This was the original Seminole Heights blog with commentary about life in and around the urban neighborhood of Seminole Heights in Tampa, Florida. Musings about other topics as my mood permits. The blog is essentially inactive since I moved to Lutz. Go to The Official Unofficial Seminole Heights Blog - www.seminoleheightsblog.com for active content.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Changes At Publix
Long time manager at our Nebraska Avenue Publix, Tom Roessel?? has moved on to another store.
Publix managers typically don't have a choice of where they're sent to work. The only time you get to choose is if you want to move to a state where they're still expanding and even then you don't get to choose the exact store.
The new manager lives in Hampton Terrace and many of his friends and neighbors use that store. He's a great guy and I'm sure he'll do a good job.
Yesterday I saw something in the parking lot that I've never seen before, though... a dirty diaper just tossed aside. Does anyone know if another store will open where Albertsons was?
Today, we drove down to the Bayshore Publix... best Sushi. While were were there, we noticed that it is not just are publix that is filthy. Their floors were almost as bad as ours. What's going on? Are they just one more company in Corp america that is squeezing every penny out of the company by running on less staff and having employees do more work? There comes a point when it back fires. It is almost there with Publix. The SH Publix has been so filthy lately, I have dreaded going. Sweetbay if finally starting to clean up and be a better store. Megamart always have shiny floors but I can't handle the raw meat smell.
The floors are mopped every night but the wax builds up so the floors are stripped on a rotating basis and our store is scheduled to be stripped in the near future.
There is a ton of traffic in the store so I think that considering the amount of people in and out of there on a daily basis they do a pretty good job of maintaining the store overall.
Our SH Publix: Parking lot is too small, store is too small, Deli takes forever, too few checkout lanes, filthy floors, fruit quality is poor, nutritional bar selection is lousy and aisles are cramped. I am always running into another shopper and I am not a big person. Maybe I'm missing something, but what exactly is there to love about it?
The store was rebuilt on the exisiting footprint of the orginal that was opened in the 30's. Current zoning would not allow it to be built bigger as the parking requirements limited the size of the rebuild. If you had 20 checkouts like the KnK then there would be less room for product - BTW does more registers make the KnK any better???
If there are not enough nutritional bars to your liking then ask the manager about getting the specific ones you require. I have had succes with having item s brought in.
On the positive side - I actually enjoy the energy of the store and can guarantee you that I will see at least 2 or more people that I know from the neighborhood when I shop.
I hear the the aisle are wider at the Sav 'n Pak on Hillsborough - just a thought.
KnK- Sweetbay on MLK is looking much better. They now carry many organic items, gourmet foods and have a huge selection of salsa including the one I buy that cost much more at Williams Sonoma. Nice new bags too!
FYI the Publix on Nebraska opened in 1954. Publix could have bought the property across Nebraska when they rebuilt but was afraid of the investment. Nebraska being what is was/is
actually - it was the cost of the pedrestrian bridge at an estimated cost of $1,000,000 that killed the deal. That parcel was looked at for additional parking - I was told that by the opening manager of the rebuilt store at the grand opening.
How could any business put the kind of money into rebuilding from the ground up - pay $300,000 for the land across the street and spend a million for the bridge and end up with a store of the same size with limited sales potential?? I ain't a rocket scientist but that fuzzy math don't make sense to me.
I DON'T love it! The selection of meat, fruit, veggie and anything organic is seriously lacking, The deli? The parking situation? I can't even count how many times I haven't been able to find a shopping cart to use. I drive elsewhere for my groceries. If I have no other alternative (quick errand) I will shop there but I always end up pissed off. I don't have the time or patience for the inefficiency & lack of quality at our neighborhood publix store.
sorry, but the real culprit in all of this is WAL-MART. Their cut-throat competition has forced traditional grocery retailers to slash costs that have affected quality and service. Learn to live it!!
wal-mart doesn't explain the limited options at a small publix store....the publix on bayshore and neptune are large and have nice variety of products - they are doing just fine in the age of wal-mart...so learn where to pick your wal-mart battles
obviously if the Neptune Publix is 60 some thousand sq ft then they will have 21 different types of mustard instead of the 4 -5 that we have here - kinda makes senses doesn't it???
I love the the SH Publix. It is like a glorified 7-11. I never go there to "buy groceries" I go there to buy one dinner, or satisfy a snack craving. I love running into neighbors and love the overall feel. However, The floors are absolutely disgusting. I saw the earlier post about mopping at night and this is unacceptable. They evidently know that once is not enough and should do it through out the day.
Lately, it appears they may have hired some of Albertson's cashiers. They seem a bit rude. Never speak. I miss the older, nicer ladies.
