Secrets at your supermarket? What Florida grocery stores will do for you — if you ask

You might think it’s just “what you see is what you get” at the supermarket.

But not everything is like that.

Several grocery stores in South Florida will allow you to customize a purchase. But you have to ask for what you want because supermarkets are not ones to shout out what’s possible. Like: special cuts from the butcher, a deviation at the deli, a cooked dinner from the fishmonger.

Here are several secret things that supermarkets will do for their customers on request:

Produce

Quantity: If you are eyeing the perfect apples, but several are wrapped in cellophane, Publix will let you break open the package and buy the quantity you want. Produce is generally sold by weight anyway. You can also break off the desired number of bananas from a bunch.

Cutting: Want your watermelon cut a certain way? A Publix worker at the produce counter can help.

Seafood

Steaming: If you want to eat that lovely piece of fish immediately after selecting it from behind the glass, ask the supermarket fishmonger at Whole Foods or Publix to steam it for you. You’ll likely need to go through the general cashier and pay for it first and then return to the counter. Once you get it, you can eat at store tables or take it home for a ready-to-serve dinner. How soon seafood department employees can steam your fish depends on how busy they are with customers and incoming orders, but the steaming itself only takes a few minutes, and you can shop while you wait.

Prep: You can ask the supermarket fishmonger to clean and cut your selection of fresh whole fish.

Deli

Portions: Whole Foods Market, which assembles a dinner deal of a protein and vegetables, will reduce portions on request.

Chicken-carving: You scored a beauty. But you just know that cutting up a rotisserie chicken is just not your thing. Delis at most major supermarkets, including Publix Winn-Dixie and The Fresh Market, will slice up your chicken how you want it: halves or in quarters.

Subs: The sub maker will add an ingredient to your sub that isn’t only found at he deli counter, but stuff you bring to them from the greater store. For instance, the Publix deli will make a sub from vegan meat sold in another part of the supermarket.

Meat

Custom cuts: Grocery stores including Publix, Winn-Dixie and Whole Foods will accommodate requests for custom cuts or quantities, including deboning or the cutting of flank steak into strips. At Miami-based President Supermarket, the butcher will custom-cut pork shoulders for griyo, leg quarters and hens.

Bakery

Slicing: That’s a good looking load of bread. But why isn’t it sliced? Well, some customers like to break it apart in other ways or slice it at home by knife. But if you want your bread machine-sliced, bring it to the bakery counter and a worker will take it out of the plastic bag, slice it on the machine, then re-bag it for you.

Cake decorations: The supermarket bakery also can decorate baked goods you purchase as well as sell you frosting and other cake parts.

Free cookies: Halted during the pandemic and started again, the Publix bakery traditionally has handed a free cookie to kids 12 and under. Just ask for it.