Publix has made its' way into North Carolina, and after protesting while it was new, I finally caved and went for the first time a couple of weeks ago. On a weekday, mid afternoon the store is pretty empty. But on the weekend watch out! There are just people every where. And I'm pretty sure employees are at a 1:1 ratio to customers because I was asked if I was finding everything ok on every isle. It gets kind of old actually. They don't ask if you want your groceries to be taken out, they just take it out. Sometimes I just think the baggers need a break from being so nice.
Their store is very nice. It's easy to navigate, and everything is super fresh. All of the cakes and deli foods are made fresh at the store. You can really taste the difference.
It's a nice place to shop, but I do think you get what you pay for. Definitely not a discount store.