7 Publix Habits That Give Away a Tennessee Transplant

Think a grocery run is a grocery run, whether you’re in Nashville or the town you just left?

A trip to Publix says otherwise.

Whether you’re a Florida native or from a state without Publix, Tennesseans can spot you based on these shopping habits.

1. Grabbing Two of Things You Don’t Need

Let’s start with Tennessee transplants who moved from Florida, Publix’s home state.

Buy-one-get-one (BOGO) tags are one of the first things to trip up Floridians at a Tennessee Publix.

In Florida, BOGO deals only pay off in pairs, so shoppers there grab two or walk away.

Publix plays it differently in Tennessee.

At a Publix in Murfreesboro or Green Hills, you can take a single BOGO bag of chips and pay half price, with no second bag required.

The same single-item deal works at many Publix stores in Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia.

But in Florida, Publix’s BOGO tag requires buying two.

So the former Floridian grabbing two bags of grapes they won’t finish to make the deal work is throwing money away.

Grab one, pay half, and keep moving.

2. Trying to Tip the Carry-Out

Publix will walk your groceries to your car and load the trunk for free at nearly every Tennessee store.

It catches many transplants from the north and west off guard.

Back home, that kind of help came with a couple of dollars slipped into a palm, so the newcomer reaches for their wallet on instinct.

Put it away.

Publix policy tells associates to politely turn down tips, and the person rolling your cart across the parking lot in Brentwood will hand the money right back.

The service comes baked into the store, not bought with a gratuity.

A regular just says thanks and pops the trunk.

3. Crowding the Deli Counter

The Publix deli runs on a little paper ticket, and the transplant is the shopper standing there empty-handed.

They hover at the glass, waiting to be noticed.

Meanwhile, Tennesseans have either ordered their subs online via Publix’s app or pulled a number from the dispenser and drifted off to grab their produce.

Take a number.

When the counter calls it, you circle back, order your custom-sliced turkey or your pound of fried chicken, and never lose your place in line.

The newcomer who skips the ticket ends up waving at a busy clerk in Nolensville while the counter helps three numbered shoppers first.

That dispenser isn’t decoration.

4. Fishing for a Loyalty Card

At the register, the transplant digs through a keychain looking for a Publix rewards card that doesn't exist.

There's no plastic to swipe.

Publix runs its savings through Club Publix, a free account tied to your phone number and the app, not a barcode fob like Kroger's.

You clip the digital coupons at home, and they come off at checkout.

The newcomer still asking a cashier in Mt. Juliet whether there's a card for this is showing their Kroger roots.

Your phone number is the card.

5. Expecting Coupons to Double

Publix takes coupons, but the transplant who expects them to double is in for a letdown.

Some stores back home run double-coupon days.

Publix doesn't.

What Publix does allow is stacking, one manufacturer coupon and one Publix store coupon on the same item, which often beats a doubled coupon anyway.

So the newcomer huffing because a fifty-cent coupon on a can of Bush's Beans didn't ring up as a dollar is missing the better play.

Stack, don't double.

6. Overpaying Without a Peep

Every Publix backs a promise most transplants never think to use: If an item scans higher than the shelf price, you get one of that item free.

It's called the Publix Promise, and it covers everything but alcohol and tobacco.

A Publix regular watching the register in Gallatin catches a $4.99 item ringing up at $5.99, says something, and walks out with it free.

The transplant just pays the higher number and grumbles in the car.

Speak up.

Publix would rather hand you the item than lose your trust over a dollar.

7. Buying the Kids a Cookie

Publix's bakery hands kids a free cookie, but not knowing this, new Tennessee transplant parents often pay full price for a cookie.

Chocolate chip or sugar, no purchase required, just ask the person working the bakery case.

Free is free.