MIAMI, FL – JULY 30: The entrance to a Publix supermarket on July 30, 2024 in Miami, Florida. The supermarket chain was founded in 1930 and now has 1,375 stores throughout the Southeastern United States. The company had 2022 retail sales of $54.5 billion and employs over 255,000 people. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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As supermarkets go, Publix has few rivals. Visiting a Publix is to be impressed not only by the product selection and appearance of each store, but also by the incredibly dedicated employees of the Lakeland, FL-based company.
When thinking about Publix, it is perhaps easy to forget that implied in the food on its shelves, along with the perishables in its freezers and refrigerators, confidence. Whether it’s meat, bread, fish or even fish sticks, Publix customers know that if it’s sold at a Publix store, it’s actually been inspected.
It’s worth thinking about the great efforts Publix is making for its customers as lawmakers consider the App Store Freedom Act. The legislation, which was introduced by Representative Kathryn “Kat” Cammack, aims to make it easier for third-party apps and payment systems that have not been vetted in the US to get into Apple and Google devices.
To begin with, it’s easy to see why apps and payment systems would want to appear on Apple and Google products. So popular are both that we are at a loss for words to note the value of being functional on Google and Apple devices. What is the point or should it be.
Apple and Google did not achieve their stature with US and global customers by grace or luck. They did it because like Publix and other big brands, they’ve gone to great lengths to curate apps and payment systems that rate inclusion in their products. As with Publix, confidence what is available to Apple and Google users implies what users of both can access. In other words, if Apple and Google think an app or payment system is worth it, then it should be. And there are more.
Implied is the invisible “velvet rope” that all big business uses protection of their customers. Customers need to know that what they are interacting with can be trusted to not harm them or, in the case of payment systems, defraud them. The latter in mind, is it any wonder beyond the obvious liability challenges that Google and Apple would demand complete control over which apps and payment systems can and cannot appear on their products? Hopefully the question answers itself.
Which then requires a spin on Cammack. Represents Florida’s 3rd district in Congress and currently resides in Gainesville. Notable about Gainesville is that there are fourteen Publix stores there, with the first opening in 1958. Publix has a history with Gainesville and its residents that is clearly long, as evidenced by the number of stores serving a population of 148,000. Curiosity brings people to a business, but trust is what brings customers back time and time again.
Publix’s success not only in Cammack’s Florida, but throughout the Southeast, calls for the representative’s careful thinking as she pushes legislation for Apple and Google that could backfire on Publix. Just as apps and payment systems want access to Apple and Google customers, consumer goods manufacturers want to be on the shelves and in Publix’s refrigerators and freezers.
Except that what makes Publix great is that the difference in numbers between the consumer brands that want to be associated with Publix, and those that can claim it, is huge. Such is the genius of Publix, along with that of Apple and Google.
Which speaks to the major flaw in Cammack’s legislation. Greatness cannot be legislated as a walk into any Publix store would reveal to Cammack.
