Pub n' Karry - Fresh, Fast, n' Pleasurable

Kash n' Karry #733 (changed to #1754 Post-Delhaize buyout) / Publix #1103

606 Havendale Boulevard, Auburndale, FL

     Coming off the heels of the Pub Lion's recent closure on February 9, 2019, I might as well introduce everyone to another Publix that is housed in a former Kash n' Karry building. However, unlike the Pub Lion, which obviously started off its life as a Food Lion store, this store is a true Pub n' Karry through and through. This building is a classic Kash n' Karry building, dating back to the early 1990's as Kash n' Karry was trying to revolutionize their stores and modernize their image. This building also makes for a very cool looking Publix too. This former Kash n' Karry building was a much better match for Publix than that tiny old Food Lion store was, with this store being much larger, modern, and more in line with Publix's standards! So let's jump into this post and see what a real Pub n' Karry is all about...

     Kash n' Karry originally opened this store in 1994, during the brief period in the early 90's when the company was independent once again. Until 1988, Kash n' Karry was owned by Lucky California. A leveraged buyout took Kash n' Karry private again that year, with this building design introduced as a way to guide Kash n' Karry's stores into the future. Until 1988, most of Kash n' Karry's stores were quite small and old, so these newly designed stores were a huge change for the company. This new design hoped to take Kash n' Karry in a new direction, especially after the company constantly struggled to keep pace with Publix, Winn-Dixie, and Albertsons for much of the 1980's. The building design seen here was used until 1996, when Delhaize purchased the company as Kash n' Karry continued to struggle to keep pace. However, you can read much more detail about Kash n' Karry's history at this post. When this store first opened, it would have looked a lot like this. In the early 90's, Kash n' Karry used a yellow and orange theme for their stores, with a matching interior. You can actually catch a glimpse of the yellow and orange Kash n' Karry interior in this commercial from 1994, filmed in a store identical to this one based off the background. (If that link doesn't work right, the Kash n' Karry commercial begins at the 24:13 mark in that video, which is a compilation of commercials broadcast on Tampa's WTVT Channel 13 on May 27, 1994. There are some other interesting retail commercials in that compilation as well, including ones from Circuit City, Builder's Square, Burdines, J. Byron, and Kash n' Karry's sister store Food Lion, in addition to others. It's a fun watch).

     This particular Kash n' Karry store lasted until 2004, when Delhaize decided to dump a bunch of underperforming Kash n' Karry stores located mostly in Eastern and Central Florida. With that closure wave Kash n' Karry closed all but one of their Polk County locations, leaving only the North Lakeland store to last into the Sweetbay era. When Kash n' Karry announced they would shutter those 34 stores throughout Florida in 2004, Publix jumped in and made an offer for three of the closing stores. Publix's offer included the Kash n' Karry stores in Auburndale (which we'll be seeing today), Fort Pierce (the now-closed Pub Lion), and South Orlando (which I have photographed, and will cover either here or on My Florida Retail at some point in the future). Of those three stores Publix purchased, the Auburndale location would be the only one acting as a replacement for an older Publix store nearby, but I'll discuss that more later. On March 25, 2004, only a little over a month after the Kash n' Karry had closed for good, Publix held the grand opening for their new Auburndale store. 15 years later, we still have ourselves a Publix in an extremely well preserved early 90's Kash n' Karry. So without any more hesitation, let's start heading inside for our look at yet another Publix conversion...

     This building has two entryways, one on each end of the row of windows. The photo above was taken in the right side entryway, while the next image was taken from the left side entryway.

     Want to see what a Pub n' Karry is like? Here we go...

     Starting in the front right corner of the building, here's a look back toward the right side entryway. Produce is the first department we enter at this store, which is located to my left in the above image.

     However, before we enter the produce department, here's a quick look across the store's front end. The bank of windows that runs high above the front of the building lets in a lot of natural light, making for a very bright front end. Due to the large amount of natural lighting that flows into this building, you'll notice the interior lighting above the checkstands is a bit sparse. I'm not sure how that looks at night, but during the day there is certainly no shortage of light up here. Overall, I have to say this is my favorite of Kash n' Karry's building designs. While the exterior is nice, we'll see some more interesting design as we continue our tour of this store's interior.

