality, my recommendation is to shop at Walmart.

Publix is recognized for being more expensive than other supermarkets on average. This is due to the retail store’s higher-quality merchandise. So, if you are a shopper that prioritizes quality, then Publix is a better place for you to shop.

Kroger was never the cheapest choice, but it houses more popular name-brand products. For shoppers who want lots of variety when shopping,  Kroger may be a better choice.

Winn-Dixie's private labels offer good products at a discounted price. If you want higher quality items for competitive prices and lower prices on brand-name medications, Winn-Dixie is your way to go.

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