Publix is packed!!
 

JUST RETURNED from Publix. When are they EVER going to build shopping for new area?? The store is getting so crowded. I felt like I was shopping during Xmas week !! What is going on that it is taking so long with so many new residents out there???

Publix and other stores will be crowded between now and early next week because it is turnover time...thousands of renters will pour in over the weekend, all of whom head for the store to stock up. We do need a new store along 466A but Sweetbay pulled out because of their financial problems at the corporate level and Publix is on hold for unknown reasons.

Publix
 

Remember the Publix's ad came out yesterday, so today Publix's maybe crowded.
Try shopping at another time of the day or shop at another grocery store.
Just be happy that you live in The Villages. :thumbup:
Janet

It will get a little less crowded come April one when the high season is over.

spring breakers/visitors are adding to the crowding.

However what is apparently different regarding building of new stores in the "new" areas....The new shopping centers usually anchored by Publix were under construction and or already in before the new construction areas got under way.

Colony Plaza for example was done long before the area nearby was starting to be actively built upon.

One would think by now or before now there would be some similar shopping built around the Brownwood area. Not even a measuring stake in the ground yet (just kidding...I don't know that). But there is a definite change in the patter of new areas and associated shopping evolving compared to the past.

Hopefully it is not another sign/indicator of how differently the developer is conducting bussiness now as they approach build out.

btk

I agree. What in the world is going on that they keep building more and more homes and still NOTHING at Browntown (except movie and one city grill) and NO grocery stores etc.. They already need all of this The population out there has exploded already!!

can't blame it all on the rental , snowbirds. It's NEW RESIDENTS MOVING IN out there and they are FULL TIME. they already need new grocery stores, restaurants, bowling alley, dancing, softball fields etc... New residents are moving into St James , Sanibel, Gilcrest, Pinellas, etc..... They need shopping plus!!

The developer cannot force a business to come. He can build a building for them if they commit. No change...same old modus operandi.

There were plans by Sweetbay to build by the municipal building and the library on 466A and then they began closing stores, so I would guess that their plans to build more is on hold.

You wait and see, Publix will build a store soon. I feel it in my bones.

But don't blame the Morses. It is always to their business advantage to build buildings to lease but you have to have businesses to say they will occupy those buildings.

And don't forget more churches. Why doesn't the developer make some lots available for more churches to be built? There are eight different denominations on Villages property north of 466 and not one church south of 466.

This is Publix BOGO Day 1 and every penny pincher is out there for the pot of gold (you'd think).

Obviously, the churches and businesses have not expressed a desire to expand any further at this time. How about shopping at Winn-Dixie in wildwood ?

I was there with you about the same time and it was crazy, but not much crazier than any other day in high season. I really, really dislike it, but what are you gonna do? Of course it doesn't help they have to be in the aisles restocking shelves, but no way to get around that.

BTW - if there are BOGO they are all week long so that shouldn't contribute to the problem.

I think one difference between the construction of Colony Plaza retail area and the area around Brownwood is that when Colony was constructed, there were a lot of potential customers already in place (i.e., the area south of Sumter Landing) and even more being actively built (Hadley, Hemingway, etc.) For these people, Colony became the most convenient place to shop.

Brownwood on the other hand is quite aways from where most of the construction has been going on (closer to 466A). Hence, for most of the new residents, Colony would still be the closer place to shop than Brownwood. Since Publix already has a semi-monopoly on that market, there is little incentive for them to compete with themselves by putting in another store that would actually be less convenient than the Colony store. Now that I see some construction of houses going on closer to Brownwood, this situation will likely change in the future.

There are 4 Publix, 2 Walmarts, 2 Winn Dixies and one Sweetbay all within 13 miles of each other! How many more do we need?????

I am surprised that people are surprised of the over-crowding in The Villages. Best suffer in silence because it is only going to get worse and worse for 12 of 12 months.

Everything is not up to the developer to provide. If the business need is there and a profit can be made businesses will follow

Last year the checkers at Colony Publix told me the plan for new store was moved from 2013 to 2014, but of course they did not know why. Since it will be down by Brownwood, it is not likely to relieve the over crowding of the stores in Colony anyway. It will serve the folks who live off Buena Vista, but probably not those who live near Morse. Stores have to wait for their customer base to develop to turn a profit. Our Walgreens folks told me theirs is the busiest in TV, and I believe it. I just get my "rain check" for any sale items and get them the following week. No big deal. I let workmen who are coming in to buy their lunch at Publix go ahead of me. They are on a time clock, and I remember when I had to hurry through a hasty lunch to get to the next meeting, etc. I love retirement!

