Name:	lucky67 -	Reply
Subject:	PUBLIX
Date:	12/22/2015 11:26:21 AM

Troy is getting one--lucky Troy

Name:	Buteye -	Reply
Subject:	PUBLIX
Date:	12/22/2015 6:02:32 PM

I couldn't tell fom your post. Do you consider Publix a positive or negative for Troy? Publix is a nice upscale grocery store, but their prices are unreal. If you don't have to watch your pennies, fine, but if you are on a tight budget, you better compare prices with other stores.

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	PUBLIX
Date:	12/22/2015 7:03:33 PM

My dream is to see a Publix somewhere at the lake.  I don't know why they have a reputation for being expensive - I reguarly shop in the one in Montgomery, and don't notice their prices being noticablely higher.  What I love about them is that their food is fresh and they have a great selection, not only of produce, but meats.  I get really tired of having to make the trek to Montgomery just to get an ingredient that I should be able to get locally. 

Name:	GoneFishin -	Reply
Subject:	PUBLIX
Date:	12/22/2015 7:59:54 PM (updated 12/22/2015 8:01:54 PM)

Publix is high. Pick a product like cereal and compare it to Wal Mart. Wal Mart is not always the lowest, either. They have a program called Price Savings where you enter the receipt online and they check weekly sales flyers from Publix, Target, and Winn Dixie. If a lower price is found, you receive the difference. I started in Aug 2014 and have a total of $65.00 in savings that I can cash in. The bottom line, the sales flyers at Publix are real savings and often below Wal Mart's price. However, the regular price of items at Publix is almost always higher than Wal Mart's. The time to shop in Wal Mart is 9-10 PM. Store is mostly empty and the night crew hasn't started refilling the shelves. 

Following this schedule, gives you time to shop, hurry back home to read the Forum, and time to post negative stuff about your next President...Hillary 2016. 

Name:	MrHodja -	Reply
Subject:	PUBLIX
Date:	12/22/2015 8:51:56 PM

Wal Mart grocery is awful.  Poor selection, sloppy shelves, spotty customer service if at all.  Let's see, Aug 2014 to Dec 15, about 16 months to save a paltry 65 bucks, compared to a pleasant environment, fantastic product selection, super customer service.  For four bucks a month I will continue to go elsewhere.  Crap, that won't even buy half a decent Margarita at La Posada.

Name:	au67 -	Reply
Subject:	PUBLIX
Date:	12/22/2015 9:16:31 PM

GF may get kicked out of the left-wing liberal establishment if they find out he's been shopping at Wal-Mart.

Name:	GoneFishin -	Reply
Subject:	PUBLIX
Date:	12/22/2015 10:40:08 PM

The $65 is just from comparing Wal Mart to Publix sales flyer. The savings generated from everyday price differences is much more dramatic. We do buy all our meat and deli from Publix. The Wal Mart we shop at is in a more upscale area obviously than the one you are referring to. Try going to the Wal Mart across town.

Name:	wix -	Reply
Subject:	Goofhead
Date:	12/22/2015 11:00:09 PM

Can't you realize what these folks are screwing up on understanding about the Walmart program.  The Walmart program identifies the purchases where the competition costs LESS than Walmart.  All the other purchases over that 16 months were CHEAPER at Walmart, and that's hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.  I agree with Goofy that Publix is probably the most expensive place to buy any grocery product that they don't have on sale.  If you don't agree then you only shop at Publix and have no idea how much too much you pay Publix.  Now, bear in mind, I don't buy the most expensive gas in town just to be seen at Exxon either, so my opinion doesn't count for such people.  Don't buy Walmart produce or meats, but the rest is just as good and much cheaper.

Name:	MrHodja -	Reply
Subject:	Goofhead
Date:	12/23/2015 12:49:55 AM

Being retired military I buy the things that I might otherwise buy at A Wal Mart at the military commissary.  Like Wal Mart it is cheaper on staples like flour and sugar, but sketchy on new products or the unusual.  We have a Winn Dixie one stoplight closer than Publix to our home in Montgomery and that is where we usually shop.  Plus, whoever laid out the Publix parking lot must have been the boss and drunk.  It is a really bizarre layout and difficult to navigate.

