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Publix's New Year's Day Hours Vary By Location, So Call Before You Go

Just when you'd begun to relax a little after the rushed days before Christmas, it's time to start prepping for New Year's. Whether you're entertaining friends on December 31 or throwing together a brunch on January 1, you'll be hitting the supermarket at some point — and if you're a loyal Publix shopper, you'll need to know what hours Publix is open on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. When you realize you forgot the apricot jam for your baked Brie en croute, the last thing you want is to find a darkened store and locked doors.

Get your Notes app ready: According to the Publix website (and confirmed by their Twitter online customer service rep), all Publix stores will be closing at 9 p.m. on New Year's Eve. Things get a little more complicated on January 1, however. Almost all locations will be opening at their regular time; however, stores in the Florida counties of Broward, Dade, Indian River, Martin, Monroe, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, and St. Lucie will open at 7 a.m.. Why the difference? The rep on the @PublixHelps message line on Twitter explains that "Store hours are set by the management at those particular stores."

Publix closing times on New Year's Day will vary, too. Many will be shutting their doors at 7 p.m., but some will stay open till 8 or even 9. The best way to ensure that you get your shopping done on time is to check the hours of your particular store through the location directory on the Publix website.

There is one thing that will remain the same throughout all Publix locations for the holiday: All store pharmacies will be closed on New Year's Day, so plan accordingly if you normally get your prescriptions at the supermarket.

Think you don't need to worry about NYE shopping because you have nothing planned? Don't be too sure. Hilton recently surveyed 1,000 adults and found that more than half — 58 percent — hadn't yet made their plans for New Year's Eve. The survey, reported by Business Wire, also revealed that 43 percent of the public typically waits until sometime between Christmas and New Year's to figure out how to celebrate the big night. Surprisingly, that spontaneity works in our favor: Nearly half of the people in the Hilton survey said that they have more fun on New Year's when they don't plan too far ahead.

With that in mind, you might just be inspired to invite a few friends over on the 31st just for the heck of it, which means you'll have more fun than all the folks who made reservations at a restaurant months in advance. But that also means you'll (aha!) need to run to a grocery store to get some party nibbles.

According to Credit Donkey, the least busy days for supermarket shopping are Mondays and Tuesdays, since most people do the bulk of their food buying over the weekend. However, since New Year's Eve and Day fall on Monday and Tuesday this year, don't bet on seeing empty aisles when you go in. And though Publix will be staying open relatively late on New Year's Eve, you'll still want to shop early enough to give yourself time to enjoy your celebrating.

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