Some retailers are famous for hassle-free returns. Costco, for instance, has a legendary policy of taking back almost anything at any time, no questions asked. Publix, while beloved for its shopping experience, doesn’t quite measure up. Its return rules are more structured, despite what this woman was led to believe.
Customer Says Publix Denied Return Despite ‘Publix Promise’
In a trending video with more than 24,000 views, content creator and mom Taeshon Miller (@taeshonmiller1) called out popular grocery chain Publix. She said it failed to honor its “Publix Promise” after she attempted to return an expired item.
Miller explained that she went to return coconut oil on behalf of her great-grandfather. This was after seeing one of their employee advertise that through their return policy, you can bring back “anything,” including expired products or even a half-eaten sub. (There is a screenshot showing the employee making this claim, but The Mary Sue was not able to find the original video.)
“Publix, you need to teach your workers how to keep the Publix Promise,” Miller said. “I am very upset. I am still sitting here in the parking lot of Publix debating if I should, in fact, call corporate.”
Miller explained that the coconut oil had an expiration date of April 2024.
“That’s barely even a whole year,” but the store still refused to process the return.
According to Miller, a customer service employee told her the product was “over a year old” and denied the refund in front of other shoppers.
“Everybody heard her say that and I just took it and walked out,” she said. “I don’t appreciate being embarrassed.”
Miller said she plans to escalate the issue, but made it clear that she still loves the chain.
What is the Publix Promise?
Publix’s official “Publix Promise” does not address returns or expired products. The policy instead applies to pricing errors. Here’s what the site says:
“Our Publix Promise guarantees that if during checkout, the scanned price of an item (excluding alcohol and tobacco products) exceeds the shelf price or advertised price, we will give the customer one of that item free. We will charge the lower price for the remaining items.”
What the Return Policy Actually Says
Here’s Publix’s actual return policy:
- With a receipt: Customers receive a full refund in the original form of payment or can exchange the item. If a card or phone number was used at checkout, the store may be able to look up the receipt.
- Without a receipt: Customers may need to provide identification or Club Publix membership information. If the purchase cannot be verified, refunds are issued as a Publix gift card.
- Limitations: Publix reserves the right to deny or limit refunds in cases of misuse, or where prohibited by law.
So it seems the Publix employee lied, or maybe it’s a policy unique to his store.
@taeshonmiller1 #publix #carchats #foodtok #food ♬ original sound – Taeshonmiller1
Commenters React
“Publix promise is when a price doesn’t match the shelf price at check out,” a top comment pointed out.
“They take back expired stuff if you buy when it’s ALREADY expired not when you buy something in-date and wait a year after it expires,” a person said.
“Girl, u obviously bought that a while ago, and used it. if u don’t have a receipt why would they let u return that you are extremely gullible to think that guy that posted the tiktok was being serious,” another wrote.
The Mary Sue reached out to Miller via TikTok direct message and comment and to Publix via email.
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