Pros
Free stock. I have $42k in Publix stock that I paid NOTHING for. Just got a dividend check for $1k from stock that I paid nothing for. Tuition reimbursement (Publix paid for my bachelor's degree) Great pay for dept. managers and up. MUCH better than other grocers. It is easy to get time off if you have a good relationship with your manager. You can cover for eachother. I have worked for several other companies in the grocery industry around the country. I can now see that Publix does so many things right for their employees and to maintain their brand. A lot of managers complain (I did) that they don't have enough hours in their department to be effective. Publix runs with about twice as many hours in every department than the store I work for now (with comparable sales and customer count). Try running a grocery dept on 160 hours a week, or produce on 150. It's nearly impossible. Our store constantly looks like crap and nobody cares because there is nothing to be done about it. There are just no employees there to do the work. I always say "if this were a Publix, a lot of people would be getting fired right now." Publix stores are so clean, and the shelves are full. Other company's stores look like a garage sale. Publix has a great image and actually do things to try to live up to its mission statement. I regret the day I ever left Publix and I am thinking about moving back to Florida just to join them again. They are not perfect, but they are WAY better than the rest. If you are going to make retail your career for life, stick with Publix. They are doing things the right way. I used to complain about Publix policies all the time (so much so that I actually quit), but I now have perspective and a new respect for Publix.
Cons
If you become a manager, Publix owns you. Your life revolves around their needs (as with any retail manager). They will send you out of town to help with grand openings with almost no notice, when they have known about it for weeks or months. They will also cancel or make you reschedule your vacations if something comes up (like a grand opening). Schedule is rough. 11 hour days at least, closing and then opening, coming in at midnight or 3am, whenever the store needs you to work, that's when you work. 401k match is weak, but that's because they give you so much stock for working there. Dental plan sucks! I could never find a dentist who even accepted it. There are some incompetent managers that are not dealt with. Senior management just waits forever for these managers to screw up so they can get rid of them. This takes up valuable managerial positions and keeps a lot of qualified people from getting their shot. Deal with it directly. Pay below department manager is not that great. I was working 55-65 hours a week and making $44k a year. When you break that down hourly, it is not really worth it. But if you stick it out until you reach that next level, you are set for life.