      Moving our attention back to the produce department, here's a look at that department, as seen tucked into its little alcove in the front right corner of the store. While putting produce front and center when first entering a store is quite common in some grocery chains (due to the visual appeal of that department), Publix has never been a fan of that. To this day, Publix still favors putting produce in the back corner or center right part of the store depending on the store model. Regardless of the store model used in the last two decades, at a ground-up built Publix, you have to pass through the deli and bakery in some way to find the produce section! So yes, seeing the produce department front and center when first entering a Publix is a bit strange.

     While not truly an alcove, I still can't help but to say the produce department is located in one. The way the ceiling drops lower in this part of the store gives it a distinctive feel unlike the rest of the store.

     Here we're peeking out from the produce alcove, looking back toward the front end.

     Rounding the corner out of the produce alcove, the next department we find is floral. Floral was placed in a little alcove of its own, located between produce and health and beauty, where we're headed next...

     Between the store's right side wall and aisle 1 are a few rows of aisles that run parallel to the building's front wall. In these small aisles are greeting cards, followed by health and beauty products. In this photo we can also see how the ceiling transitions from warehouse-style to a drop ceiling over the center grocery aisles. The warehouse ceiling only runs the perimeter of the building, with the drop ceiling in the middle. The way the ceiling transitions from the warehouse one to the drop ceiling one gets more interesting when we get to some other parts of the store a bit later in this tour. This transitional ceiling style was used by Kash n' Karry from the debut of this store design in 1989 all the way through 2004, when Sweetbay was introduced. When Delhaize bought Kash n' Karry in 1996, the stores built under their ownership didn't change much from what we see here. While some department were rearranged, the feel of the store didn't (well, not counting those prototype circular layout stores Delhaize built around 1999/2000-ish, but that's a tale for another day).

     A bit of the pharmacy counter pokes out in the background of this photo I took of a soda display. While not as extensive as some stores, Publix carries a nice little selection of hard to find glass bottle sodas at their larger stores. I actually took this photo for my own personal reference, but I decided to include it in this post in the end.

     Located in the back right corner of the building is the pharmacy counter. While it may be weird seeing produce front and center when first walking into a Publix, seeing the pharmacy counter in the very back of the store is even weirder! Publix has always put their pharmacy counters somewhere in the front of the building at the stores they've built on their own.

     Here's a look from one of the health and beauty aisles toward the pharmacy counter itself. I took this photo of the pharmacy right after it opened for the day. In the previous photo, the pharmacy had yet to open (with a small line of people building up as they waited for the pharmacy to open).

     Here's a look at aisle 1 again, this time looking from the back of the store toward the front.

     Coming out of aisle 1, we find the seafood counter along the store's back wall.

     Just to the left of the seafood counter, we find the signage for the meat department.

     And for completeness, here we see the meat and seafood departments together.

     Looking across the back wall of the store, here we see some of the more interesting ceiling transitions I mentioned before. Along the front and back parts of the drop ceiling transition, it uses a zig-zag pattern to mark the dividing line. It certainly breaks up the monotony of the usual plain transitions used! The placement of the meat and seafood departments in the back right corner, as well as dairy in the back left corner, are exactly like that of a modern Publix store coincidentally enough. If it weren't for the funky ceiling and lack of terrazzo giving it away, this would feel very much like a scene from an average modern Publix store!

     Stepping under the drop ceiling, here's a look at a few of the grocery aisles.

     From this vantage point up front, the funky ceiling transition becomes much clearer. It's not often you see a ceiling transition like this, with those little points sticking out from it!

     Returning to the rear of the store, here's a look back toward meat and seafood as well as the pharmacy counter.

     Turning around 180 degrees from the previous photo, here's another back wall photo. This photo also does a good job at clearly depicting the funky ceiling transitions.

     Continuing on, here's some more action from the grocery aisles...

     Here's a close-up of the aisle 8 sign, as well as the ceiling transition.

