H-E-B

This store was amazing! I spent $ 30 on groceries and odds and ends to drag back home with me to Connecticut. Everything here was so much cheaper than where I live, and it’s the same products or completely unique items that were reasonably well priced. It’s a small store, and it does need some updating, but it’s very clean and the workers are all pleasant, helpful, and charming.

The demo lady was nice. The store was lacking in some basic produce. Found couscous but not quinoa? Shouldnt they be together? Lines moving quick during rush hours. Thanks. Never been anywhere where catfish cost more than tilapia? Worked out for me. I usually get the cheaper stuff and tilapia is way better in ceviche. Js.

Why is it that this location is one of the busiest HEB’s and yet they are always seemingly understaffed? Does management not understand that they need more employees to help with stocking, customer service, cashiering, bagging etc? Every time I am in here they seem to be out of at least one thing on our grocery list, too! Gosh. I really love HEB and this location but it seems like they are just not able to pick the ball up on this location and get things running smoothly.
On the other side of things. I love HEB. They have fresh produce and the things they carry are very good quality for the pricing. I love the fact that a lot of their organic stuff is from Central Market and the pricing is a lot cheaper than they are.
Although I rant about this place. it is the usual one that we go to and I really do love it. I guess there is just no perfect franchise huh?

Short version: there’s a much better store right up the road from this on McNeil. A short drive for a lot better service, selection, and quality.
Pros:
* Convenience (relative to HWY 183)
Cons:
* On more than one occasion, terrible quality «fresh» food section
* Intermittent service (sometimes good, sometimes very bad, as below)
* Parking lot is cramped and difficult to navigate
Story time:
I took home some pico de gallo and noticed when I got home that it smelled horrible. I washed my hands several times and still couldn’t get the rank smell off. I called the store and the woman made it clear with her tone that she did NOT care. I expected «oh wow I’m sorry we’ll get that figured out and how can we make this right?» I got maybe the least sincere «okay thanks bye» I’ve ever heard. It was just getting off the phone as fast as possible.
I’ve been back since because of the convenience factor, went to the same area, and found that same terrible smell again.

Probably the worst HEB that I have ever been to. The layout was horrible and it made it really hard to difficult to maneuver through the store; let alone find the products that you were looking for.
It was early in the evening yet, the rotissere chicken station was completely empty. The other HEB’s have them well into the evening hours around 10:00 p.m.
I purchased some cubed cheese and left to drive across town to the Mueller HEB.

Often dirty, this HEB always has too few check out clerks. They only offer bags for sale, rather than providing them for customers — unlike the Randall’s up the road.

Please quit selling me supposedly fresh chicken that smells like death.

Back to the old stomping grounds… A few years back (10-​ish) I was produce manager for the old Albertsons that was here… and things are sure different… Lay out the same, but very clean… Im not gonna lie, Albertsons was dingy, dirty and nothing was very fresh… and it was a chore to keep up with… It was great to see HEB step in and turn this store around. the locals that shop there, are just that, locals and many have lived there «forever»…they were really upset to hear Albertsons was closing, but got what they deserved in the end, A great Place to shop.

this is my first HEB post… i just gotta say that i shop in quite a few different HEBs… and ALWAYS have such a great experience… the people that work there are ALWAYS so helpful… i dont think i am going overboard to say that it is a testament to our capitalist system here in the good olé USA that allows such a great store to exist… if only us humans can somehow fix the starvation problems in the rest of the world…

This HEB always has groceries, which is good because I usually go to the grocery store for groceries. They have eggs, milk, flour, ect. They don’t have imported blocks of Himalayan seasalt for my gourmet grilling and tasting platter needs, nor do they have fresh cuts of llama butt; such is life.
They usually have a lot of clearance, which is good because clearance is good. One time I found a grape in clearance and I was mildly upset to hear that it was not actually discounted, but had in fact simply rolled up under the clearance shelf. It’s okay though, because I just ate the grape anyways to stick it to the man.
The employees won’t give you plastic bags here. How absurd! You’d think they’d be willing to risk their job and break the City of Austin’s bag ban law to save me an entire $ 0.25. Do you know what $ 0.25 buys? A half a stick a gum, ¹⁄₉ a cup of coffee, a plastic ring to pledge my ever-​lasting love for Robert Downey Jr with, or a dance from a hobo on Congress. Appalling!
I give this place 5 stars. because even though they do not carry llama butts, clearance grapes, and law-​breakers, they do employ some legit people that they treat far better than any other chain grocery store does. A happy employee is a happy customer, and they certainly maintain a majority of both.
(P.S. plz stock llama butts soon okay.)

