Publix Thanksgiving Dinners Need 2 to 3 Days’ Notice. 3 More Ordering Rules Floridians Should Know

Thanksgiving is Nov. 26, so if you’ll be letting Publix do the cooking, you have less than two weeks to get it right.

Here are the Publix Thanksgiving ordering rules Floridians should know.

The 48-Hour Minimum

Publix needs at least 48 hours before pickup of a Thanksgiving dinner, according to its holiday meals page.

Publix says it has a lot of Thanksgiving food and holiday meals to make for folks.

Since Publix needs a couple of days to get everything together, you should try to order at least three days before your holiday feast.

Count three days back from Thursday, Nov. 26, and you’re ordering on a Monday.

1. Meat or Sides Without a Full Meal

You can order part of the Thanksgiving spread from Publix, according to its holiday meals page.

A turkey or ham dinner, or another meat option, doesn’t have to come with the full holiday meal.

The sides don’t have to come with the full dinner, either.

That helps if you’re roasting the turkey yourself and need only sides.

Publix says it has a wide variety of entrees and sides to pick from.

Publix says its holiday dinners can feed anywhere from 2 to 18 people.

2. Pickup at the Deli and Bakery

You can order a Thanksgiving dinner from Publix online through Order Ahead for In-Store Pickup.

Publix’s Order Ahead page tells you to choose the store where you’ll be picking up your order.

You schedule a pickup date and time when you review your order.

Publix’s holiday meals page tells you to head to the deli and ask for your holiday meal when you pick up a Thanksgiving dinner.

If you ordered rolls, a pie, or anything similar, you may need to stop by the bakery, too.

Publix’s bakery page says it’ll have a traditional apple or Dutch apple pie ordered online ready for in-store pickup the next day.

3. Fees and Sale Prices

Publix's pricing FAQ says Order Ahead for In-Store Pickup, which you can use to order a Thanksgiving dinner online, is available without any additional fees or charges.

Select items let you add special instructions, though, and Publix warns that some may result in additional charges in-store.

When an item featured for in-store pickup is on sale, Publix's ordering site shows you the sale price automatically.

24 Hours for Platters and Cakes

Publix's Order Ahead page lists fruit, vegetable, sandwich, meat, and dessert platters, along with Bakery cakes and pies, among the items you can order for in-store pickup.

That's the same service you can use for a Thanksgiving dinner.

Some orders, including platters, cakes, and seafood, require a notice of 24 hours or more, according to Publix's in-store pickup FAQ.

Some platters ordered before noon can be picked up any time the next day.

Order a platter after noon, and the earliest pickup is after noon the next day.

You can cancel a platter or cake up to 24 hours before your scheduled pickup time.

To change an order after you submit it, call the store at the number in your order summary or email confirmation.

Paying Now or in Store

When you order a Thanksgiving dinner through Order Ahead for In-Store Pickup, Publix's payment FAQ says you can select "Pay now" or "Pay in-store."

You can pay with a debit card, credit card, flexible spending account (FSA) card, Publix gift cards, or Apple Pay.

Some coupons work at the register when you pay in the store, while others work only when you pay online.

Publix says to enter your phone number at checkout to redeem any applicable offers.

An eligible Club Publix perk is deducted from your total, though Publix notes that not all perks or products are eligible.

Saved Carts

Publix saves a logged-in cart for 30 days, so log in to your Club Publix account before you build a Thanksgiving order.

If you're not logged in, Publix saves your order for 24 hours on the same device you used.

Your finished order stays in Purchase History for three months.

Thawed, Not Frozen

Publix stores its premade Thanksgiving meals cold, and you heat them at home, according to the holiday meals page.

In a turkey or ham dinner, the turkey should be cold, thawed, and a bit icy, but not frozen.

The same page pairs its heating-time question with one about cooking for Thanksgiving lunch.