Too bad we can't pick them up and put them where they're needed!

They are no more than a 25 minute golf cart ride or 15 minutes in the car away. Brownwood to 466= 20-25 minutes. Not sure what all the rhubard is about. Relax, take a nice quiet ride to get your groceries.

Another option
 

The people at Publix told me...
 

The new Publix will be built where the Sweetbay was supposed to be on 466A. Sweetbay will be closer to Brownswood. They are not anticipating that opening until spring 2015. ARGGH. As a person who used to use Publix in Colony I was deeply disappointed to hear this. After being hit by a cart twice ion one day, both of which resulted in a cut or a bruise, I have switched to Sam's or Winn Dixie. There is room to shop there. It really does not help too much to change your shopping hours because it is always crowded. Most of us are pretty busy and we came here to fit shopping in around our activities schedules. Since going to the other stores has alerted me to the fact that Publix is so over priced, I will not be going back.
This is a corporate decision by the company not the developer.
I called the Villages retail devision one time to see when we were going to get more retail down here and they said everyone is waiting until it becomes more populated. What is up with that? It has become more populated. Since I moved here 2 3/4 years ago, they have buikt thoudands of new homes.

It may not be a matter of number
 

It may be a matter of location. I think what people are saying is that the samllest Publix is situated in the most populated area and is the only grocer in the south part of the Villages. So the top half has 7 groceries if you leave out Aldis and the bottom has one. I can see why the Northern Villagers do see this as a problem. Truthfully, I do not want to have to drive 20-25 mins to pick up milk. Even the Publix is about 10 mins from me.
This ia ll about perspective. If you are well served your perspective is different than if you are struggling to get served. One day I went there and picked a ticket for the deli. My number was 37 and they were on 89 from the last 100 tickets. There were 11 people behind the counter but it still took over 20 mins to get service. :boom:

Shop early
 

:duck:For some reason residents in the villages refuse to shop early in the morning (7am-10am) or later in the evening (7pm-9pm). I have worked at publix on 466a since it opened and the store is relatively empty these times compared with the rest of the day. it will slow down dramatically april 1st. New publix is planned for early 2014 according to district mamager but of course all plans can change.

I'm sure lots are available for churches and any other businesses and they go to who can produce the most income to the developer. My understanding is the developer gets a percentage of the gross intake and they are of course going to approve a business that will give them the most revenue.

Publix is only open until 9 pm; SweetBay until 11. The deli at swbay is so much less expensive than publx. the bogo's are good at publix and if you put 2 coupons on it is is even better.
we purchase staples at aldi: milk 2.19 for 1/2 gal vs 2.65 at publx; eggs 1.55 vs 2.49; grape tomatoes 75 cents vs 1.49..and on an on. meats are less expensive at swbay. ceral and cat litter at sam's and they have rotisserie chickens 4.88 vs 7.99 everywhere else.
oh yeah; i was sidetracked.
the publix at colony plaza is the most profitable in the entire chain. the management consistently under estimates the product he needs to order, and since he consistently receives his quarterly bonus he does not have to try harder. (i heard this from someone who works in the customer service area). they hear the complaints more than anyone else. when the snowbirds are here they need more product.....but since there is no more room to put it out there is no more product available.
we need shopping at the south end of TV!
thank you.

No matter how far or how crowded a grocery store is, isn't it better than driving in snow and ice to get there? It's all about your location folks.

Many businesses have specific profit & traffic levels that have to be met before they will build an additional store within the same general area. The Darden Restaurant Group (Red Lobster, Olive Garden & Longhorn) have very strict quotas that must be met before they expand within an area.

Yes, all the stores & restaurants are very busy right now, but once the snowbirds fly off, store traffic levels will decrease. Most businesses will not build 2 nearby stores that will operate half full. Before they expand they want their one store to be operating at full capacity plus a half before they are going to open another nearby store.

We don't understand how that small parking lot was approved for so many stores in Colony Plaza. Think about it, and of course there will be more built on the open ground in front of Publix some day soon.
Like other posters have stated, I go grocery shopping at 7:30pm and it is relatively empty. I had to run in the other day for a prescription and had to park down by Bealls. I'm not complaining as the extra steps are good for me but I was thinking of those who can't walk that far.
On a brighter note, has anyone noticed the huge parking lot that has gone in next to the Library along 466A? Could that be the new Publix in the making?

