Editor’s Note: Publix announced its ‘open carry’ policy very loudly last year. A boycott by a significant number of lifelong Publix shoppers ensued. Yesterday, it appears they have started back-pedaling on the policy, per this story. They will never admit it, but the boycott was hurting their bottom line and they caved. However, until they announce the new policy as loudly as they trumpeted ‘open carry’, I will continue to shop elsewhere and hope that many of you – who likely miss Publix as much as I do – will do the same. Publix needs to be publicly shamed into admitting that open carry was a mistake and they chose the wrong side of the political debate about the appropriateness of guns in every corner of American life.
Feel free to let Publix know you won’t come back to their stores until they announce this policy as loudly as they announced ‘open carry’. Send an email to the Director of Community Relations letting Publix Corporate know you expect a full public reversal of this policy:
Publix Corporate
Dwaine Stevens
Director of Community Relations
P.O. Box 407
Lakeland, FL 33802-0407
(863) 688-1188, ext. 58981
dwaine.stevens@publix.com
Publix, the beloved Florida-native grocery chain, appears to have reversed its policy on open carry in its stores.
Just months after allowing customers to openly carry firearms, reports are swirling on Wednesday that this policy has quietly been retracted.
CBS12 News attempted to confirm these changes by reaching out to Publix’s customer service, but was told we would get a response in 24 to 28 business hours. CBS12 News also reached out to Lindsey Willis, Central and South Florida Media Relations Manager, but we have not yet received a response.
A photo shared with CBS12 News from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune shows an updated sign outside a Lakeland Publix store. It now reads, “Publix kindly asks that only law enforcement openly carry firearms in our stores.”
And, an online interaction with Publix’s chatbot has raised eyebrows. When asked about open carry rules, the chatbot stated, “Publix kindly asks that only law enforcement openly carry firearms in our stores.”
This suggests a significant shift in the company’s approach to firearm policies.