Can You Spot the Publix Lie? Two Truths and a Lie About Publix That Many Georgians Get Wrong
Georgians love to say they know Publix inside and out.
So here’s a game for you, three statements at a time, where two are true and one is a fib you’ll swear on.
BOGO Rules
Publix runs its buy-one-get-one deals a little differently depending on where you live.
Which of these three options is the lie?
1. In Georgia, you can grab a single BOGO item and pay half price, no second product required.
2. In Florida, a BOGO requires you to buy two, and the second one scans at zero.
3. Digital coupons ring up automatically at Publix, even the ones you never clipped in the app.
The lie?
Number 3 is the fib, and it costs Georgians money every week.
You have to clip each digital coupon in the Publix app before you check out, because an unclipped coupon does nothing at the register.
The Pub Sub
The Chicken Tender Sub built a following that stretches from Savannah to the Georgia line.
Which of these three options is the lie?
1. Publix breads and fries the chicken tenders for that sub in its own stores.
2. Publix keeps written records naming the exact deli worker who built the first Chicken Tender Sub in 1985.
3. “Pub Sub” is the shopper nickname, not the name printed on Publix’s menu.
The lie?
Number 2 is false, and it’s a fun myth to bust.
Publix says there’s no definitive origin story for the Chicken Tender Sub, keeps no firm records of who made the first one, and dates the sandwich to 1992, not 1985.
Publix History
George Jenkins started Publix during the Great Depression, and its origin story trips up many Georgia shoppers.
Which of these three options is the lie?
1. George Jenkins opened the first Publix in Atlanta in 1930.
2. His 1940 store in Winter Haven was the first fully air-conditioned supermarket in the country.
3. That same 1940 store greeted shoppers with electric-eye doors that opened on their own.
The lie?
Number 1, and it’s off by a whole state.
Jenkins opened his first Publix Food Store in Winter Haven, Florida, in 1930, and Publix didn’t cross into Georgia until decades later.
The Front of the Store
Two small touches at Publix have hung around since the founder’s day.
Which of these three options is the lie?
1. Jenkins put a scale in his first store so shoppers could weigh themselves for free, back when that cost a coin elsewhere.
2. Publix has used the slogan “Where Shopping Is a Pleasure” since 1954.
3. A Publix employee has to be a manager for at least ten years before buying company stock.
The lie?
Number 3, and it undersells how Publix works.
Publix stays employee-owned, so eligible associates earn and buy stock without waiting a decade or holding a manager’s title, and that scale still stands near the door of many Georgia stores.
Store Policies
Publix writes down its promises, which means you can hold Publix to them in Macon or Marietta.
Which of these three options is the lie?
1. If an item scans higher than the shelf price, the Publix Promise hands you that item free.
2. The Publix Promise covers your beer and cigarettes the same as your groceries.
3. Publix issues only one rain check per household per day for any single deal.
The lie?
Number 2, and the caveat is written right into the policy.
The Publix Promise excludes alcohol and tobacco, so a mispriced case of beer won’t ring up free the way a mispriced jar of Duke’s would.
Publix in Georgia
Publix took its time moving north, and Georgians tend to misremember how that went.
Which of these three options is the lie?
1. The first Publix outside Florida opened in Savannah in 1991.
2. Publix reached metro Atlanta in 1993, two years after that Savannah debut.
3. Florida has fewer Publix stores than Georgia does today.
The lie?
Number 3, and it’s not even close.
Florida has more than 900 Publix stores, far more than the couple of hundred spread across Georgia.
Presto and Perks
Publix runs a few extras your Georgia store rarely brags about.
Which of these three options is the lie?
1. Publix owns its own ATM network, Presto!, so members skip the surcharge at the machine by the door.
2. The Presto! network launched in 1982, long before your Publix rewards app existed.
3. Publix charges Georgia bakery customers a dollar for the kids’ free cookie during the holidays.
The lie?
Number 3, and any parent pushing a cart through a Georgia Publix already knows it.
The kids’ cookie at the Publix bakery stays free every day of the year, no holiday surcharge, and Georgia parents lean on it hard.
The Presto! network has run surcharge-free for members since 1982, so the machine by the door beats a fee-happy bank ATM.
Psst! Think you can spot the fib every time? Take our quiz on Publix and see how many you get right.
The Deli Counter
Publix built a deli that Georgians plan lunch around.
Which of these three options is the lie?
1. You can order a Pub Sub ahead through the Publix app and pick it up ready at the counter.
2. Publix bakes its sub rolls in the same store where it slices your turkey.
3. Publix caps every deli sub at exactly six inches, no footlong allowed.
The lie?
Number 3, and your standing lunch order proves it.
Publix builds its subs in whole and half sizes, and a Georgia deli will hand you a full-length Chicken Tender Sub whenever you ask.
8 Publix Deals Georgia Shoppers Plan Their Week Around
Publix carries a pricey reputation, and hurried Georgia shoppers rarely fight it.
But the folks who shop there every week know how to work the weekly ad in their favor.
8 Publix Deals Georgia Shoppers Plan Their Week Around
7 Publix Traps Georgia Shoppers Fall for Every Single Week
Ask a Georgian why they love Publix, and they’ll name the bakery or the bagger who walks their groceries out.
All true, and all part of why the spots where your bill creeps higher slip right past you.
