Publix to allow store employees to grow beards

Your Publix cashier may soon have a new look — a beard.

On Friday, Publix said it would allow store employees to wear beards, turning back decades of clean-chin tradition.

The new policy, which goes into effect Sept. 29, is the culmination of a long debate with employees over the issue.

Publix, Florida’s dominant grocery chain, began a trial allowing beards earlier this year at stores in North Carolina and Jacksonville but is now taking it to all 1,196 stores and 190,000 employees.

Brandon Wesley, a Publix employee in Jacksonville who started a Coworker.org petition to allow more facial hair, said many of his fellow employees would like to grow beards.

He added that friends had told him they wouldn’t apply to the chain because of the facial hair rule.

“I’m glad to see that Publix is continuing to listen to its employees and test out new ideas and concepts as it grows,” Wesley said.

“Now the ball is in our court to follow the guidelines, but at least for now we will be looking

a lot better while doing so.”

Lakeland-based Publix has long forbidden beards for its store workers, with only conservative mustaches allowed, such as the pencil mustache founder George Jenkins sported. Non-store employees such as warehouse workers could wear beards.

“We have been testing a new facial hair personal appearance standard in several districts throughout the company that has allowed male associates to wear facial hair, as long as the associate maintains a neat, clean, and professional appearance,” said a statement from Publix spokesman Dwaine Stevens.

Wesley’s online petition started three years ago garnered the signatures of more than 20,000 people.

The news spread quickly on social media channels Twitter and Reddit, with employees rejoicing over their newfound follicle freedom.

“Publix is officially allowing its employees to have beards starting Saturday and I couldn’t be more excited! Probably never going to catch me clean shaved again,” wrote @John_M_Wirth.

With growing acceptance of beards and Florida’s tight labor market, it might be hard for employers like Publix to continue to attract employees while retaining such strict grooming standards, said Brenda Lowman, manager at Orlando staffing firm Top Talent Staffing.