Tonight I literally saw the sushi chef change the «prepared by» date on the sushi to tomorrow. This took place at 10pm.
Would you like two day old raw fish, and would like to trust a store that does this with your grocery store shopping?
I won’t ever again. Good luck!

This is, affectionately, my HEB.
I have a love/​hate relationship with this store.
The love part is all about how friendly everyone is at the store and how I don’t even get ID’d anymore for buying alcohol. That can be a good thing and a bad thing, right? I shop there so frequently that I’m practically on a first name basis with most of the check-​out staff.
The hate part is that they never seem to have any of the food that I want or enjoy eating. Which makes me have to go to another store to get it. Recently, the store was somewhat remodeled and the staff made shelves higher and put more product up. Everything got moved around just when I had learned where everything was.
Before this was an HEB, it was an Albertson’s store. Both have strange lighting and it seems dark in the store. Not that its a problem, it just makes it appear dirty in most cases.

I too have had an interesting ‘bag’ experience with this specific HEB store. I was shopping here after having bought new bed sheets at another store.
The clerk who checks me out ‘insists’ he has to verify that I paid for my bed sheets. Which is ridiculous – because this store doesn’t even carry bedding. And their sensors/​cameras did not go off.
The clerk then actually looks surprised when this store does not carry bedding. And I do have a receipt for my purchase. Meanwhile, he’s holding up a busy line of customers – who want to check out on a very hot day, It wastes time and only proves what a looser he actually is.
Basically, don’t shop here, go to any other store. Even the N. Lamar store has much stronger customer service skills.

I just moved up to this area from Steck/​Mesa and live only a few blocks from this HEB. So far the only friendly employees here has been the seafood guy and the manager. Others act like it would kill them to crack a smile or offer decent customer service.
Yesterday morning, the guy stocking meat greeted every (Caucasian) with a smile and asked if they’re finding everything ok. He was pretty loud so I would look over each time he greeted his customers. I was standing just 15 feet from him in the baby aisle with my son. When I later made my way towards the meat where he was standing, he gave me a disgruntled look and completely ignored me even though I was practically standing next to him. I purposely walked back and forth just to see if he would say anything or ask if i I need help but I was completely ignored. Needless to say I’m not Caucasian.
When I thought this HEB couldnt get any worse, the self checkout attendee was walking around monitoring the lanes while holding a spit cup & dipping tobacco. Uh… can you say ghetto?!!
I now drive the extra distance to the 183/​Braker location or the new HEB Plus near 183/​Lakeline Blvd. I really miss my old neighborhood HEB at the Village Center off Far West.

This H-​E-​B had the distinction of being «My H-​E-​B» for a few days when I first moved to Austin. It’s also the first H-​E-​B I ever set foot in, so this has a bit of sentimental distinction for me, too. Affectionately known as «Dingy H-​E-​B» or «Grungy H-​E-​B» among me and my crew, this store just seems smaller and not as… um, clean as most of its counterparts, and definitely not reflective of the standard of its quasi-​upscale neighborhood.
But don’t be ashamed, Dingy H-​E-​B, and don’t envy your other stores. Every clique has one of you, and you still have a certain charm. Pigpen was still one of the cutest and loveable of the Peanuts gang; and In a company full of Felix Ungers, you’re an Oscar Madison if there ever was one. Like the rest of your clan, the staff is as polite and helpful as can be. So chin up, and stand up straight, Dingy H-​E-​B., and be proud of who and what you are! I enjoyed today’s visit, and I’ll come back to visit you again as soon as I can, my grungy friend…

I’m just writing a review for the floral department. I called ahead and reserved flowers for my cousin’s graduation. It was the same weekend as Mother’s Day so I decided to place the order early.
The woman on the phone was so helpful and extremely appreciative of my business. The day came to pick them up and I get a call half an hour before I need to get them and she tells me one item did not come in but offered good replacement suggestions. I told her that was fine. She had them all ready to go when I arrived and pulled the greenery for me before I even asked!!!
EXCELLENT customer service!!!

