If you grew up in the 1960s, you were most likely among the first to eat Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts and Lucky Charms cereal; both debuted in 1964. You also probably watched the premiere of ABC’s Network’s color program “The Jetsons,” a cartoon series about a space-age family. The Beatles made their U.S. debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1964, and in 1967, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the first Super Bowl.  

Modern styles of the 1960s brought changes to the appearance of Publix stores. The art deco architecture was replaced with a winged design created by famed Florida architect Donovan Dean. Centered in the wings were neon lights that blinked downward. At night, the lights looked like a flowing waterfall. These “wings” helped Publix fly to new heights.

The 1960s was a decade of growth for Publix. With the company’s expansion to the southeast coast of Florida, it was time to establish a distribution facility to support stores in that region of the state. A new warehouse was built in Miami; it opened in 1963. Now, Publix was ready for unprecedented growth.  

The company hit a milestone in 1964 when it opened its 100th store. It was a grand celebration! Among the attendees of the store opening were Publix founder’s family and Dick Pope Sr., founder of Florida’s then-famous attraction, Cypress Gardens. On Dec. 8, 1966, the company hit a milestone in Miami when five Publix stores opened simultaneously. Even today, opening five stores at the same time would be pretty spectacular, but it was considered a historical event in the 1960s.  

In the 1960s, the “lunchmeat and cheese” section of the meat department became the delicatessen department. By 1967, every Publix store had a delicatessen, and in 1969, a new store in Tallahassee, Florida, included the first deli with its own kitchen. Read about the history of the Publix deli here.

As the trend of company-labeled products known as “private label” continued to expand in the supermarket industry, Publix also offered more of its own brand. In 1963, we began offering household items like laundry detergent and spray starch. PIX soft drinks also joined the growing number of Publix private-label items. This trend would not only continue, but it would also eventually result in Publix developing its own manufacturing plants.  

Just like today, when customers had their carts full of products, friendly Publix cashiers were waiting for them at the register. But unlike today, there were no scanners, so the cashier punched in the price of each item on a cash register, and the customer paid with cash or check. If you’re wondering how cashiers knew the prices without scanners, every item had a price sticker on it. All those price stickers had to be put on the items by hand before being placed on the shelves. Those stock clerks did a lot of stamping! Little did they know technology was coming that would make things much easier for both the customers and the store associates.

At the end of the decade, Publix had 150 stores and 4,000 associates throughout the company.