     The dairy department is getting nearer and nearer...

     The first portion of frozen foods can be found here in aisle 10, as well as this store's selection of wines. Frozen foods also continue into the next two aisles.

     The front left corner of the store is home to the bakery and the deli department. The bakery department bumps up to the store's left side entrance, with the deli located just beyond it.

     Here's a closeup of the bakery department itself, which wraps around toward the left side entrance visible in the background. However, if we turn the clock back to this building's early days...

     ...this screengrab from the 1994 Kash n' Karry commercial I linked to earlier was positioned from a similar perspective to my photo you just saw above. (So if you decided to not go to that link, here's what you missed - I told you it was good stuff!) Interior photos from Kash n' Karry stores are extremely rare, so the glimpse at Kash n' Karry's early 90's interior above is a real treat! Like I said earlier, to match the yellow theme of the store's exterior, the interior decor followed a similar color scheme. The results were...interesting. I personally can't say I've ever seen a supermarket interior look so orange before, but it really didn't look too bad the more I look at the picture above. Where the word 'DELI' is in the above image is where Publix's bakery logo is now. The "DELI" sign appears to be mounted on some decorative metal that Publix would have removed prior to moving in, but other than that you can see just how little Publix did to this place when they took it over. Granted, the commercial I took this screengrab from was more than likely not filmed at the Auburndale Kash n' Karry, but it still does a good job demonstrating what this place would have looked like way back when. 

     However, back to the present we go, where the funky orange Kash n' Karry interior of the early 90's makes way for the earth tones of the late 2010's Classy Market 3.0 from Publix. The deli department can be seen here, occupying the majority of this store's front left corner. And as always, there's quite the crowd to be found at the Publix deli!

     Moving into frozen foods, we see the ceiling transition back to a warehouse style over the left side of the building.

      This store's last aisle is aisle 12, home to ice cream as well as the dairy products.

     Stepping just a bit further up aisle 12, the deli comes into view once again. Located between aisles 11 and 12 is the deli grab and go cooler, home to a variety of prepackaged salads, cheeses, and deli meats. That is visible to my left.

     This store's front end really benefits from all the natural light pouring in through those windows. In addition to that, I just like how this part of the store looks.

    More front end action here, design wise. People-wise, I actually caught this part of the store at a quiet moment, which is surprising!

     However, in this photo, we find where all the people went! I wasn't so lucky with avoiding the crowds as I took this photo to capture the store's customer service desk, located under the bank of windows in the very front of the store.

     An here's a look across the store's front wall, the service desk immediately to my right.

     With this final photo looking toward the left side entryway, I'll thank you all for shopping Pub n' Karry with me...

     Lastly, here's a photo of the liquor store. The liquor store is located on the right side of the building, tucked into its little corner.

     And that's Pub n' Karry for you! Certainly a much different experience from the Food Lion turned Kash n' Karry turned Publix, right? While this building, inside and out, was clearly something else prior, this former Kash n' Karry fits Publix and their image so much better than that old Food Lion ever did. And 15 years later, Publix also realized it was time to get rid of that tiny old Food Lion they took over. As sad as it is to see that Pub Lion go due to how unique it was, I can say the decision to rebuild that store wasn't surprising. I think the other two Kash n' Karry stores Publix took over will be around for much longer, considering how much more modern both of those stores are and how they better align with Publix's business model.

     Before I move onto something else to finish off this post, here's a quick 3D aerial image of this store I pulled from Google Maps. From this angle, you can get a nice overview of what this place looks like.

     As I said earlier in this post, the Auburndale Pub n' Karry was a relocation for an older Publix store. That original Publix store was located across the street in the Havendale Square shopping center. In the map above I've designated the locations of the two stores, the round Publix logo designating the current Pub n' Karry store, and the older Publix logo on the original store. So let's jump across the street for a quick look at the store the Pub n' Karry replaced.

