How H-E-B became Texas' most beloved brand (2024) • Hacker News Board

Re: How H-E-B became Texas' most beloved brand (2024)

#71

Post by whatthesmack » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 10:30 PM UTC

SOLAR_FIELDS wrote: post #67

SwellJoe wrote: post #57

My mom moved out of Texas about 20 years ago, and still sometimes talks fondly about HEB. I'm currently in Dallas, and annoyingly there is no HEB within a reasonable distance, though they have finally started opening stores in the DFW metro area. Just none in central Dallas, yet. They do just about everything right. Their lower bound on quality for stuff like produce is higher than most stores, their store brands are…

The way HEB wins the hearts and souls of every Texan is via the tortilla machine. No other major grocery chain stocks fresh, daily made tortillas and instead offers premade "tortillas"

Buc-ee's (another from-Texas staple) also offers fresh, daily-made tortillas :)

Re: How H-E-B became Texas' most beloved brand (2024)

#72

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 10:30 PM UTC

fastball wrote: post #58

SwellJoe wrote: post #57

My mom moved out of Texas about 20 years ago, and still sometimes talks fondly about HEB. I'm currently in Dallas, and annoyingly there is no HEB within a reasonable distance, though they have finally started opening stores in the DFW metro area. Just none in central Dallas, yet. They do just about everything right. Their lower bound on quality for stuff like produce is higher than most stores, their store brands are…

They might not have as many HEBs in DFW, but that is where Central Market is head-quartered!

[deleted]

Re: How H-E-B became Texas' most beloved brand (2024)

#73

Post by CSMastermind » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 10:33 PM UTC

I have a weird affection for good georcery chains. Wegmans, HEB, Giant Eagle, to a limited extent Publix. It's so odd to me that there are areas of the country with nothing like them. It really seems like you just need one good family who decides that they're going to care about how they're set up and make an effort to build a company with the right values.

Re: How H-E-B became Texas' most beloved brand (2024)

#74

Post by skeeter2020 » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 10:33 PM UTC

cityofdelusion wrote: post #46

HEB operates a similar model to Costco in being more expensive to the customer in a subtle way, through desirability. Their products are so interesting and appetizing that I go in with the intention of buying $30 of groceries and leave with a $100 load. Many of these products end up as local memes (tortillas, brisket queso, green sauce) they are so desirable. Wal-Mart is the opposite. I go in to buy groceries and am…

In Canada WalMart super centers (the ones with groceries) are low quality and have prices as high as (or higher) than other stores. Everything is prepackaged and shipped to the store so meat, dairy and bakery is the worst in town.

Re: How H-E-B became Texas' most beloved brand (2024)

#75

Post by CharlesW » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 10:37 PM UTC

collabs wrote: post #59

I lived closer to WinCo in DFW area and could walk to a grocery store to buy bread or some random grocery item. It was really nice. I don't think Europeans will ever understand how much of a flex it is to be able to walk to a grocery store in Texas.

To be fair, it's difficult for a European to walk to a grocery store in Texas.

Re: How H-E-B became Texas' most beloved brand (2024)

#76

Post by Dan_- » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 10:43 PM UTC

lotsofpulp wrote: post #39

rottencupcakes wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s interesting that the private supermarkets (TJs, HEB) seem to both follow this happy and overstaffed model, and the public ones (Kroger, Albertsons/Safeway) do the opposite. Albertson’s adds insult to injury by overcharging for everything. Tomato? $4.99/lb please.

They are not serving the same customers. HEB operates in a state that has exploded economically for quite a few decades, and where people have large, growing families that cook a lot. TJs and Costco also have similar fan bases, but they restrict their stores to the richer side of town. Kroger and Albertsons, however, have operations in many stagnant or declining areas, saddled with union contracts from a long time ag…

Both Kroger and Albertsons also operate in Texas, in the same cities, often a short distance away from HEB.

Re: How H-E-B became Texas' most beloved brand (2024)

#77

Post by Conscat » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 10:44 PM UTC

vikingerik wrote: post #40

rottencupcakes wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s interesting that the private supermarkets (TJs, HEB) seem to both follow this happy and overstaffed model, and the public ones (Kroger, Albertsons/Safeway) do the opposite. Albertson’s adds insult to injury by overcharging for everything. Tomato? $4.99/lb please.

Publix is also on that first list, of happy and overstaffed and privately owned. I do most of my shopping there and it's much more pleasurable than Kroger or Walmart.

Personally I hated Publix when I lived in Florida and it made me homesick. I've never had so much food come with mold in the packaging than from Publix.

Re: How H-E-B became Texas' most beloved brand (2024)

#78

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 10:45 PM UTC

chrisco255 wrote: post #61

steve-atx-7600 wrote: post #26

As soon as Covid was viewed as a serious threat in the US, they immediately put up plexiglass barriers to protect their cashiers. Immediately and not just half assed barriers. They did as good of a job as I would have done if I were the cashier. Then they transformed their stores to have more warehouse space and ran a free curbside pickup service. All of this and they are still the best grocery store in TX if you car…

[flagged]

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Re: How H-E-B became Texas' most beloved brand (2024)

#79

Post by actionfromafar » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 10:50 PM UTC

CSMastermind wrote: post #73

I have a weird affection for good georcery chains. Wegmans, HEB, Giant Eagle, to a limited extent Publix. It's so odd to me that there are areas of the country with nothing like them. It really seems like you just need one good family who decides that they're going to care about how they're set up and make an effort to build a company with the right values.

Re: How H-E-B became Texas' most beloved brand (2024)

#80

Post by boston_clone » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 10:58 PM UTC

chrisco255 wrote: post #61

steve-atx-7600 wrote: post #26

As soon as Covid was viewed as a serious threat in the US, they immediately put up plexiglass barriers to protect their cashiers. Immediately and not just half assed barriers. They did as good of a job as I would have done if I were the cashier. Then they transformed their stores to have more warehouse space and ran a free curbside pickup service. All of this and they are still the best grocery store in TX if you car…

[flagged]

What “scare”? You mean the novel coronavirus pandemic which killed millions?

The Texas state government overrode city ordinances and attempts by private businesses to enforce masking for in-store shopping. Simply saying it was wide open like the rest of Texas is extremely inaccurate. Here’s the EO which refutes, like, every single weird point you’re trying to make:

https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/EO-GA-38_continued...