For 70 years, Publix promised shoppers that visiting its stores would be a pleasure.
Now, some say it feels more like a standoff, as the grocer begins allowing customers to openly carry guns down its aisles.
The move makes Publix — founded in 1930 and known for its iconic slogan introduced in 1954 — one of the few major grocery chains in Florida to explicitly permit open carry.
Publix will allow customers to openly carry firearms inside its Florida stores, following a recent court ruling that overturned the state’s decades-long ban on open carry.
The policy took effect on September 25, the same day the new law went into force.
‘Publix follows all federal, state and local laws,’ the company said.
‘Treating customers with dignity and respect is a founding belief at Publix. In any instance where a customer creates a threatening, erratic, or dangerous shopping experience — whether they are openly carrying a firearm or not — we will engage local law enforcement to protect our customers and associates.’
The Florida-based grocer, which operates more than 900 stores in the state and 1,400 across eight southeastern states, did not say if the change its policies in other markets.
Publix has begun allowing customers to openly carry firearms in its stores, following a recent court ruling that struck down the state’s decades-long ban on open carry.
After Target banned open carry in stores in 2014, members of the group Open Carry Texas were photographed shopping at Target with their rifles in tow — images that went viral and sparked debate over guns in family-oriented spaces
Several states where Publix operates — including Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia — already allow some form of open carry.
Rival Winn-Dixie said it will not allow customers to bring visible firearms into its Florida stores.
The policy has quickly split shoppers. Some say it makes them feel less safe and could spark unnecessary fear or tension.
‘I believe it can cause unnecessary stress and drama,’ said Scott Gonzalez, a Publix customer in South Florida. ‘It needs to stop being political and it needs to be more about the safety of our community.’
Retired paramedic David Murphy said the sight of firearms in grocery stores ‘just doesn’t make sense.’
His wife, Irene, added, ‘I have grandchildren. I would be alarmed if they saw people with a gun in the grocery store.’
Others see it differently. ‘I feel like if you’re going to carry a gun, I’d rather know that it’s on your person than be caught off guard,’ said Erica McKeon, another shopper. ‘At least I can walk away from the person if I see a gun and I’m not comfortable.’
The move makes Publix, whose slogan is ‘where shopping is a pleasure,’ one of the few major grocery chains in Florida to explicitly permit open carry.
The shift follows a Florida appeals court ruling earlier this month that found the state’s long-standing prohibition on open carry violated the Second Amendment. While guns remain banned in schools, police stations, and polling places, grocery stores face no such restriction
Another customer, Stephen Hernandez, said: ‘Maybe we should all get one, so it could be an even playing field.’
The change follows a landmark decision earlier this month, when a Florida appeals court struck down the state’s long-standing prohibition on open carry, ruling that it violated the Second Amendment. While state and federal laws still ban firearms in places like schools, police stations, and polling sites, grocery stores face no such restriction.
Under the new law, private businesses can decide for themselves whether to allow or ban firearms on their premises. Publix’s decision places it among a shrinking number of major retailers opting to allow open carry after years of growing corporate caution around guns in public spaces.
The debate underscores the tension between Florida’s expanding gun rights laws and the private sector’s responsibility to manage customer safety — a balance that, for Publix shoppers, now plays out in the produce aisle.
