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

texashighways.com

81–90 of 121 posts

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

#81

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…

they also gave (temp) raises to their workers.

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

#82

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…

> 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.

Costco groceries are expensive because you're forced to buy in bulk. You can leave HEB with 1 tube of toothpaste or a single potato. You can't leave Costco with fewer than 5 tubes of toothpaste or several pounds of potatoes. I love Costco and imo they win in a few areas like the butcher, but HEB crushes them in the variety of desirable groceries hands down.

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

#83
HEB is still a lot better than the national chains, but HEB has also started cutting costs in various areas. Their tortilla chips are no longer made in store, the bakery is essentially just frozen dough that comes in and is baked. Their cakes have historically been dense and dry. A lot of the time when they come out with their store brand product, they will just drop the name brand now, and in some cases it's clearly a downgrade.

So while I still admire HEB and choose it over anything else, it's on its way down in terms of quality and value.

Haven't been to Central Market (their high end brand) in a while, but it's night and day compared to HEB.

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

#85
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same here. After 7 years out of state, I moved back to TX and was at HEB almost every day to marvel at the selection of products and ready to eat foods (was also single).

I haven’t lived in Texas for about 10 years now, anytime my mom comes to visit and she asks “can I bring you anything?” - I always ask her to bring me a couple packages of HEB tortillas. The multiple mentions of the tortillas in this story has me salivating.

For those that don’t understand: they make them in-house, or more specifically, on-site - not centralized.

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

#86
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.

I don’t think Europeans want to understand why most of us are okay with a massive struggle to get food and basics,

instead of them being on every corner.

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

#87

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.

Grocery stores got bad in most of the country the way a lot of things did, through illegal M&A.

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

#88

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…

Viruses do not "fester" on flat surfaces, if they fester in anything it is cells

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

#89
post #85
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I haven’t lived in Texas for about 10 years now, anytime my mom comes to visit and she asks “can I bring you anything?” - I always ask her to bring me a couple packages of HEB tortillas. The multiple mentions of the tortillas in this story has me salivating.

For those that don’t understand: they make them in-house, or more specifically, on-site - not centralized.

There’s nothing like a fresh made batch, still warm

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

#90
I shop at a combination of HEB and Kroger. I go to HEB when I want their corn tortillas and good customer service. I go to Kroger for everything else.

HEB is a fantastically ran store, but the quality of many of the goods tends to suffer relative to competition. Things like chicken broth that isn't fake can only be found at the gigantic, brand-new HEB 30 miles away (or at any Kroger). The local HEB built a decade ago seems to be somewhat forgotten by corporate.

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