Brad N.
Yelp
This location is the closest to our home (for now), and is thus our "home HEB store", despite being in a different actual city from us. We've been going on the regular since it opened, and while I've read many of the less than stellar reviews here, I disagree with the slight on one of the main complaints: the personal shoppers.
Let's get ahead of it right away: Yes, there are a lot of them, and their carts are sizeable, and they do take up some space. But this is where we're at as a people. We want convenience and are willing to pay for it. We want to be able to order on a website, and either have our groceries delivered, or be able to pick them up at the store without coming in. The logistics of this require the red carts. I see them every time we're there. But, and this is key, I've never encountered a rude employee, or one who didn't go out of his/her way to move their cart if it was in our way. I've had far more issues with normal shopping carts piloted by normal customers, than the personal shoppers.
But what of the rest of the experience? What draws us to HEB and keeps us coming back, is the range of products offered, the cleanliness of the store, the staff, and above all, the quality and value for what we get. The HEB branded goods that we've tried have, with very few exceptions, proven to be equal to or better than the name brands, and we often favor them over the big names. The deli area is expansive and stocked with both store branded meats and cheeses, and Boar's Head. There are also a ton of baked goods of all kinds, including breads and rolls, tortillas, as well as sweet goods such as cakes and cookies. We've tried most of them, and never a clunker.
Fresh meats such as beef and pork are fresh, well stocked, and of great quality; again, we've never been disappointed, There is a large ready to heat/eat/cook area, with many choices depending on how much prep you want to do at home. This location and most around our area have BBQ made on premises, but this review will remain focused on the store. Associates have always been helpful and friendly, including running back in the cooler to find things that might be out on the shelf. Produce area is expansive and has fresh everything, again, rarely if ever leaving us wanting. One great example is bananas, where you'll almost always find everything from "ready to eat right now" to "let's let those ripen for a few days or a week".
Pharmacy staff and service, in particular, is so good that I'll actually pay a little more for my prescriptions, just to have a friendly, laid back experience and not the gristly people mill (on both sides) that are the big box pharmacies (you know who you are).
OK, so, what are the negatives of this store? I'm serious when I say, I got nothin'. I mean, they're busy a lot, so you may have to hunt for a parking spot, and might have to share aisles with lots of other shoppers, but that's kind of the point of being a successful business.
It's rare that I say I'm a "customer for life" of any business, but HEB is one chain that would have to have a complete and utter collapse of quality and service to drive me away.
