Publix greets new customers in Lake Wylie

Ralph and Barbara Byra were all smiles Thursday on their way out of Publix.

“It’s amazing,” Barbara Byra said. “The selection, the service is incredible. There are so many people to help you. It isn’t like anything we have around here.”

Publix at Landing Station opened Nov. 11. The new store ends a long wait for customers, and businesses nearby. Elite Taekwondo advertised a Publix grand opening special on a sign in front of its store. Workers at Panda Hut said they hadn’t noticed an influx of new customers as of Thursday, but they were hopeful. They were pleased that parking is settled and an anchor tenant in place.

The outlook was even better at Echo Consignment Boutique.

“Yesterday we had the best day ever in our history with the store here,” co-owner Linda Watkins said Thursday. “We’re hoping that will continue.”

The Lake Wylie opening fell where it did on a busy calendar of Charlotte openings, said Publix spokeswoman Kimberly Reynolds. They weren’t specifically shooting to open just ahead of Thanksgiving and Christmas, but the company believes the timing will work out well for shoppers.

“When we can open in time for the holidays,” Reynolds said, “we really see it as a service to the community.”

Reynolds said Friday the company doesn’t comment on first day sales, but Publix was pleased with the initial response.

“The turnout was excellent,” Reynolds said. “We opened with a large crowd who attended our ribbon cutting and had a steady flow of customers all day. The opening exceeded our expectations.”

Employees of Publix at Landing Station were busy Tuesday morning getting ready for the 7 a.m. grand opening on Veterans Day.

“It’s nice being in an area of growth,” said store manager Robert Lefler, who has been with the company for 23 years.

The store has 140 employees, with a 50/50 split of new and transfer employees and about 40 percent full-time positions, Lefler said.

In keeping with the Veterans Day opening, shoppers with military or veteran ID, or a driver’s license with a veteran designation, received a 10 percent discount on groceries.

Reynolds said the 49,000-square-foot space includes new additions and sections to the Publix stores, such as the body/health care section near the pharmacy, a sample area in produce for trying recipes cooked on the spot and free event planning area near customer service.

“It’s a unique, free service where we put everything together for one-stop shopping,” said event planner Shannon Healy.

Healy said when planning a birthday party or any occasion or holiday event, the event planner will get everything together – including cakes, flowers, deli platters, ice and ice cream – from throughout the store for pickup.

“And we’ll take it to your car,” she said. Delivery on party needs costing more than $150 is available within a 20-mile radius for a fee.

In the meat and fish department, Tom Tesauro said a new offering is the Cook-in-Bag Dinners. Customers pick a fish, choose from four flavors, and they assemble it all.

“We tell you the temperature and time, and you bake it,” he said.

Pharmacy manager Jasmine Armada wants customers to know they can flavor any prescription liquid for children, adults and even pets, in a variety of flavors. The pharmacy also offers free select antibiotics and free diabetes meter, along with other services including flu shots and health screenings.

“Our transfer prescription program is very easy and we do all the legwork for them,” Armada said.

Reynolds said the Lake Wylie store is “pretty standard following the new format for us across North Carolina.”

The new store is the fifth in York and Lancaster counties. The opening comes two years after Publix announced it would open at The Landing Station plaza on S.C. 274 – the one-time home of a Bi-Lo and Winn-Dixie store. The old store was rebuilt and expanded.

The Lake Wylie store was one of the final openings planned when Publix announced 11 new Charlotte-area stores in 2013. Those plans have grown to 18 stores opening through 2017.

Publix bought The Landing Station plaza from Rivercrest Realty in 2014, and demolition and construction of the new store began in January. Construction of the Publix led to the relocation of several businesses in the shopping center, and a complete facelift on the building and parking lot.

The Lake Wylie store is open 7 a.m.-10 p.m. daily.

This story was originally published November 10, 2015 at 11:41 PM with the headline "Publix greets new customers in Lake Wylie."