Name:	Maddog -	Reply
Subject:	Goofhead
Date:	12/23/2015 6:01:05 AM

From our developer friends in Atlanta, a Publix is on the way to Alex City. The land has been bought and they are working on the time table at present. I've always enjoyed shopping at Publix, but you do have to watch their pricing. They have a lot of specials and you don't have to have one of those little cards to receive the better pricing. 

Name:	lucky67 -	Reply
Subject:	Goofhead
Date:	12/23/2015 8:22:33 AM

does publix offer gas reward points like WD

Name:	Lifer -	Reply
Subject:	Goofhead
Date:	12/23/2015 8:51:34 AM

At one point they were in negotiations to buy property in AC where an iconic building now sits. It would be taken down and then reopen in the strip center with the publix. I'm not sure if the deal closed or not. If it did it will be a huge change to the landscape of the area. Personally I would like to see it go close to the river bridge so as to be convenient to Gap and Dadeville folks. D'ville Pig is much better these days and has halted the steady price increases at Food land but neither have a decent selection.

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	PUBLIX
Date:	12/23/2015 9:02:48 AM

I do not shop at Walmart, ever, unless they are the absolute only place that has what I need.  They are a despicable company.  And I woudn't care if I saved $500 a year.

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Winn Dixie
Date:	12/23/2015 9:12:48 AM

I have no problems with Winn Dixie in Wetumpka or Montgomery.  But the one is Alex City is just awful.  I have thrown out produce that looks like what is offered for sale.   There was a moment when I thought they might be going to upgrade it  to the standard of the one in Wetumpka, but no.... If you want to see high prices, go to Fresh Market in Montgomery.  Love that store for their unique, high quality selections, but YIKeS, the prices.

I also like the Krogers in Tiger Town, if I just happen to be  there and need something.

Name:	MrHodja -	Reply
Subject:	Winn Dixie
Date:	12/23/2015 9:44:27 AM

Agree on Fresh Market.  Will be interesting to see what happens to Fresh Market and Earth Fare pricing and survival when Whole Foods finally opens.  I can see Fresh Market surviving because of their location, closer to several upscale neighborhoods, but fear that Earth Fare, being in Eastchase, will take a hit.

Name:	lakngulf -	Reply
Subject:	Winn Dixie
Date:	12/23/2015 9:48:37 AM

Is Fresh Market still at corner of Vaughn and ByPass? 

Name:	Little Talisi -	Reply
Subject:	Fresh Market
Date:	12/23/2015 9:58:34 AM

It is now located at the shopping center on Perry Hill at Carmichael.

Name:	VHStern -	Reply
Subject:	PUBLIX
Date:	12/23/2015 11:44:31 AM

Publix might be high, but Catherine's Market is some of the pricest I've seen. Love the cafe and fresh baked.

Name:	wix -	Reply
Subject:	Catherine's
Date:	12/23/2015 4:42:08 PM

Catherine's is not a store, it is a place to be seen wasting money....

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Catherine's
Date:	12/23/2015 5:34:51 PM

Catherine's market meats are expensive but excellent - I don't know of any other place around that carries Duroc pork - and for some recipes I like the airline chicken breasts and I've not seen them around anywhere either.  But the rest of their groceries are at convenience store prices.  I've run in there a few times when I've been looking for some fresh fennel, which seems to be unheard of, outside of Montgomery and Auburn.

Name:	MrHodja -	Reply
Subject:	Catherine's
Date:	12/23/2015 10:45:41 PM

For what it is worth, if you want "Italian" sausage in Italy ask for fennel sausage.

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Catherine's
Date:	12/24/2015 10:36:33 AM

When I lived in NJ, we had a store that made excellent fennel sausage.  Haven't had any really excellent Italians sausage since I left NJ.

I'm curious, what do you get if you don't say "fennel" sausage?

Name:	MrHodja -	Reply
Subject:	Catherine's
Date:	12/24/2015 11:10:53 AM

A blank stare...lol!

And If you want pepperoni pizza ask for salami picante.

And out of hundreds of meals we ate in Italy I think I saw chicken on the menu ONCE.  I guess the restaurants here serve it because it is cheap and they can pass it off as authentic and nobody will know the difference.  If the town is near the Italian coast the menu will be heavily seafood oriented.  If inland like Bologna, the menu will be beef, pork, or lamb oriented.  If in a big city like Rome or Milan, they will have it all.