I know the developer gets a percentage of commercial businesses, but it never occured to me that they get a percentage of the collections of a religious organization.

It's no wonder the big corporations don't want to build in TV. If Publix builds on one side of SR44, it probably costs them 10% of their income plus rent. If they buy their own land and build on the other side of SR44, they get to keep all of the income. That would be a no brainer.

Ummmm I can't imagine that that terrible ole Gary Morse gets a cut from the collection basket.

Our rumor machine on here knows no equal.

St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church is just slightly north of 466a.

United Methodist Church has a sign up on 44A just east of Brownwood----15 acres to build a new church that will be golf cart accessible. You must remember that two years ago there were no houses south of 466A. Soon enough there will be more stores for shopping and eating in TV south. Meanwhile, shop Public as has been suggested---7:30- 10:00 and after 6:30 in the evening. That shouldn't be difficult.

Publix is HUGELY overpriced! I feel very taken advantage of when I go there, so I'm now spending my money at Sweetbay. I was picking up a pineapple that was already pealed...the ones in the plastic containers and WhenI looked at the price it was 6.99!!!! Really? I'm not that stupid. So, I went to Sweetbay and got it for 4.99. That's a 2.00 difference on just one item. Just think how much extra you spend at Publix when getting all of your groceries there??

I guess overpriced is a matter of experience. Having just recently moved here from Baltimore, I haven't found anything to be overpriced compared to what we were paying up there. It's all a bargain to us.

When I was young I remember my mother carefully studying all of the various newspaper grocery store ads each week and then laying out a strategy for buying the week's groceries. Hamburger at one store, bread at another, chicken at another an so on. As I got older I always thought she spent more in gas than she saved, but I know she would disagree. She's 90 now and still does it that way.

I'm with you GG-Person. I've never heard of anything so preposterous. Where do people get ideas like this???

shhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

Village Grocery Delivery is the best way I know to fight the crowds in the Publix. Just phone, fax or email your order to Dave and he will fight the crowds for you. I call him all the time and he is always so helpful with groceries, restaurant deliveries and errands. Village Grocery Delivery really offers a fantastic service. You all should give Dave a call.

If everybody did what I do - I go to Publix between 8 and 9 in the morning. It's empty.The seafood and meat depts aren't open until 9, but you don't need them every time.
But if everybody did it, YO it would not be empty any longer. So don't, OK!!

Publix is Packed
 

Let's be realistic here..... Builders - build!!!!! "If you build it, they will come." It's not only seasonal renters or owners causing this bottleneck, it's new residents moving into those lovely new villages across 466A, as well as the build out of St Charles, St James and Pennecamp. It's called, over-building.

These builders and/or developers don't sync their plan to build with such things as residents access to shops or in this instance, grocery stores. They could care less. And, if Publix, Sweetbay or any other grocer decides to build or not to build will be totally dependent upon whether these corporations see the profit potential or the need to do so. After all, crowded though Publix's may be, people still manage to get their needs met albeit with frustrations.

Gracie Girl is correct, the Morses have nothing to do with this aspect of the issue (but in an indirect way, they do.)

If potential residents start paying more attention to some of these issues, and delay their purchases on the basis of this, builders would likely pay more attention to making sure that some of these services are in place before continuing to over build. After all, they make a point of getting recreation centers, golf courses and the likes in place don't they?

Your last statement is true. BUT they can't control whether corporations will open businesses here, OR WHEN. Think for a moment. They can build spec homes but not likely to build a spec grocery store. I imagine that each huge chain has an architechtural committee deciding where the beans are stacked and how big the bakery part is. I would guess that the Morse builders are waiting with their hammers and trowels for someone to commit.

I know I defend them a lot, but I am truly in awe of how carefully planned and well maintained this place is.

And...this is just a little bit mean on my part, because our house is a little more than a year old just off 466. The choice existed very recently, at the same time many people chose to build in Sanibel and Fernandina to build in Mission Hills and Bridgeport at Laurel Valley which is very close to MANY of the groceries, doctors and restaurants and churches. AND anyone can still buy resale in those areas right now. So there are choices for all.

Gary Morse isn't our mother.

Disclaimer. I don't work for the Morses, don't know anybody in that family and please whoever you are don't send me any more mean PMs accusing me of getting paid by the developer.

Nobody goes to Publix anymore. It's too crowded.