.....and with the increase in customers attributed to the closing of the Albertsons how would one expect to be mopping through the day and not have it tracked all over the store and be completely black all over the place??? Clean ups or spills -yes - continuous mopping during high volume traffic ( which is all day at this store) - get real.
I think mopping throughout the day is realistic. I don't think they mentioned it had to be the entire store. When you have an aisle that is tottally black. Mop it! Is it too much to ask to have a clean store to shop? Oh thats right, the business have the OK from the city to look like Sh*t so why can't the inside of our supermarkets.
.....and you would be the person that would walk half way up the aisle and come to a wet floor sign and turn around and walk all the way back down the aisle and around to the next and all the way to the end to go back to the midpoint of the wet aisle to get your item??? No, you will walk over the wet floor leaving your piggy trail because you can't be inconvienced by a spill but will demand a clean floor!!
Get real. I think that Publix stores are consistantly hands above others in their level of cleanliness. I can say that having worked in three different chains to pay for college.
do you think the outside of OUR Publix looks like crap??? Look at Nebraska - it is a standout among the businesses for being/staying clean. When is the last time Family Dollar swept their parking lot? That store is what almost 10 years newer and already looks crappier.
If you think the Pubix is bad (which it isn't) you should go down to the Mega Market. Talk about filth!! The parking lot is filthy, the customers are filthy, the employees are greasy, the floors.....OH MY GOD!!, and the stench of rotten meat market is enough to make you gag!! Why haven't inpectors closed this place down?? We also went to the Abuela's Market at Central and Slight last week. The nasty smell of unclean meat market was so bad that I had to say something to the manager. I promised here that if they didn't clean it up, we would not be back. I will not tolerate lack of hygiene from the place where I purchase my food. NO WAY!!!
If so many of us are shopping on Bayshore because our Nebraska store isn't offering the higher quality... maybe the new manager needs to know that the Clientel has changed & if we know that the items we want are going to be available & FRESH... we will return to shopping our neighborhood store.
He can't read minds and probably doesn't have time to read the blog.......so if we go in and let him know what items we are looking for in a nice and respectful way and not screaming and hollering and kicking shins then I think we will be pleasantly suprised at the results.
I hear he has special ordered "Mr. Bubble" already!
The new manager is a very nice guy so let's give him a chance - Tom (old mgr) was there over 5 years so maybe it was time for a change.
Change, be it good or bad, does not happen overnight.
You know, Publix has built beautiful spec stores all over the place except for here in Tampa. The newer Miami Beach store is something to behold. There is no reason why they couldn't put a premier store in that same location and eliminate all of the parking headaches for all of its clients. They just don't want to. Is anyone from Publix management reading this blog? Someone should advise them to do so.
There is a certain side of the parking lot (southeast side) where if you look up at the old sign (particularly when the sun is setting behind it) it's just nostalgic, old Florida. Despite all the comments, for brief moments, I like our old store. THEN... you get down & try to find a cart & the moment is SO gone.
I agree with some of theses posts and some I don't. I always liked our Publix and the clean cut personel but, I don't like some of the newer ruder cashiers and bag boys that they have recently hired. They look and act like they are angry at being there. Change is inevitable but, I am seeing an element coming that hasn't been there before. I just hope it is going to effect the quality of the products.
Publix is losing many of it's employees that have worked there for years as management can now reduce an employees pay rate after an evaluation and so lower their payrolls. Many of the people that have worked their way up to higher levels of pay who are now facing pay reductions are not tolerating this and are leaving or retiring.
maybe he went to the lutz store to be closer to his old assistant managers and former customers....
ReplyDeleteI don't blame him. Since Albertson's closed, that store is a nightmare.
ReplyDeleteWhy can't people in this area care one small once to respect our business and neighbors. They can trash anything.
ReplyDeletePublix managers typically don't have a choice of where they're sent to work. The only time you get to choose is if you want to move to a state where they're still expanding and even then you don't get to choose the exact store.
ReplyDeleteI unabashedly love our Publix store!
ReplyDeleteme too. I have noticed the floors are getting pretty gross, but it is my store of choice for the hood.
ReplyDeleteand the new manager is already starting to make a difference!!!
ReplyDelete"maybe he went to the lutz store to be closer to his old assistant managers and former customers...."
ReplyDeleteoh snap....hahaha
I learned today he was assigned to a Town and Country store
ReplyDeleteThe new manager lives in Hampton Terrace and many of his friends and neighbors use that store. He's a great guy and I'm sure he'll do a good job.
ReplyDeleteYesterday I saw something in the parking lot that I've never seen before, though... a dirty diaper just tossed aside. Does anyone know if another store will open where Albertsons was?
It can't be soon enough if so - can we post flyers with directions to the KnK (SweetBays) at MLK??
