Publix Super Markets has never had to be particularly fancy or sophisticated to win over customers.
The Lakeland-based grocery chain has spent the span of several decades luring and retaining shoppers based on its stellar record for customer service. The Pub Subs and BOGO deals were always just the icing on the cake.
But in 2016, Publix began making a more vested effort in innovative new programs to keep up with a growing number of tech-savvy competitors that are slowly chipping away at the company's stronghold in Florida and in new markets like North Carolina and Virginia. Whole Foods Market is rolling out new 365 grocery stores across the country, including in Florida, which have brew pubs and restaurants inside to lure millennials. Lucky's Market lets customers drink wine and beer while they shop — shopping carts literally have cup holders installed on them. Safeway, which opened a store in Largo last year, has had Starbucks cafes inside stores for years and also delivers its own groceries to customers in a fleet of refrigerated trucks.
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