FLORENCE — Customers are flocking to the Publix Super Market today for the first day the popular grocer has had a Shoals location open.

Publix opened its 55,000-square-foot store at 6:45 a.m.

The store will have about 160 workers, although some 300 employees, including those from nearby Publix stores, are on hand for the opening to help meet the demand, Publix officials said.

The parking lot outside the store at 322 Cox Creek Parkway remains virtually full. Customers said they have long looked forward to this day.

“You just don’t know how long we’ve been waiting for this,” Sheffield resident Heather Bradford told a store manager as she grabbed a shopping cart and headed into the store.

The first 1,000 customers today receive a free Publix reusable grocery bag, and activities for children, including a magician, balloon artist and caricature artist, take place from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.