Small, can’t find the things I need. Just go here when I need something quick.

Terrible selection: I went in for 12 things and only came out with six. Two trips to the store is not acceptable. I got all the other items at my regualr HEB, so why didn’t this one have everything?
They have a weak staff. The bagger couldn’t follow a simple request to keep cold items together in the bags. In fact, she didn’t bag a single item. She just stood there staring off into space. The cashier bagged my stuff. I re-​bagged all of it before leaving the store. It’s 100+ degrees outside. I don’t want the frozen foods’ condensation leaking all over the dry stuff.
At least the other customers are really polite.

I’ve had nightmares that looked like birthday parties compared to my experiences at this H-​E-​B.
This is apparently the H-​E-​B for the person who already has everything. This location is closest to my house, so I shop there often, but I often fail at finding all the things on my grocery list. So I end up going to the H-​E-​B at Braker/​183, even though I hate that location.
The very first time I went to this H-​E-​B, shortly after it first opened, I was surprised to see a lot of expired yogurt in the dairy aisle. So much so, that I brought a cart over and literally filled it up with expired yogurt, expired milk, expired cottage cheese, moldy fruit, and other assorted expired items, and then took it to the customer service desk and asked to speak to a manager. I haven’t seen anything expired in there since, so at least they learned. That should never have been an issue, though. I mean, when you’re in the grocery business, I should think keeping fresh food in your aisles is pretty damned important. Or maybe I’m just weird like that.
Late last year, I went in there to get stuff to make Hopkins County Stew. It’s obviously better if you use fresh veggies, but I’m lazy so I decided to use canned veggies. I needed potatoes, corn, chicken, and stewed tomatoes. Corn I found with no problem, but the canned potatoes must’ve realized what a crappy location this is and made a dash for it, as I couldn’t find them anywhere. I looked at every single solitary can in that aisle, but no potatoes. Didn’t even find an empty space with a shelf sticker indicating that’s where they were supposed to go. And I know I have successfully bought canned potatoes there before. The H-​E-​B peeps must’ve known I was coming, and decided to hide all the potato cans and reorganize the whole aisle, as a joke. Well, tee hee! I dropped my hand cart, got the hell outta there, and found everything I needed at the Braker/​183 location… eventually.
Also, I went there one weekday last year around 6am and tried to buy a bottle of wine. I learned that day that the Blue Laws won’t allow me to purchase any alcohol until 7am. Returned a few weeks ago at 7:15am on a Monday to buy a bottle of wine, and was given the same Blue Laws jazz. By this time, thanks to Ardie S, I knew what time on each day I would be able to purchase alcohol, so I let the cashier know that the Blue Laws state I can buy wine at 7am on weekdays. She insisted I was wrong, so I asked her to call over a manager. Close to ten minutes we waited, and a line started forming behind me. I decided it wasn’t worth all this bullshit, so I went to [gasp] the Braker/​183 location and got the wine with no problem.
They stopped carrying a lot of my favorite items, too. Metromint mint water, Canfield’s Diet Chocolate Cherry Soda, Ivory dish soap… I couldn’t even find eggnog there last month.
This location finally started carrying sushi, which is fine, except that their sushi ain’t that great. And the seafood aisle here leaves a lot to be desired. At other H-​E-​B stores, I can find various packaged stuffed salmon, as well as potato-​crusted tilapia, but not at this location.
This is the ghetto H-​E-​B. Didn’t realize I lived in the ghetto until this location opened shop.

Likes:
Clean store, small parking lot which allows for easy access.
Dislikes:
Smaller store, usually busy but I go right after work.
Access in and out of the store tends to be hindered by the traffic in the area