Publix ditches longtime checkout lane rule in major change for shoppers

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Publix shoppers may notice a change the next time they head for the express checkout lane.

The Florida-based supermarket chain has dropped the traditional 10-item limit from its express lanes, giving store employees more flexibility to manage checkout traffic and potentially reduce wait times.

“To better serve our customers and improve checkout efficiency, we recently updated our express lane process to provide associates with greater flexibility in managing customer flow,” a company spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

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“Rather than adhering to a specific item limit, our focus is on reducing wait times and ensuring customers can be served as efficiently as possible.”

Signs that previously designated lanes for customers with “10 items or less” are being replaced with signs that simply say “express,” according to reports.

A Publix employee stands and looks at the checkout lanes.

The change does not mean Publix is doing away with express checkout altogether. Instead, the supermarket is moving away from using a specific number of items to determine who should use the lane.

The policy could allow employees to take factors such as store traffic and the size or complexity of an order into account when directing customers to checkout lanes.

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Publix has also increasingly offered self-checkout stations at its stores, providing another option for shoppers looking to quickly pay for smaller purchases.

The Lakeland, Florida-based company operates more than 1,400 supermarkets across eight Southeastern states.

It was not immediately clear whether the updated express checkout policy applies to every Publix location or when the change officially took effect.

A Publix shopper uses the self checkout.

The change has generated discussion among shoppers over whether removing the item limit will make checkout more efficient or defeat the purpose of having an express lane in the first place.

“An express lane with no item limit is just another checkout lane,” one person wrote on Reddit.

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Another commenter suggested Publix should simply make self-checkout the faster option for shoppers with smaller orders, writing, “Just make it another regular register and push SCO as the express option.”

Others supported the change, arguing that the number of items in a customer’s cart does not necessarily determine how long a transaction will take.

Publix employees bag groceries and shoppers load their carts in the checkout lanes.

“I actually kinda like this,” one commenter wrote. “Express is meant for quick orders.”

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Publix’s existing customer service policies continue to list a variety of payment options at checkout, including cash, checks with proper identification, debit or credit cards and contactless payments.

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Publix also maintains its longstanding “Publix Promise,” under which a customer who is charged more for an item at checkout than the shelf or advertised price receives it for free, excluding alcohol and tobacco products. Additional quantities are charged at the lower price.

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