Several new Publix stores opened in Florida last month, though Publix officials said they’re missing a certain piece of equipment.
According to the company, its signature scales will not be made available in any of its new locations.
These scales date back to 1930, when the first Publix store was opened in Florida.
In the chain’s early years, it decided to make these scales free for customers to use — something that typically required money during this time because people didn’t have scales in their homes.
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“Our founder, having the vision to be a customer service expert, he thought having scales in the store without having our customers pay for it would be a treat — and it was,” said Dwaine Stevens, who worked for Publix for around four decades.
However, customers won’t find any scales in Publix stores outside of Florida and Georgia. And that’s because there are only a few left.
Publix officials told News 6 that the scales’ manufacturer — Mettler Toledo — stopped making them a few years ago.
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“The manufacturer ceased production in 2015, meaning that one day — although our wonderful repair shop keeps our remaining machines in great shape — the last Publix scale will retire,” Publix wrote. “When scales are taken out of a store, they go for a spruce-up in our repair shop. They could wind up going to another store, or they may be held for parts to utilize in other scales.”
As a result, these scales won’t be coming to new Florida stores, the company explained.
Publix bought up as many of these scales as it could before Mettler Toledo stopped production, and the remaining scales are kept in stores or at a warehouse in Lakeland.
The main technician at the warehouse said the scales last quite a long time. He worked on one that was built in 1971.
The technician uses a Publix People Weigher Repair handbook. He said there are all types of repair issues, like when children swing on the arms and treat them like playground equipment.
A Publix manager said the second most common reason people use the scales is to weigh their luggage on the way to the airport. That way they can know if it’s too heavy before checking it with the airline.
According to Publix, the scales will stay in the Florida stores as long as the technicians can keep them operational.
In the meantime, the newest Publix stores in Florida are as follows:
| Opening Date | Location | Address |
|---|---|---|
| April 4 | Sarasota | Fruitville Farms - 1940 Lakewood Ranch Blvd. |
| April 4 | Homestead | Valencia Center - 1220 E. Palm Drive |
| April 11 | Wellington | Wellington Green Square - 10640 Forest Hill Blvd. |
| April 18 | Oviedo | Alafaya Square - 81 Alafaya Woods Blvd. |
| April 18 | Estero | The Shoppes at Verdana Village - 19050 Corkscrew Road |
| April 18 | Melbourne | Addison Center at Viera - 7655 Stadium Pkwy. |
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