Publix #355

362 Havendale Boulevard, Auburndale, FL - Havendale Square

     This Publix store originally opened on December 1, 1977 as one of Publix's Food World branded stores. Publix's Food World stores were supposed to be a price-conscious alternative to the traditional Publix stores. Publix kept their Food World banner going until the late 1980's, at which point this Food World store converted into a traditional Publix location. Publix remained in this building until March 24, 2004, the day before the new store in the former Kash n' Karry across the street opened.

     Currently, the right half of Publix #355 is home to a Planet Fitness, while the left half of the building sits vacant. Besides the shape of the facade and the windows, not much else remains here from Publix. In Google Streetview you can get a better look at what remains of the original windows, as well as the original location of Publix's entryway.

Walmart #718 (Original Location)

422 Havendale Boulevard, Auburndale, FL - Havendale Square

     While we're over here at Havendale Square, I also took a few pictures of the plaza's other anchor: a former Walmart store. This Walmart opened in 1984 as a later addition to the Havendale Square shopping center. Walmart remained at this location until 2004, when they opened a new Supercenter a few miles to the west of here on US 92. After Walmart left this building, it was subdivided between Save A Lot, Bealls Outlet, Citi Trends, and Anytime Fitness.

     Save A Lot occupies the portion of the building where Walmart's main entrance was located, which still retains its distinctive Walmart look. I actually have an old receipt that came from this very Walmart, which I found in a book at a yard sale. You can see that receipt here.

     The old garden center was located on this side of the building, some of which is still standing unused today.

     However, I've saved the best for last. As I left Havendale Square, I cut around the side of the old Walmart building to get to 42nd Street and continue the journey to my next destination. As I drove down the side of the building, I looked to the right and saw this! Behind what remains of the old garden center, someone stopped the new beige/gray/white paint job given to this old Walmart building. What they left behind was the original 80's/90's Walmart red, white, and blue colors back here, given away by those distinctive stripes! It was pretty neat to see this little bit of the classic Walmart color scheme live on to the current day, so I had to stop for a moment to get a photo!

     With Walmart out of the way, I can now officially end this post. And with this post, I get to check off another Publix conversion from my list. So up until this point, we've seen here on AFB the ever venerable Publixsons (as well as its sister store, Safelixsons), in addition to Pub-Dixie, Pub Lion, and today's Pub n' Karry. However, there are still some other Publix conversions out there for me to cover, so we're not done with this topic yet!

So until the next post,

The Albertsons Florida Blogger

Florida to Gets Its First Rouses in 2020

     It's not often I get to mention new supermarket chains coming to Florida! It was announced yesterday that Florida's first Rouses store is planned to open in Destin, Walton County, in 2020 at the site of a former Winn-Dixie store. With Rouses' recent entrance into Lower Alabama, moving into the Florida Panhandle seems like a natural next step for the company. Rouses is a family-owned company and shares many similarities to Publix in their core values relating to quality, customer service, and commitment to the local community. Even if the Destin store proves successful, I can't see Rouses expanding much in Florida beyond the panhandle, so don't get your hopes up too much if you live down in the peninsula. Still, I hope Rouses is able to open this store and find their niche in the Panhandle, as Rouses would be a great addition to the Florida supermarket scene!

     You can read the full article on this development from the Northwest Florida Daily News by clicking here.

And Here Lie The Remains of Safeway Florida...

Albertsons #4304 / Safeway #3304 / Publix #1661

503 E. Altamonte Drive, Altamonte Springs, FL - Palm Springs Center

     With my flickr woes (mostly) out of the way, it's finally time to kick of AFB in 2019 the right way - with a Safelixsons store! As you all know, in June 2018 it was announced that Publix had bought the three Florida Safeway stores after only two years in operation. By August 2018, the Safeway stores had closed and their transition into Publix would begin. It's amazing at just how little Publix did to these stores to get them up and running once again. I know we've seen in the past how Publix has done very little to some of the buildings they've taken over before (like the Pub Lion, the Pub-Dixie, and a good number of the Publixsons stores). These days, Publix seemed to be more thorough with their remodels of buildings they've taken over, resorting to heavily remodeling those buildings beyond recognition or rebuilding them entirely from scratch. That's why I'm amazed at how Publix was satisfied with only repainting the walls and restocking the shelves with the three Safeway stores they took over. I know Safeway dumped a lot of money into these stores only two years ago, however I'm still really surprised Publix didn't do more work on these stores. As you'll see in the coming photos, the remodeling budget was surprisingly cheap. Remember, this is a company that flattened a 2002-built Albertsons store because it didn't meet their standards. But then again, it's also the same company that ran a store in a practically untouched Food Lion building for 15 years, so who knows what Publix is thinking! It's been rumored that Publix wants to do some heavier remodeling at these three former Safeway stores in the near future, however as of January 2019, nothing has come from those rumors yet.

