When George Jenkins founded Publix in 1930, he embarked on setting the store apart from the competition. Publix offered services and value to customers, as well as features not seen around other grocery chains, such as air conditioning and automatic doors. 

One perk at Publix that has been a part of the company since the beginning is the weighing scales. 

During those early days, scales were popular around shopping areas as customers would pay a small price to find out their current weight. In contrast, Publix scales were completely free for customers. 

Jenkins said that more than 5 million customers utilized this free service in Publix’s first year of business. 

Scales were previously located in the back of Publix stores, but are now located near the front. They also are about four times larger than the original scale, which is now located in Mr. George's preserved office.