The woes of Winn-Dixie

[Roland99]

Source: Orlando Sentinel

The woes of Winn-Dixie
Winn-Dixie plans to close 30 stores, mostly in Florida.

By mid-September, Winn-Dixie will close 30 stores throughout the Southeastern U.S., mostly in Florida. It will also eliminate 120 corporate and field positions in addition to the about 1,950 jobs lost in the closing supermarkets.

"The future's not so great," said Scott Mushkin, a retail analyst for Jefferies & Co.

While Winn-Dixie has a strong management team that has helped it stay afloat, Mushkin said, mistakes from the past have left the chain floundering, unable to find a niche for itself in an increasingly competitive industry.

...

Winn-Dixie's decline began years ago, when it started losing customers to Publix as some of its stores fell into disrepair. Then some consumers seeking rock-bottom prices abandoned Winn-Dixie for Walmart as the massive discounter expanded rapidly into the grocery business.

Read more: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-cfb-cover-winn-dixie-080910-20100809,0,3524974.story

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Is Publix like Walmart selling groceries?

[Roland99]

2. Publix is more like a Kroger

[Divine Discontent]

3. Publix is a full service grocery store, with higher prices than anyone but they offer a large amount

of weekly B1G1 free deals each week. They have a highly respected produce and bakery dept, and good meat and deli. Their stores are typically in wealthier areas, whereas Winn-Dixie's typically (not always) are not.

Part of WD's problem is image, and their stated problems with stores being in disrepair. Their stores tend to be old-fashioned looking, and their specialty dept's aren't as good as Publix, imo. They need to revamp their stores, and change their old fashioned image/signs, and perhaps even change the store name to just Dixie Markets or Winn Foods or something.

[Turbineguy]

5. Publix is a pretty good store

Not on the level of Whole Food or Central, but then again, the prices are lower. It's way better than Winn-Dixie.

[onethatcares]

4. let's cut thier taxes.

seems to work for the repukes. If we can cut their taxes to the bone, shred em, do away with all of the taxes that are holding them back, will they be able to compete?

[jmowreader]

15. Except that taxes aren't what's holding Winn-Dixie back

Winn-Dixie not having made a significant update to their stores since before they stopped sponsoring Mark Martin in 2000, is what's holding them back.

[saigon68]

20. Yes in the old Busch series

[flvegan]

6. Kash n Karry's recent upgrade was the end of Winn Dixie, I think.

Publix wasn't competition for Winn Dixie. Two completely different stores. I saw Kash n Karry as their bigger "niche" competitor. When KnK upgraded its stores and changed their name to Sweetbay, they made WD look even worse. Unless I was just running in for beer n' bread, I never liked Winn Dixie.

Yes, I'm a Publix shopping elitist.

[Dr.Phool]

10. Winn-Dixie sucks.

Lousy meat, shitty produce. I'll drive an extra mile to Sweetbay for better quality.

[davidinalameda]

11. bet you have a limo and drink lattes

:D

[timtom]

23. I'm a Publix shopping elitist, too.

And I voted for Dennis Kucinich.

[wilt the stilt]

7. Publix came into Atlanta and blew out Kroger

Atlanta had always been a Kroger town. Probably 15 years ago they came into Atlanta with a 3 pronged approach. First it was the Deli- Boars head cold cuts. Second was the bakery- quite good with a variety of breads- a good rye bread and other good loafs with good cakes. Finally, they will take your groceries to your car- no tipping allowed.

Publix now owns Atlanta- This would be a great business school case study.

[Submariner]

8. When I lived in Baton Rouge we went "Krogering"

If we didn't find what we wanted Krogering, it was off to the Piggly Wiggly :rofl:. I love that name.

Up north here it's Stop & Shop or Shaw's, dull compared to the Piggly Wiggly, and the spicy cajun foods were better down south.

[skoalyman]

12. I remember Piggly Wiggly when I was a kid ,it was the only grocery store

in the small town in newlton Louisiana.We didn't have a hospital for miles if you got hurt you were clear out of luck.

[Gold Metal Flake]

18. I remember going to the Piggly Wiggly in Natchitoches with my grandfolks.

I think it's gone now.

[dogfacedboy]

17. They have "The Pig" down South?

They're all over the Upper Midwest. I thought it was a Wisconsin thing, for the most part.

[Sgent]

24. Piggly WIggly was founded in Memphis

and has a long history in the grocery business. According to some, they were the very first modern "grocery store" as we know it (self service, etc.).

[Dappleganger]

13. Publix won me over with them taking groceries to my car.

The one we go to regularly (and where our 17 yr. old son has worked since he was 14 as a bagger) is considered a 'flagship store.' Several district managers have come out of there and they are tops in how they treat people. They hire multiple special needs folks and I know the manager went out of his way to hire a lot of laid-off people around here too (as in he would call them up as soon as he discovered the news and tell them to come apply for a job right away).

I've had multiple surgeries and have a bad neck and now a really bad back. There have been times that I needed extra help and they will appoint someone to walk around w/me and put things into the cart, unload it at the cashier and then reload again into the car. They won't take tips and go the extra mile and in our area are as friendly as can be. The Food Lion across the street which has now been boarded up wouldn't even give you the time of day hardly, much less any other help.

[pitohui]

16. w-d's prices too high but they'll help you take your groceries to your car

at least the one around here will, just ask 'em

actually i thought they all did except maybe walmart, you just have to say something

[Dulcinea]

21. Publix would completely blow Kroger out of Atlanta if they had gas discounts.

I shop at both stores, but would shop at Publix exclusively if they had fuel discounts. I need that 10 cents off per gallon! Publix has by far the better bakery and deli dept. Their cakes rock!

I haven't been in a Winn-Dixie in years, but there used to be one near me, & it was a dump.

[Sherman A1]

9. That's a shame as many jobs will be lost

it appears that WD's failure to keep up with market trends and keep up their stores (read to mean failed management) will cost over 2000 jobs.

[JCMach1]

14. WALMART

Winn Dixie was always the rock bottom of the market. Wally world took that market away at the same time they were overexpanding.

[Freddie Stubbs]

19. Yet Publix is flourishing here in FL

Winn Dixie is closing stores while Publix is opening new ones.

[timtom]

22. Publix was here before Winn-Dixie

Winn-Dixie bought out Kwik-Chek sometime after 1962 (if I recall correctly).

This is in response to the article, not the OP.

[kjackson227]

25. We lost our Winn-Dixie a long time ago, here...

I sure do miss them... they had THE best barbecued ribs.

[KamaAina]

26. Only one store in La. closing

and it's across the river from NOLA, which already had a number of "food deserts" even before Katrina. Phew!

Full list:

http://www.winndixie.com/About_Us/Closing_Locations.asp

[DatManFromNawlins]

27. I worked for them for seven years

They have the combined corporate intellect of a piece of chewed gum. Corporate has been completely oblivious to the stupidity of the district managers, who are downright freaking afraid of anyone moving up their ranks if they have a college education, because Jacksonville might favor the educated over the tenured. I was begged by the DM about 2 years after I started working there to quit college so that they could push me up the chain as fast as possible.

[underpants]

28. My first actual job was bagging groceries at Winn Dixie

What did I make at the time --$3.15?? or something like that. Minimum wage in 1983.