Bottom line: The Publix location in OIB is a clean, nice, well stocked, good sized, and organized…read moregrocery store. Of note is a pretty large wine selection for a grocery store. Competitively priced for the area and no service speedbumps experienced yet here. The Deets: This Publix is the one of the newest grocery stores in the Ocean Isle Beach area, and the one nearest to the island at this time. It's a very nice and clean store, as most Publix locations usually are, and spacious with plenty to offer. The layout is conducive to finding things you need in a fairly reasonable amount of time and not confusing to me. They offer the usual stations such as bakery, deli, etc. but they do not offer a seafood market (not that it is necessary as there are some around OIB). Their wine section is pretty extensive for a grocery store (see pic). I found the grocery prices to be comparatively more reasonable here for the most part, definitely something to be noted. I have not witnessed or experienced any service hiccups along any trips here. This Publix is a welcomed addition the OIB vicinity, and glad it offers some competition for the grocery business in the area.

Poor customer service at Deli. I waited about 10 minutes before being served. There was one…read moreemployee that greeted me and came to assist and her name is Brie. Thank you Brie for having amazing customer service!!

Walmart in Whiteville, you suck! You have to be the worst department store…read moreI've ever stepped into. It's one thing that you're understocked compared to other area Walmarts but your customer service is also horrible. Where did you get the idea that it would be good to get rid of all physical employees that are cashiers and expect your hundreds of waiting customers to stand in a line that's backed up to near the back of the store for the wonderful opportunity to use one of your 4 crappy self checkout registers that are open? Btw, the line would probably move faster if you didn't have to insert your card 3 times into the keypad then swipe for it to work. A mixed cocktail of STD's would be better than a shopping adventure at your store.

Terrible, poor management. The only thing managers want to do is tell personell what to do and how…read moreto do it. Managers are always on the loud radio, where everyone can hear what is being said. The managers need to teach by example. Not just push the job aside for some first timer or young employee just learning the job.

Clean publix. Not super stocked but I was able to get a few things I needed. Prices were decent…read morewhich was nice since it's a beach town.

The made to order food area is convenient for those who don't want to cook…read more The meat section is tiny!

This is a great Food Lion. The store has lots of products and is set out well. The prices were…read moreright and the store is clean! Checkout was easy and they were so polite. Great Food Lion.

I can only imagine how hard it is to work at a tourist destination FoodLion. Everyone I have EVER…read moreinteracted with have been trying to do a good job. Is this location perfect -- probably not .. but it's our first choice for everything except fresh fish and meat/beef. Once you know what it means to not having to go OTB ... this FoodLion is near perfect.

Our trip to Publix was a big disappointment. The line for subs was too long to even bother waiting…read more We ended up getting 2 boxes of popcorn chicken nuggets for the kids, and it left most of us feeling unwell. My son got sick soon after he ate them and had a big stomach ache. He was crying in pain. Not to mention my daughter and husband also felt very unwell after eating the nuggets. Another disappoint is their lack of low sugar snacks brands and kettle popcorn. I spent forever looking for a healthy option.

I preferred this Publix in Wilmington more than the first one I went to in Wilmington. They had…read moremore deli options, hot soup available in the deli, and had a liquor store beside it. I selected white wines I was not familiar with - both were good. It was near our beachfront hotel and a pleasant ambience. Service was helpful there and tried finding me the free crackers that come with the soup. There was none available yet I used a substitute for crackers in my snack cache. We came here after moving to our second hotel in Wilmington to spend some time on the beach and be closer to our family. It turned out that the grocery store was closer to our beach hotel than the one in downtown Wilmington. Will mark this as the grocery store to come to when we stay at Wilmington again.

Perfect location for the surfers and beach goers between Kure and Carolina beaches. Fresh food and…read morewide array of diverse canned beverages in refrigerated cabinets. Yummy chicken salad. Plus homemade milkshakes! And yes, a fresh fruit and vegetable wagon outside! The staff paid special attention to my dog while we were sitting outside.

I did not say you didn't have air conditioning. I said lack of. I tried to be as specific as…read morepossible. Like I said before my dogs have been inside your store for many years so you recently decided to follow a law that that is almost never implemented. Your employee even said they were about to post a sign outside. I did not write this review to make a DIG as you stated. I tried to let you know other specific issues that myself, friends and family had problems with. But honestly all I hear is excuse after excuse! Not a big deal... there are Numerous stores and restaurants here in the island that welcome our dogs.

Ordered a London broil sub, was excellent. Victoria made my…read moresub and she was great! Wonderful personality, definitely will be back.

We pulled together a satisfying dinner from Publix this evening, and it reminded us why this…read moresupermarket chain consistently delivers. Mrs. K. was thrilled with her Veggie and Cheese sub (with extra cheese, of course) and it was fresh, flavorful, and generously assembled. I opted for something from the heat-and-eat section, and it hit the spot: warm, well-seasoned, and ready in minutes. The store itself was a pleasure to navigate. Clean aisles, neatly stocked shelves, and a layout that made everything easy to find. Publix continues to strike that balance between convenience and quality, making even a quick dinner feel like a small win. [Review 1383 of 2025 - 2137 in Florida - 24935 overall]

I was pleasantly surprised by this market. There was a larget selection of products than I…read moreexpected and the prices were not as bad as some of these reviews make it seem. You have to realize that this is an island and they have the monopoly on this type of business on the island.

For being so small this place has a surprisingly great selection and you can tell a lot of thought…read moreand effort has gone into choosing what to put on the shelves. Got meat, seafood, veg and fruit. Was very happy with the quality of all

I grew up going to NC grocery stores just off the beach that served a general store kind of…read morepurpose. I was delighted to find the Sea Merchants kept up the tradition. We were just looking for seashells, which there was a nice and unusual variety. The staff were very helpful and attentive. Absolutely recommend. Remember there are no public bathrooms here.

I remember reading a few months ago on a local page that if people didn't start coming to this…read morelittle store it may not make it. Well we were on the island for a day and decided to see if it was still there. We drove up and there was a window boarded up and it looked deserted. Upon a second look and one car in the parking lot we saw it was open and decided to hop in and give them some love. We were greeted warmly by a cashier donning a mask, which I was happy to see. We went up and down all the aisles of this old school grocery store. They have just about anything you'd need, including for the beach. We saw the cutest seashell nightlight with a seahorse etched on it and had to have it. Not a big purchase, but at least some support. When this crazy pandemic clears and we feel we can safely stay a few days this will be our go to for any needed groceries.