ReplyDeleteToday, we drove down to the Bayshore Publix... best Sushi. While were were there, we noticed that it is not just are publix that is filthy. Their floors were almost as bad as ours. What's going on? Are they just one more company in Corp america that is squeezing every penny out of the company by running on less staff and having employees do more work? There comes a point when it back fires. It is almost there with Publix. The SH Publix has been so filthy lately, I have dreaded going. Sweetbay if finally starting to clean up and be a better store. Megamart always have shiny floors but I can't handle the raw meat smell.
ReplyDeleteThe floors are mopped every night but the wax builds up so the floors are stripped on a rotating basis and our store is scheduled to be stripped in the near future.
ReplyDeleteThere is a ton of traffic in the store so I think that considering the amount of people in and out of there on a daily basis they do a pretty good job of maintaining the store overall.
Our SH Publix:
ReplyDeleteParking lot is too small, store is too small, Deli takes forever, too few checkout lanes, filthy floors, fruit quality is poor, nutritional bar selection is lousy and aisles are cramped. I am always running into another shopper and I am not a big person. Maybe I'm missing something, but what exactly is there to love about it?
The store was rebuilt on the exisiting footprint of the orginal that was opened in the 30's. Current zoning would not allow it to be built bigger as the parking requirements limited the size of the rebuild. If you had 20 checkouts like the KnK then there would be less room for product - BTW does more registers make the KnK any better???
ReplyDeleteIf there are not enough nutritional bars to your liking then ask the manager about getting the specific ones you require. I have had succes with having item s brought in.
On the positive side - I actually enjoy the energy of the store and can guarantee you that I will see at least 2 or more people that I know from the neighborhood when I shop.
I hear the the aisle are wider at the Sav 'n Pak on Hillsborough - just a thought.
KnK- Sweetbay on MLK is looking much better. They now carry many organic items, gourmet foods and have a huge selection of salsa including the one I buy that cost much more at Williams Sonoma. Nice new bags too!
ReplyDeleteThere is always Casa de Carne or House 'O Meat on Sligh
ReplyDeleteFYI the Publix on Nebraska opened in 1954. Publix could have bought the property across Nebraska when they rebuilt but was afraid of the investment. Nebraska being what is was/is
ReplyDeleteactually - it was the cost of the pedrestrian bridge at an estimated cost of $1,000,000 that killed the deal. That parcel was looked at for additional parking - I was told that by the opening manager of the rebuilt store at the grand opening.
ReplyDeleteHow could any business put the kind of money into rebuilding from the ground up - pay $300,000 for the land across the street and spend a million for the bridge and end up with a store of the same size with limited sales potential?? I ain't a rocket scientist but that fuzzy math don't make sense to me.
LOL
ReplyDeletesome of these post are so funny!
Onced worked at the publix before transformation took over
YOU all think its not clean now?????
lllllllllllllllolll
omgod
publix home to half the rodents in Seminole Heights
and that is why a new store was built not remodeled!
ReplyDeleteI DON'T love it! The selection of meat, fruit, veggie and anything organic is seriously lacking, The deli? The parking situation? I can't even count how many times I haven't been able to find a shopping cart to use.
ReplyDeleteI drive elsewhere for my groceries. If I have no other alternative (quick errand) I will shop there but I always end up pissed off. I don't have the time or patience for the inefficiency & lack of quality at our neighborhood publix store.
sorry, but the real culprit in all of this is WAL-MART. Their cut-throat competition has forced traditional grocery retailers to slash costs that have affected quality and service. Learn to live it!!
ReplyDeleteAnon 8:45
ReplyDeleteYou're sounding prety tense DUDE - grab a 6-pack of Corona the next time you go to the store - take a deep breath and relax.
Anon 10:10
ReplyDeleteThanks, I think you are right. I will take you up on that suggestion. anon 8:45
wal-mart doesn't explain the limited options at a small publix store....the publix on bayshore and neptune are large and have nice variety of products - they are doing just fine in the age of wal-mart...so learn where to pick your wal-mart battles
ReplyDeleteactually the Publix on Bayshore is the same size as our store - just a way different clientel with more $$$$ to spend hence a different product mix.
ReplyDeleteobviously if the Neptune Publix is 60 some thousand sq ft then they will have 21 different types of mustard instead of the 4 -5 that we have here - kinda makes senses doesn't it???
ReplyDeleteI love the the SH Publix. It is like a glorified 7-11. I never go there to "buy groceries" I go there to buy one dinner, or satisfy a snack craving. I love running into neighbors and love the overall feel. However, The floors are absolutely disgusting. I saw the earlier post about mopping at night and this is unacceptable. They evidently know that once is not enough and should do it through out the day.
ReplyDeleteLately, it appears they may have hired some of Albertson's cashiers. They seem a bit rude. Never speak. I miss the older, nicer ladies.
