H-E-B Grocery Store Is The Hero We Need In Texas

[turbinetree]

Misc 2/20/21 10:12am Read time: 2 minutes

Shopper Tim Hennessy wrote about the store's incredible generosity towards its shoppers when the store's electricity went out.
By Aliza Worthington



Who's in the mood for a good news story about Texas?

We have one for you, courtesy of the H-E-B grocery store near Austin, Texas. Facebook user Tim Hennessy wrote about his experience having been in the middle of shopping there when the electricity went out in the store. He and his wife finished up his shopping, and proceeded to the checkout counters, where the lines were moving very slowly, as you'd expect.

Suddenly, though the lines started moving fairly quickly, and Hennessy assumed the store had worked out some system for checking people out. Well, he was right - the system was to NOT CHARGE PEOPLE for their groceries, and wish them a safe trip home.

https://crooksandliars.com/2021/02/h-e-b-grocery-store-hero-we-need-texas

[marble falls]

1. Absolutely nothing bad to say about HEB! They treat their employess very well. There are people ...

... at ours I've known for years - some since I've been here in '07.

[central scrutinizer]

2. Fred Meyer (Kroger) in Portland should have done that

Instead of calling the police to guard their dumpsters.

[Lettuce Be]

4. They couldn't even be bothered to donate the food to a food bank. Nope, throw it away

and especially keep it from hungry people at all costs! I think not shopping at Fred Meyer is a good first step.

[utopian]

12. Most of that food was earmarked for donation to food pantries

Snow and ice prevented pickup, so it was tossed.

I think Fred Meyer should have handled things differently and let folks take the food, but in normal times it would have gone to the right places.

I run a food pantry in Portland, and we get donations from Fred Meyer a couple of times a week. We also receive food from Trader Joes, New Seasons, Albertsons, and Safeway, so stores aren't being evil and tossing all their food.

I'm not defending what they did by any stretch. I doubt cops would come guard my dumpster if I asked, but context is important.

[central scrutinizer]

14. Decision probably made by legal department

[judesedit]

13. They closed stores rather than pay their employees a couple more dollars

in hazard pay. I think that was Kroger. I used to like that store. No more.

[Major Nikon]

16. My son works at the pharmacy in Kroger

They are unionized and pay better than their competitors around here with better benefits. Not perfect by any means but far from the worst.

[judesedit]

19. I really used to like them a lot when I lived in NC and GA. But, didn't I just read

recently that they've closed stores rather than pay the employees, who have worked through the pandemic and btw, gave them the ability to stay open, a few extra dollars in hazard pay? I'm not liking that. The top dogs wouldn't take a little less to support their loyal employees??? What? Are they afraid their employees are going to be able to live a little better for a few months??? Sorry. Bye, Kroger.

[MagickMuffin]

3. We don't have an HEB near us. If so, I'd shop there

I don't want to drive 20/30 miles for groceries.

But HEB is a great store.

[Major Nikon]

17. Same here. Central Market is HEB owned and close by

...but that's an upscale gourmet market with associated higher prices and different offerings. I wish they would start putting HEBs in Tarrant county.

[MagickMuffin]

20. Well there's one in Burleson I-35W and Willow Park I-30 West

But they are not in Tarrant County.

My little burb just had our local Kroger store shut down because the landlords didn't want to upgrade the building. So, they shut down. We have an Aldi's and that's it. We now have to go to other burbs to shop for food.


And yeah, Central Market isn't worth the trip. To far for me to drive there and then spend extra $$$.

I wonder if we could start a drive to get them here!

[ananda]

5. Agree.

I'm glad they were able to help people who needed it.

I couldn't leave my home to do anything until Friday.
So I had made an HEB order to pick up Sunday.
However, they cancelled it bc they ran out of food
I ordered.

That got me worried, so yesterday I looked up WF
and was able to drive there last night and pick up
food. Thank goodness, they were very well stocked.

I still think HEB is a great store, but so is WF.
I use both.

[dalton99a]

6. HEB also treats their employees well and keeps them for DECADES

[Trailrider1951]

7. Of all the things I miss after moving from Texas to Washington State

I miss my HEB the most. I miss the selection and the prices. If you've never been to Texas, here is what an HEB store is like: Imagine a Fred Meyer store with about half of the non-food items, much more of the ethnic food selection, and the prices cut in HALF. I most surely miss those fresh whole wheat tortillas that are made fresh right in the store. No comparison with the pre-packaged ones that sit on the shelf for a week!

[dlk]

8. Nice story about H‑E‑B, however, they don't enforce a mask policy in the Houston area

My relatives in Houston have stopped shopping there.

[Ilsa]

9. Pretty much a business decision along with a humanitarian one.

Lots of stuff could be left to rot in refrigerator cases, or could be filling people's bellies.

Lines create frustration, which can lead to violence, especially people who've already recently faced the abyss, and if they are armed, to boot.

Gifting the inventory creates goodwill, an intangible of great value.

HEB is probably worth about a trillion dollars now, still privately owned. I think they can manage with one store's inventory loss.

[Oldem]

10. God bless 'em. They did his work.

[Paladin]

11. My family has been HEB-shopping for generations. Will continue to do so.

Outstanding grocery outlet, even in the midst of weather upheavals.

[Luz]

15. I agree, and I'll add that their store brand products equal

any name-brand. I very seldom buy anything else

[sarge43]

18. Blessings on their house.

Good people are all around us.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

21. We just shopped at HEB

We have a nice HEB near us