The article wasn’t a list of “best” stores, but cheapest stores. We lived in Columbus, GA, and the best shopping experience was at Fresh Market (expensive, but MUCH better than Whole Foods, and less birkenstocky than Sprouts), though Publix had the best overall selection. Publix gets brownie points for carrying Drake’s products at times (hard to find in Georgia). My wife found it expensive enough that Aldi and Winn-Dixie got more of our business when we lived there.
“Drake’s products” Funny Bones! The absolute best snack cake ever invented. Unknown on the West Coast. There was a Steven King short story about a kid in Redondo Beach, CA, (possibly “Apt Pupil”) where the kid was eating ring dings, and I said “unpossible.”
“Publix...expensive enough that Aldi and Winn-Dixie got more of our business when we lived there.”
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I drive three extra miles to shop for Winn-Dixie’s lower prices. (I watch where the Mexicans shop).
Publix is employee-owned, so each employee will go the extra mile to find that requested item; however, nobody goes to Publix anymore—it’s too crowded.