     On the exterior, all Publix did was replace the signage. The paint scheme is exactly how Safeway had it.

     Publix...it's just not the same as what used to be here.

     Heading inside, just what will we find?...

     ...that this place looks essentially the same as when we toured it as a Safeway, but with different colored walls. Publix kept Safeway's old layout exactly the same, and even some of their old fixtures and equipment (though not all). The salad bar was definitely the same one that Safeway used, even in the same place that Safeway had it. The flooring is also Safeway's, as is the wooden trim that runs beneath the department signage. This photo is the closest I have to a view from a similar vantage point from the Safeway days. Publix went very cheap with the decor here, only bothering to repaint the walls and add a lone sign for each department. As we've seen in the past, there are some fancier things Publix can do with their current decor, even in stores not built with it. The cheap remodeling from the transitional period leads me to believe that the rumors about a heavier renovation in the near future may be true, but who knows?

     Looking back to where we entered this store, not even a Thank You sign resides in the big blank spot above the right side doors here. I really think if not a Thank You sign, Publix should have put something above the doors (a banner, a poster, decorative stock photos - just something) to break up the blankness of the walls. The Classy Market 3.0 decor usually has some little pictures or graphics to go along with it, but none were included in this store.

     In the very front of the store (in front of the registers) is the Publix dining area, which is nothing more than a seating area where you can eat your lunch from the deli or whatever other snacks you may have. The leftmost portion of the dining area was home to a Starbucks kiosk when Safeway was here. Surprisingly, the Starbucks kiosk was removed when Publix converted this store. Publix does operate Starbucks kiosks at select stores, and they even kept the Starbucks kiosks at the former Oakland Park and Largo Safeway stores too. I don't know why they removed the Starbucks kiosk here if they went ahead and kept the other two, unless sales at this store's Starbucks were just that pitiful...

     Looking across the front of the building, we see the floral department followed by the registers. The pharmacy is located off in the far distance too, but of course some better shots of the pharmacy counter will be coming up later in this post.

     Like Safeway did (and even some of the larger sized Publix stores do), Publix broke the deli counter into two portions. The portion seen here is located along the front wall, and is home to the prepared foods, sub counter, and fresh sushi. When Safeway was here, their selection of prepared foods was more elaborate, featuring pizzas, breakfast sandwiches, a Coca-Cola Freestyle machine, and a chicken wing bar in addition to sandwiches and sushi. Here's an overview shot of what Safeway's prepared foods selection looked like. Also, the TV screens you see hanging above the sub counter are another holdover from Safeway. Safeway used a lot of those TV monitors throughout the store. Publix decided to keep these monitors as part of their deli menu board, as well as a few other select monitors throughout the store, but most of them (including the ones displaying ads over the main salesfloor) were removed. However, I've heard this was not the case at the Largo store, where some of the old Safeway monitors still hang over the salesfloor in parts of the building unused.

     Stepping back into the produce department, here's an overview of the entirety of this store's deli department. In addition to the prepared foods at the deli counter directly in front of us, the counter off to the left is where the traditional deli sliced meats and prepackaged salads could be purchased.

     Here's a closeup of the deli counter, looking toward the bakery department just beyond it.

     Speaking of the bakery, that's the department we'll be taking a look at next. The bakery signage can be seen here, behind all of the perfectly displayed produce. I particularly like how those aloe leaves are displayed, looking like a giant flower bud waiting to bloom.

