Publix Delivery Through Instacart Costs More Than the Shelf Price
A small Publix sub platter that costs $28.99 to order ahead for pickup in the store costs $31.99 through Publix delivery. Every item we priced both ways on October 30, 2026, came out 10 to 12.5 percent higher online.
Publix runs delivery and curbside pickup through Instacart, and item prices on both sit above the store’s. Curbside saves the delivery fee and the tip, not the markup.
Delivery and curbside pickup compared
Both start on delivery.publix.com or in Publix’s delivery app, which Instacart runs. What changes between them is the fee, the tip and who carries the bags out to you.
| Detail | Delivery | Curbside pickup |
|---|---|---|
| Fee without Instacart+ | From $3.99 | Usually $1.99 |
| Orders under $35 | Fee varies | Small basket fee on some |
| Item prices | Above the store’s | Above the store’s |
| Tip | Optional, all to the shopper | None needed |
| Who brings it | Instacart shopper | Publix associate |
| Fastest | In about an hour | When your slot starts |
The fees are Instacart’s figures for Publix in Lakeland, Florida, without an Instacart+ membership, and they can change by area. Members pay no delivery fee on grocery orders of $10 or more and no pickup fee, though a service fee still applies to delivery.
Delivery windows in Lakeland run from 9 a.m. to midnight. Instacart ties them to store hours, holidays included, so plan around the three days a year Publix closes.
What the markup comes to
We priced 12 items both ways on October 30, 2026. The online prices came from delivery.publix.com for a delivery address at Publix’s Southgate Shopping Center store in Lakeland, Florida (#1270).
For the subs and platters, the store price is what publix.com charges to order the same item for pickup at that store.
| Order | Store pickup | Delivery |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken Tender Sub, half | $8.39 | $9.29 |
| Chicken Tender Sub, whole | $11.99 | $13.29 |
| Boar’s Head Turkey Sub, half | $7.99 | $8.85 |
| Veggie sub platter, small | $23.99 | $26.99 |
| Sub Selections platter, small | $28.99 | $31.99 |
| Sub Selections platter, medium | $49.99 | $54.99 |
| Boar’s Head Sub Selections, medium | $59.99 | $65.99 |
Prices vary by store. Online, a whole Chicken Tender Sub is listed as the half plus $4.00, which makes it $13.29.
Groceries showed the same gap. On the week’s buy one, get one free (BOGO) list, the “Save Up To” amount is what the free item costs on the shelf. Nature’s Own Honey Wheat bread was $4.40 in the store against $4.87 online, and Pepperidge Farm Goldfish $3.35 against $3.71.
Borden grated cheese, Entenmann’s Little Bites and Tastykake Mini Donuts lined up the same way, and nine of the 12 items landed between 10.3 and 10.9 percent higher online.
Instacart states the markup openly. The pricing policy on delivery.publix.com is headed “Higher than in-store item prices” and says Publix sets the prices on the site.
Publix’s delivery and curbside FAQ says the higher prices cover Instacart’s cost of shopping the order. It adds that Publix isn’t trying to profit from the service or collecting extra fees for it.
For subs, platters and cakes there’s a cheaper way to order online. Publix’s own in-store pickup charges the store price with no added fee, picks up sale prices on its own and takes Publix gift cards.
Platters and cakes need 24 hours’ notice that way. We’d order a party platter ahead and collect it, and save delivery for the groceries, since a medium platter alone costs $5 more online.
Delivery fees, service fees and tips
Fees come on top of the markup, and Instacart’s Publix page for Lakeland lists them for shoppers without a membership.
- Delivery from $3.99 on a same-day order over $35, with a different fee for a one-hour window or a smaller order
- A service fee that changes with your location and what’s in the cart, and a separate one when the order has alcohol
- Curbside pickup at a flat $1.99 in most cases, plus a small basket fee on some pickup orders under $35
Tips are optional on delivery, and all of the tip goes to the Instacart shopper. Pickup orders need no tip, and Publix’s FAQ says its associates don’t receive tips.
Put together, $50 of groceries at shelf prices comes to about $55 online at the markup most items showed. Delivery then adds $3.99, the service fee and a tip, while curbside adds $1.99.
Coupons and BOGO deals online
Most BOGO deals and Club Publix perks carry over to Instacart orders, Publix’s FAQ says, but not every weekly ad deal does.
Paper coupons and Publix digital coupons clipped to your Club Publix account don’t work on delivery or curbside orders.
The difference showed during the weekly ad that started October 29, 2026. A half Publix Ultimate Sub was on sale for $3.99 at the Lakeland store, down from $6.99, while delivery.publix.com still listed it at $7.75. When the weekly Pub Sub deal lands on a sub you want, order it ahead from the store instead.
To use Club Publix perks online, link your Club Publix account first. On delivery.publix.com, open your profile, choose Loyalty cards and add the phone number on the account. A BOGO also rings up differently from state to state, so check how Publix BOGO deals ring up by state before you fill the cart.
Picking up at the curb
Curbside works like delivery until checkout. Publix’s FAQ and Instacart’s page describe the rest.
- Choose Pickup, your store and a time slot on delivery.publix.com or in the app, and pay online at checkout.
- Drive over during your slot, or once the app says the order is ready.
- Park in a space marked for Publix Curbside, then check in on the app or call the number on the sign.
- Give your name, and a Publix associate brings the order out and loads it into your car.
An order waits until the end of the day in a temperature-controlled space, Instacart says, so a missed slot doesn’t cost you the order. The last slot of the day can come before the store closes, though.
Instacart shoppers fill and stage curbside orders, and a Publix associate does the hand-off. Chowhound pointed out in 2025 that this leans on store staff, so a busy or short-staffed store can keep you waiting after you check in.
For anyone who can make the drive, we think curbside is the better buy, at $1.99 with no tip against $3.99 plus a service fee and a tip for delivery.
Paying with SNAP or a gift card
Delivery and curbside orders take debit and credit cards, SNAP EBT, and HSA or FSA cards, which can’t cover delivery fees. Publix gift cards and prepaid credit cards aren’t accepted, so a gift card only helps on an in-store pickup order.
Our Publix gift card guide lists the other places the card won’t work and how to check what’s left on it.
Beer, wine and prescriptions
Beer and wine can go in the order in Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and at select Georgia stores, and liquor delivers in parts of Florida. South Carolina orders can’t include alcohol, and tobacco and gift cards stay off every order.
Prescriptions can ride along for $2.00 on a grocery order, or $10.99 on their own, according to Publix’s FAQ. Pharmacy hours aren’t store hours, and Publix pharmacy hours by day shows the usual pattern.
When an order goes wrong
Instacart, not Publix, handles problems with delivery and curbside orders, from missing items and refunds to payments and the app. Start at delivery.publix.com/help, email [email protected] or call 1-888-246-7822.
A Publix item from an Instacart order can also go back to the customer service counter in the store.