.....and with the increase in customers attributed to the closing of the Albertsons how would one expect to be mopping through the day and not have it tracked all over the store and be completely black all over the place??? Clean ups or spills -yes - continuous mopping during high volume traffic ( which is all day at this store) - get real.
ReplyDeleteOlder? Nicer?
ReplyDeleteHey! Who you calling old!
I think mopping throughout the day is realistic. I don't think they mentioned it had to be the entire store. When you have an aisle that is tottally black. Mop it! Is it too much to ask to have a clean store to shop? Oh thats right, the business have the OK from the city to look like Sh*t so why can't the inside of our supermarkets.
ReplyDelete.....and you would be the person that would walk half way up the aisle and come to a wet floor sign and turn around and walk all the way back down the aisle and around to the next and all the way to the end to go back to the midpoint of the wet aisle to get your item??? No, you will walk over the wet floor leaving your piggy trail because you can't be inconvienced by a spill but will demand a clean floor!!
ReplyDeleteGet real. I think that Publix stores are consistantly hands above others in their level of cleanliness. I can say that having worked in three different chains to pay for college.
do you think the outside of OUR Publix looks like crap??? Look at Nebraska - it is a standout among the businesses for being/staying clean. When is the last time Family Dollar swept their parking lot? That store is what almost 10 years newer and already looks crappier.
ReplyDeleteIf you think the Pubix is bad (which it isn't) you should go down to the Mega Market. Talk about filth!! The parking lot is filthy, the customers are filthy, the employees are greasy, the floors.....OH MY GOD!!, and the stench of rotten meat market is enough to make you gag!! Why haven't inpectors closed this place down?? We also went to the Abuela's Market at Central and Slight last week. The nasty smell of unclean meat market was so bad that I had to say something to the manager. I promised here that if they didn't clean it up, we would not be back. I will not tolerate lack of hygiene from the place where I purchase my food. NO WAY!!!
ReplyDeleteIf so many of us are shopping on Bayshore because our Nebraska store isn't offering the higher quality... maybe the new manager needs to know that the Clientel has changed & if we know that the items we want are going to be available & FRESH... we will return to shopping our neighborhood store.
ReplyDeleteHe can't read minds and probably doesn't have time to read the blog.......so if we go in and let him know what items we are looking for in a nice and respectful way and not screaming and hollering and kicking shins then I think we will be pleasantly suprised at the results.
ReplyDeleteI hear he has special ordered "Mr. Bubble" already!
The new manager is a very nice guy so let's give him a chance - Tom (old mgr) was there over 5 years so maybe it was time for a change.
Change, be it good or bad, does not happen overnight.
MR BUBBLE?!?!?!?!
ReplyDeleteAll is right with the world!
We will be sure to buy Mr. Bubble when it comes in so he is encouraged to continue ordering on request. Who couldn't use some Mr. Bubble?
ReplyDelete"Long time manager at our Nebraska Avenue Publix, Tom Roessel?? has moved on to another store."
ReplyDeleteThat is how this whole thing got started... look at all the interest in our lil' ol' publix.
You know, Publix has built beautiful spec stores all over the place except for here in Tampa. The newer Miami Beach store is something to behold. There is no reason why they couldn't put a premier store in that same location and eliminate all of the parking headaches for all of its clients. They just don't want to. Is anyone from Publix management reading this blog? Someone should advise them to do so.
ReplyDeleteThere is a certain side of the parking lot (southeast side) where if you look up at the old sign (particularly when the sun is setting behind it) it's just nostalgic, old Florida. Despite all the comments, for brief moments, I like our old store.
ReplyDeleteTHEN... you get down & try to find a cart & the moment is SO gone.
I want Borden's French Onion Dip. Every store in FL carries Bordens milk or cheese but not the dip.
ReplyDeleteWal-Mart Neighborhood Market yessirree!
ReplyDeleteThe help is mean, the lines are long, the selection sucks but we save almost $100 a month shopping there.
And when property taxes and home insurance and gas prices are sky high, that's alot of money!
Pubix in West Palm Beach ! O LA LA!
ReplyDeletedo you save money at Wally World because you have no selection therefor don't spend your money??
ReplyDeleteI agree with some of theses posts and some I don't. I always liked our Publix and the clean cut personel but, I don't like some of the newer ruder cashiers and bag boys that they have recently hired. They look and act like they are angry at being there. Change is inevitable but, I am seeing an element coming that hasn't been there before. I just hope it is going to effect the quality of the products.
ReplyDeletePublix is losing many of it's employees that have worked there for years as management can now reduce an employees pay rate after an evaluation and so lower their payrolls. Many of the people that have worked their way up to higher levels of pay who are now facing pay reductions are not tolerating this and are leaving or retiring.
ReplyDelete