     Unfortunately, the Albertsons chocolate chip cookies have made way for Publix's version. Publix's bakery cookies are still very good, but they just aren't the same as Albertsons' cookies were.

     The next counter beyond the bakery is the produce counter, where the fresh cut fruit is prepared. While the produce counter is located toward the back of the store, the produce displays take up much of the center of the grand aisle behind me.

     This Publix also had a very nice selection of bulk foods. Finding bulk foods at Publix is very hit-or-miss. Some of their stores lack bulk foods entirely, some have a small section stuffed in one of the grocery aisles or near produce, and a select few have a large bulk food spread like this. Safeway's bulk foods section was located in this same spot, and featured a similar sized selection of foods (just laid out a bit differently).

     I'll try to spare you all from any of my wine-ing about how much blander Publix's decor looks compared to what was here only a few months ago. (See what I did there? Yes, you did, and you're still cringing over that pun.)

     Here we can see the bakery and deli departments, as they appear from the front of the wine and beer section. On the opposite side of that row of shelving is the bulk foods, as well as produce.

     When Safeway was here, this gray tiled section in front of the meat and seafood counter was home to the organics and natural foods department. Publix removed the dedicated natural foods department and placed their Aprons Simple Meals demonstration counter back here. (And in case anyone was wondering, the day's simple meal was Lentil Bolognese over Zoodles. Put in even simpler terms, it was zucchini spiral cut to mimic spaghetti with a lentil tomato sauce, something I had a sample of at a Publix I visited later this day. I must say, was a very good way to trick someone into eating their vegetables!). AFB's food critiques aside, in addition to the Aprons demonstration counter, the former Safeway organic food department made way for Publix's rather large international foods section. Rather than putting all their organic products together in one location, Publix disperses their organic foods into the regular aisles to be near their conventional counterparts. While Publix has had special organic sections in their stores in the past, those have been mostly done away with in favor of the format used now.

     Here is an example of one of the aisles of international foods offered in this part of the store. Publix has a very nice offering of international products at their stores, with most of their modern and larger stores having three-quarters to a full aisle of international foods available.

     More international foods in the next aisle, where we can see the meat department poking out in the background.

     Looking down the store's back wall now, here we have a better overview of the meat and seafood counter itself.

     Entering aisle 1, we find one of many perfectly stocked and straightened grocery aisles. This aisle is stocked so perfect, it almost looks like this store just held its grand opening!

     Briefly emerging from the grocery aisles, here's a look across the front end. The floral department is on an island to my left, with the pharmacy in the distance.

      Anyway, up to this point, I've only discussed the flooring in this store in passing. Like I said earlier, the flooring in this place is all Safeway's. Publix didn't even bother to replace the flooring with their common tile pattern for buildings they take over that weren't their previously. Since Publix famously uses terrazzo floors in every store they build, seeing that trendy modern faux wood flooring in a Publix is a bit weird! Honestly, walking around this store even today, you can still easily convince yourself you're shopping at Safeway with how little Publix did.

     Lunchmeats and cheeses are located in these coolers in aisle 3.

     Frozen foods take up aisle 4. The coolers you see in this aisle are also a holdover from Safeway.

     Looking into the store's back left corner, we find the home of the prepackaged meats and the dairy department. The decor in this part of the store just fizzles out into some beige walls and some lonely looking wall signs, lost in the sea of beige. While Publix did repaint all of the walls prior to opening this store, the color scheme Safeway used in this area was pretty similar to the beige color Publix has here now.

     The grocery aisles between frozen foods and the pharmacy were quite wide and spacious. In their remodel, Publix eliminated a grocery aisle in this part of the store, as Safeway had a total of 13 grocery aisles, while Publix now has 12. Since Publix isn't as keen on running larger stores like Albertsons/Safeway was, Publix's larger stores (almost all of which were something else previously) tend to feel very spacious as Publix doesn't know what to do with all of the extra space they have. This situation is especially apparent at the former Jewel-Osco stores Publix bought from Albertsons, most of which were around 70,000 square feet (which is 10,000 square feet larger than Publix's largest prototype, the 61M, which is pretty rare to begin with).

