Update July 20, 2009:

Thanks to everyone who has weighed in with their support and encouragement on this post. We also contacted Publix with our concerns and were waiting for a response before posting another update. Since many of you have already gotten a response from Publix, we wanted to address some of your comments.

First of all, the corporate response that many of you received by email only discussed half of the letter. The letter also included a warning about our use of the Publix mark in our name, which we feel is necessary for a site that covers deals exclusively about the store. We respect that the trademark belongs to them and perhaps they should be providing this service to their customers, rather than us.

We are just a hard-working couple that spends our nights and weekends on this site as a hobby and to help others save like we have been able to. The money we make from the banner ads goes toward hosting, leaving little to no financial compensation for our work. In addition, getting a certified cease and desist letter from the Publix senior attorney at our home address with our full names (none of which is published on the site) made us really evaluate whether or not this is a sustainable project for us as a family.

Many of you have suggested changing the site name and only posting when the ads come out in the store as a solution. After discussing it as a couple, we have decided that we would rather not lay awake at night worrying about the threat of litigation from Publix.

Some of you have indicated that you’ll boycott Publix as a result of this. Regardless of how this issue pans out, we still think Publix is a great place to shop and hope you continue to benefit from their sales.

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Dear P4P Friends,

Starting this website and watching it take off and grow has been an exciting experience, but nowhere near as rewarding as all of the positive feedback we’ve received from our fans, visitors and followers. Knowing how much money and time we’ve helped our readers save amidst a struggling economy is what has kept us working hard on this site. It therefore brings us much sadness to announce that we’ve decided to take a hiatus from publishing to P4P. We have received a stern letter from Publix’ senior attorney concerning the publishing of confidential pricing information and the use of the PUBLIX mark on our website.

While we hope that Publix will corporately embrace the service we are providing to their customers, we do not yet know what the fate of Publix 4 Pennies will be. Furthermore, we have to determine whether or not it’s worth our continued time and commitment, with the potential for legal issues and brand confusion.

Thanks for your support and encouragement and we hope we’ve taught you a thing or two about how to save more at your favorite store. In the mean time, Jenny over at SouthernSavers.com does a great job at highlighting the hottest Publix deals.

Sincerely,

Jason & Amy