Back-to-school sales fizzle in Florida, several other states

Grocery and drug stores were some of the few businesses to thrive during the coronavirus pandemic. Lakeland-based Publix, for example, saw its sales surge in the second quarter of 2020, when it reported gross revenue of $11.4 billion — a 21% increase over the same period last year. 

But with schools nationwide struggling to figure out how to reopen amid the COVID-19 crisis, grocery and drugstore chains have taken a big hit when it comes to sales of school supplies.