6 Big Differences Between Publix and Kroger Every Georgian Should Know
If you shop at Publix for eggs one day and Kroger the next, your trip might seemingly feel about the same.
But look closer, and the two stores play by different rules.
These are the big differences between Publix and Kroger every Georgian should know.
1. Store Ownership Structure
Publix sells its stock only to current associates and board members, and no exchange lists a single share.
The company still files with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) because of how many shareholders it has, not because its stock trades publicly.
Publix’s board resets that internal share price four times a year, using an independent valuation.
No ticker exists.
Kroger’s stock trades publicly on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker KR.
Anyone can buy shares of Kroger the same way they’d buy shares of any other public company.
Publix shares have no public buyer, and you can buy Kroger’s on the open market.
2. Georgia’s Half-Off BOGO Rule
Publix runs a buy-one-get-one (BOGO) deal in Georgia, and a shopper only has to buy one item to get it.
That single item rings up at half price at checkout, with no second item required.
One item is enough.
One of Kroger’s shelf discounts works differently.
Kroger’s mix-and-match tags, like “Buy 5, Save $5,” apply in multiples of five and require a shopper’s loyalty card at checkout.
That half-off BOGO price rings up for any Georgia Publix shopper, Club Publix member or not.
The Math Behind Georgia’s BOGO Tag
Publix’s BOGO tag works differently depending on which of its eight states a shopper stands in.
Seven of those eight states, Georgia included, use the half-price version; only Florida requires two items.
In Georgia, a $6 BOGO item rings up at $3 the moment a shopper buys just one, with no second item required.
Florida runs the opposite rule.
There, a shopper has to buy two of the same item before the second one rings up free.
3. Rewards That Pay at the Pump
Kroger pays its shoppers back in points, one point for every dollar spent on most groceries.
Every 100 points is worth 10 cents off a gallon of gas at Kroger Fuel Centers, or a dollar off groceries, up to $10 a day.
Kroger runs 1,740 fuel centers nationwide.
Those Kroger fuel points also work at select Shell gas stations, not just Kroger’s pumps.
Club Publix earns no points.
It still unlocks personalized deals and the weekly ad a day early, just never anything a shopper can redeem for cash or fuel.
4. Membership Only Kroger Sells
Kroger sells a paid membership called Boost. Publix has no equivalent.
Club Publix costs nothing.
Boost runs $99 a year, or $69 a year for the Essential tier, and both unlock free delivery on orders of $35 or more.
Members also earn double points on groceries and general merchandise, and the full tier throws in a streaming subscription at no extra cost.
Kroger charges for speed and points.
Publix charges nothing, and offers neither.
5. Two Different Store-Brand Ladders
Kroger organizes its store brands into price tiers: Smart Way at the bottom, the core Kroger brand in the middle, and Private Selection at the top.
Simple Truth sits alongside them as a wellness-focused line, and together Kroger’s brands span more than 13,000 items.
That’s a price ladder three brands deep, and one more line that sits outside it.
Publix runs its shelves differently.
The Publix brand covers everyday basics, and GreenWise sits next to it as a single line built around cleaner ingredients, not a price tier at all.
6. Cost of Skipping the Store
Kroger’s Pickup service is free on orders over $35, where available, with no markup on item prices.
No markup applies.
You pay the shelf price, nothing more.
Publix works the opposite way for a full cart.
Both curbside pickup and delivery run through Instacart, and item prices on that order run higher than the in-store shelf price.
Publix’s only fee-free pickup covers counter items ordered ahead, like a sub or a cake, not a full grocery cart.
A shopper who wants a full cart at shelf price, picked up free, has to choose Kroger over Publix.
Psst! See how Publix and Kroger stack up across Georgia. Search the table for the one detail that matters most to you.
Georgia’s Spot on Each Map
Publix entered Georgia in 1991, and the state now has 219 Publix stores, second only to Florida’s 898.
Kroger’s Georgia stores fall under its Atlanta division, one piece of a 35-state, 2,688-store network that stretches from the Pacific Northwest to the Gulf Coast.
Publix never left the Southeast.
Kroger’s map reaches far beyond the Southeast, and it covers more than four times as many states as Publix has ever touched.
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