A short video edited by Justine Griffin for the Tampa Bay Times to accompany this story.
Tag Archives: Publix
Tampa Bay Times: You can can use your chip credit card Walmart and Target, but why not Publix?
By Justine Griffin for the Tampa Bay Times. May 18, 2016.
Last year credit card companies began installing chip technology that was expected to dramatically reduce the likelihood that a thief or hacker could steal from customers’ accounts.
Stores in the Tampa Bay area — ranging from big chains like Walmart and Target to independent shops like Buddy Brew Coffee and Juxtapose Apparel & Studio — began installing chip card readers seven months ago.
But for a privacy revolution, it hasn’t started with much of a bang. A study by the Strawhecker Group says only about 37 percent of stores nationwide are now equipped with readers; another study by Boston Retail Partners says it’s only about 22 percent.
Most notably missing among Florida companies is Publix Super Markets, the state’s most popular grocer with more than 1,000 stores, which has yet to allow customers to use embedded chip technology because it’s still upgrading its computer systems for the switch.
Some credit card experts say that could ultimately hurt Publix.
“The longer retailers go without upgrading their terminals, the more likely it is to put them in a competitive disadvantage because consumers will perceive them as being a less safe place to shop,” said Matt Schulz, a senior industry analyst with CreditCards.com. “That’s a big deal.”
Read more in the Tampa Bay Times here.
Publix among companies challenged to retain millennial workers
By Justine Griffin for the Tampa Bay Times
For years, Publix Super Markets captured accolade after accolade for being one of the best places to work in the United States.
After all, the Lakeland-based grocery chain makes a contribution to each employee’s retirement account in the form of Publix stock every year. With more than 177,000 employees in six states, nearly 10,000 have worked for the company for 20 years or more, which is significant for a company of its size. Publix keeps a running, competitive list of the top 200 employees with at least 40 years logged with the company.
But like many other companies, Publix is struggling to come up with new ways to keep the millennial generation engaged — and employed for the longer term.
“Millennials lived through the economic crisis in 2007 and beyond. They saw their parents and other family members get laid off, so their perception of loyalty is very different,” said Moez Limayem, dean of the University of South Florida’s Muma College of Business. “They expect companies to keep them engaged, and if they’re not getting that, they’ll leave.”
Read more here.
COLUMN: Will Publix-Whole Foods merger stay just a rumor?
By Justine Griffin for the Herald-Tribune
A peculiar rumor about Florida’s No. 1 grocer, Publix Supermarkets, and upscale organic retailer Whole Foods Market grew legs and took off over the weekend.
The viral story about Publix buying Whole Foods spread quickly, appearing in newspapers across Florida and around the Internet. Whether or not you like the idea — and no one knows for sure where this rumor started, or why — it seems unlikely to be true.
The buzz began last week, when Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods’ stock jumped 6.6 percent on Wall Street in two days, and options activity spiked. Whole Foods’ profile also was raised when it was ranked on the 2014 Fortune 500 list announced last week.
Publix, too, has seen substantial growth so far this year. The Lakeland-based retailer posted $7.8 billion in sales in the first quarter, up about 4 percent compared with the same period last year.
But their growth is no reason the companies might merge, analysts say.
Read more here.