How to respond to our open-carry grocer

Open carry of firearms became legal in Florida on  25 Sept, 2025, though private property owners can still prohibit firearms on their premises. To the horror of many, the Florida grocery chain Publix responded by changing their own policy to allow customers to bring loaded firearms into their 900 stores.

How should folks like us respond?

A boycott seems appropriate, and we do have choices. Most Florida grocers DO NOT allow their customers to display weapons in their stores. Here are the ones I’ve found, in alphabetical order who do not: Aldi’s,  Milam’s, Sprouts Market,Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Winn-Dixie. 

Fresh Market does the same as Publix. Walmart prefers you not bring a weapon into the store, but does not outright prohibit open carry.

If you boycott Publix over this policy, please amplify your power by letting them know:

1) Call Publix headquarters at 1 800 242-1227.

2) Go to their website and send a “contact us” message, http://www.publix.com/contact/contact-us.  

The problem for my family is that we pretty much already boycott Publix over their dark money campaign to prevent single-use plastic bag regulation in Florida and their refusal to support the Immolakee farm workers with a penny-a-pound bonus for tomatoes.

As an alternative to the open carry boycott, what if we give Publix what they seem to be asking for? Open carry.

Engaging in open carry in Publix, to the extent allowed by their own policy and Florida law, would do far more damage to the Publix brand than by shaking our fists and shopping at Sprouts. 

Go for it.

1. Acquire an assault rifle, such as an AR15.
2. Insert an empty ammunition clip, release the safety and dry fire once at the ground to make sure the rifle doesn’t have a cartridge in the chamber.
3. Dress in black (trick or treat!).
4. Strap the rifle across your chest.
5. Stroll the produce isles at your nearest Publix. 

For my family, that would be the sparkly new Publix that replaced the theater on US1 in Coral Gables. Knowing the Coral Gables clientele, I’m confident that a man in black strolling the produce isle with an AR15 would empty the place in a heartbeat. For a woman doing the same it would take several heartbeats – maybe snarl every few moments: “Publix – where shopping is a pleasure”. 

My stomach isn’t strong enough (yet) to purchase an assault rifle, much less carry one, even for such a noble cause. When it comes to any type of firearm, the only civilian use I entertain is deer hunting (for conservation purposes, of course). There I draw the line at single-shot hunting rifles and I prefer to borrow cousin Jon’s crossbow. Oh yeah, and shotguns are useful for shooting down those pesky quadcopter drones.

Still, I continue to entertain the AR15-at-Publix fantasy and hope someone with serious cojones is inspired to pull it off. 

Publix deserves it.

© Philip Stoddard