     Even with a pole in the middle of it, getting two carts side by side through this wide aisle is a breeze!

     The back wall looks especially blank and barren in this photo.

     In addition to this small section on the store's back wall, the dairy department also wraps around to continue up part of aisle 12, which runs along the building's left side wall.

      Entering aisle 12, here's the rest of the dairy department I mentioned before.

     Well weren't you just being lazy Publix! Stepping into the pharmacy department, what do we see but more of Safeway's old decor practically in-tact. Here's what the pharmacy looked like when Safeway was still here. One major siimilarity you'll notice is that Publix kept the shimmery glass paneling behind the pharmacy sign. Coincidentally, the pharmacy counters in modern Publix stores also use a shimmery glass tile effect too, as well as wood trim. All Publix did was repaint the background color of the wall to a pale blue from Safeway's beige. I actually like Publix's blue treatment better than what Safeway had here, although Publix's rather small pharmacy sign doesn't really stand out much here.

     Here's another look at the pharmacy counter. With the glass tiles and wood trim, it's almost like Safeway was trying to copy Publix's pharmacy design when they came up with this decor. Safeway might as well have modeled the rest of their decor after Classy Market 3.0 rather than Winn-Dixie's Down Down look, as they could have saved Publix some more remodeling troubles in the end!

     Besides eliminating the Starbucks counter and removing a grocery aisle, the only other significant change Publix made in here was adding new checklane counters. These are the counters Publix replaced, as I'm sure replacing the counters was much easier for Publix than trying to retrofit Publix's computer system onto those Safeway ones.

     Part of the dining area can be seen here behind the floral displays. However, this generic "Dining" area is certainly no comparison to "The Roost" in terms of local flare and uniqueness.

     While all of the local flare has been removed and painted beige, this is a very nice little seating area to enjoy a quick snack or a lunch from the Publix deli.

     I decided to grab myself a little snack while I was here, and perched myself at one of the high top tables that overlooked the store's front end. I took this photo before I ate, enjoying a little break from a hectic day of visiting a list of stores I had prepared.

     Unlike the store's right side entrance, the left side doors contain the "Thank you for shopping Publix" message. With that being said, let's head back outside to finish this tour of the Altamonte Springs Safelixsons...

     The liquor store is tucked into the front left corner of the building. Like the main store, Publix only did minimal remodeling to this part of the building too. Interestingly enough, the Publix across the street also has a neighboring Publix liquor store. Speaking of that Publix across the street...

     ...I'm really not kidding when I say that other Publix is located across the street! The above screenshot from Google Maps shows just how close the Safelixsons is from the original Publix on the other side of Route 436 - 0.3 miles! I still think having two Publix stores this close together is a bit ridiculous, although this type of situation isn't all that uncommon with Publix. All three of the Safeway stores Publix purchased were across the street from an existing Publix, all of which remained open. I believe the Safelixsons has a slightly larger selection of prepared foods and grocery items since it is larger than the store across the street, but other than that, there isn't much differentiating the two stores from each other. So if you're at Safelixsons and they happen to run out of an item - don't fret! An employee from the store across the street can throw the item across the street for you! 😀 I didn't go into the Publix across the street from the Safelixsons when I was here. That Publix, which is store #742, is a typical early 2000's larger format Publix. If you'd like a peek at that store, Google has some images of it you can see by clicking here.

     So while Publix's purchase of the three Safeway Florida stores brought an end to a 44 year legacy of Albertsons in Florida, it also brought the end of yet more supermarket variety in Florida for some more Publix. With over 800 stores in Florida alone, it's no shock that Publix is king here! And for as long as we can all tell, it is king that Publix will remain in Florida. So if you're tired of Publix and want some supermarket variety in your life, just head across the street and you can change things up by shopping at a Publix in the shell of one of their long gone competitors instead!

     While that's all I have for this post, our next post continues the theme of Publix operating in buildings they took over from others. Just what kind of Publix conversion will we see next? Check back in two weeks to find out!

So until the next post,

The Albertsons Florida Blogger