The hidden tax
What's quietly testing Publix's fresh standard.
01 / Produce
Weather-driven volatility no model can read by hand.
Hurricane-season produce planning, July tomato volume, Vidalia onion windows — variability that demands daily, store-level decisions today is still being made on weekly Excel cycles.
02 / Deli & Bakery
Production guesswork the team carries on its shoulders.
Sub builds, hot-bar volume, fried-chicken pulls, decorated cake pre-orders — every Publix associate has a feel for the right number, and right now it lives only in their head.
03 / Shrink
The waste sheet is hiding seven figures per banner.
Markdowns, donations, and write-offs scatter across systems. The total cost of fresh shrink rarely lands on a single screen — and certainly not in time to act on it tomorrow.