And when you finish a pasta meal all that will reman in the dish is a little olive oil and remnants of the herbs used for flavor.  Nowhere on mainland Italy will you find dishes with the heavy red sauce that is so common here.  Not even in Naples.  The source must be Sardinia, as we ate in a Sardinian restaurant in Brooklyn and what they served as authentic Sardinian food was awash in the heavy red sauce.

All of the above falls into the "if you care" column for the day, but thinking of it makes me long to return to Italy.....

Name:	rude evin -	Reply
Subject:	Catherine's
Date:	12/24/2015 12:32:34 PM

Same here....you two have got to stop right here!

The best experience we had in Italy (besides shopping at a local market and getting lots of help from the local folks in the shop) was when we rented a villa south of Cartona in the Umbria area (there were 8 of us) and scheduled a local 3 person cooking team to come in and fix the whole shebang for a dinner, including a bon fire outside to cook some of the meat.... took most of the evening to cook and consume it.........I wanna go back!!

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Catherine's
Date:	12/24/2015 4:42:23 PM

You guys are making me want to drop everything and go!! 

I just picked up some white truffle oil and am planning on a making some pasta and tossing it with a little bit truffle oil, a nut of truffle butter, some mushrooms and a handful of flat leaf parsley.   When I was up in VA, they had supermarkets called Wegmans that have out of this world foods (like Whole Foods, but cheaper).  They were selling truffle mushroom for $99 a pound  Now Heaven woud be having a Wegmans here.....  but I don't think they are south of VA. 

I think the heavy red sauce comes from Sicily

Name:	MrHodja -	Reply
Subject:	Catherine's
Date:	12/25/2015 12:57:12 PM

I am still working up there about three weeks out of the month (going back after NYDay), so if you have any Wegmans requests let me know.  I am giving up the apartment I have in Shirlington at the end of January and will most likely be bringing a trailer full of furniture back and will probably have some space available.

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Catherine's
Date:	12/26/2015 12:02:20 PM

Thanks for the offer, but I can't think of anything at the moment.  Didn't realize you were actually living up there.  Love Shirlington for the restaurants, but the traffic up there is unbelievable - and what they have done with those HOV lanes - so confusing.  Last October, I was up in Aberdeen MD visiting my sisters, and drove down to VA to do some shopping.  I'm 7 years removed from Northern VA now and found I really resented the traffic. 

Name:	jalcz -	Reply
Subject:	Goofhead
Date:	12/26/2015 12:59:02 PM

There's an "iconic" building in Alex City? :-)

Name:	MrHodja -	Reply
Subject:	Catherine's
Date:	12/26/2015 3:31:14 PM

I found that taking Walter Reed Drive over to Arlington Blvd (Route 50) on my way to ROsslyn avoids the biggest traffic jams.  This was a temporary gig for me from the beginning and a fair amount was in the summer when traffic is lighter than usual (except for the tourist areas).  But I am with you......the thought of going back to that on a permanent basis elicits a "no (expletive deleted) way!".  But you are right about Shirlington - crowded but except for maybe a doc in a box it has just about anything you need.  We even have a Harris Teeter on the first floor of our apartment building.

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Catherine's
Date:	12/26/2015 9:18:05 PM

Used to spend some time Rosslyn with the Army and in Crystal City with the some of the contractors.  Hated the parking =$$$. 

When I was driving from Aberdeen, I passed Tyson's Corner and didn't even recognize it.   I like the convenience of NoVA - everything is there but the driving has gotten much worse.  Went by the area where I used to live and could not believe how built up it has become in the 7 years we have been gone, and the traffic has correspondingly increased.  It used to be that you could take the Metro for a reasonable amount, but the fares are now much higher too. 

Unfortunately, I see Birmingham going by way the NoVA area and Montgomery has some prospects too.  I don't understand why the state doesn't realize that if you continue to build homes and don't address the traffic by building more roads, you are going to end up with gridlock.  If you wait until you realize you have gridlock, it's too late, because you'll never catch up. 

Name:	boataholic -	Reply
Subject:	PUBLIX
Date:	1/7/2016 8:54:23 PM

Supposedly coming to Wetumpka too.  Next to Lowes.