HEB Going Downhill ??? (Houston, San Antonio, Austin: sales, home, buy)

[CarnivalGal]

Has anyone else noticed this? It seems like HEB just kind of sucks now. At first, I though it was just "my" HEB, so I've expanded the area where I shop. I now cycle between 5 different ones, and they are all just awful. I'm in Steiner, but I mentioned it to a friend in South Austin, and she said she's noticed the same thing.

Shelves are just empty. I know there are still supply chain issues, but every other store has managed to sort that issue out. What they aren't out of, they just stopped carrying. They have really doubled down on not carrying things anymore and replacing them with their store brand. I hate that.

Last time I was in Houston, I went to a new HEB, and it was great. My South Austin friend's theory is that since Houston is still an emerging market for them, they are trying pretty hard there. But since they are basically a monopoly in Austin, they just don't care here.

I have found that I am spending more money at Sprouts, Randalls, and Target then I am at HEB. I buy all my toiletries at Target now, since HEB is either out of or just stopped carrying so many things I normally buy. I buy almost all of my produce at Sprouts now - better selection and usually cheaper. And I hit up Randalls on my way home from HEB to get all the other things they were out of. But it would sure be nice to just get it all at one store again.

FWIW, I've noticed the Four Points store is the worst (although the Lakeline one gets an honorable mention). I couldn't get lettuce today (out of it - all of it - again today), but thank God they just added a home decor section so I could buy an end table.

[Bentonite]

I've noticed this, too. Every HEB I've gone to in the last couple years -- Wimberley, Dripping Springs, Oak Hill, Four Points, and several others -- are understocked and don't carry a lot of items anymore. Also, their produce quality has gone way down. Under-ripe, over-ripe, and just plain bad. I have to purchase three heads of garlic to get the equivalent of one good head, deeply core the too-soft interiors of onions, and cut out bad spots out of bell peppers. The meat and fish departments have remained good, though.

I don't shop at Randall's -- the Lakeway store is vastly over-priced on some items, many vegetables are badly spoiled, and I can smell ammonia from the fish counter from 50 feet away. Can you recommend any good Randall's?

Bee Cave Whole Foods is pretty good on produce, but their chicken and seafood are over-bleached and too full of water.

Regardless of what we pay or where we go, it's getting harder and harder to find good, raw ingredients with which to cook.

Please post more recommendations if you come across better stores, Carnival Gal!

[Austin97]

i use instacart havent really noticed this.

If I go to one I go to great hills or nw hills and they both seem fine.

[CarnivalGal]

Originally Posted by Bentonite

I've noticed this, too. Every HEB I've gone to in the last couple years -- Wimberley, Dripping Springs, Oak Hill, Four Points, and several others -- are understocked and don't carry a lot of items anymore. Also, their produce quality has gone way down. Under-ripe, over-ripe, and just plain bad. I have to purchase three heads of garlic to get the equivalent of one good head, deeply core the too-soft interiors of onions, and cut out bad spots out of bell peppers. The meat and fish departments have remained good, though.

I don't shop at Randall's -- the Lakeway store is vastly over-priced on some items, many vegetables are badly spoiled, and I can smell ammonia from the fish counter from 50 feet away. Can you recommend any good Randall's?

Bee Cave Whole Foods is pretty good on produce, but their chicken and seafood are over-bleached and too full of water.

Regardless of what we pay or where we go, it's getting harder and harder to find good, raw ingredients with which to cook.

Please post more recommendations if you come across better stores, Carnival Gal!

Bee Cave is the best HEB of the ones on my regular rotation, but it's still not great.

Four Points HEB stopped carrying Grass Fed beef altogether, which really chaps my hide. They have the vacuum packed kind, but that tastes awful. Other locations still carry it, but this one (that's also closest to my house) has none. But, hey, thank God they just added that home decor section last week!

I used to love HEB, but I find that I just leave frustrated now.

I stop by the Randalls in Steiner on my way home now, since that's where I live. It's really not much more expensive than HEB on a lot of things. I agree that the meat and fish sections aren't great, but I rarely buy those things there. But they have a lot of the things that HEB has decided to just not carry anymore or has never carried.

[Trainwreck20]

Mine in SW Austin had some issues during Covid, but no issues with supply now unless I go at the end of the day and the crowds have bought out something. Early or mid day is never a problem and they seem to be stocking more aggressively during the day. I think their total sales volume is just up at my store and they can't keep the shelves stocked.

They do give their own brands more shelf space than they used to, but I still can find the name brands for items where I really prefer them, just on the bottom shelf with limited frontage....

[CarnivalGal]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Mine in SW Austin had some issues during Covid, but no issues with supply now unless I go at the end of the day and the crowds have bought out something. Early or mid day is never a problem and they seem to be stocking more aggressively during the day. I think their total sales volume is just up at my store and they can't keep the shelves stocked.

They do give their own brands more shelf space than they used to, but I still can find the name brands for items where I really prefer them, just on the bottom shelf with limited frontage....

Which SW stores? Those are the ones my friend said she has had issues with. She said the Wm Cannon and Brodie one has the same issues, and the same with the Circle C one. She said the one on Slaughter (can't remember the cross street) has been the one she's started going to, but she's having the same issues.

I did actually send an email about the products they no longer carry. I thought maybe it was just stuff thing they are out of a lot. I got a stock answer about demand, yada, yada, and how their new Field & Future brand is just as good!! (It's not).

BTW - I do like the HEB brands on some things, but not everything. I also have food allergies and sensitivities in my house, so there's some things that we can't switch brands on, which they no longer carry.

I've noticed issues no matter when I go, but I admittedly don't go during the day during the week - pesky job and all

[Trainwreck20]

We use the one at Escarpment and Slaughter (I assume that is the CC store?). Again, I have had no problem getting stuff as long as I go early. I went shopping this morning and it is stock to the brim. I also like some HEB products, but not others. I.e HEB brand pretzels are awful, but the Rold Gold is still available, although I pretty much have to get down on my hands and knees to get them and it is only two columns of space.

[ashbeeigh]

I rarely go to the ones mentioned. I'm usually at the Mueller or Hancock HEB and generally don't have any concerns. Still, I usually just shop the outside of the store, fruits/a few veggies, eggs, coffee, and a few frozen things, because I do Hello Fresh/Every Plate for meals. My bigger concern is inflation in general, eggs and frozen dinner prices and that's not H-E-B, that's just the world we live in. I've also noted that the Mueller HEB sees even more crowded than usual these days with the lines pushing into the aisles more frequently than not. I wonder if they would start over and try to make it a two-story HEB like the one on Lake Austin Blvd. But, it's a newer HEB, so I doubt that would be an option. I haven't been inside the CC HEB in a while, but I could always find what I needed there.

[ParaguaneroSwag]

I prefer Houston locations to Austin and San Antonio. Not sure why the Houston locations are so much better. The San Antonio stores are honestly all a disappointment from my experience. Which sucks because it’s a San Antonio based company.

[Mattl1979]

I concur. My wife and I call HEB "Here Everything Bites", lol. We've been going to Walmart and doing the online delivery from Kroger wherever possible. The HEB Plus in Kyle is horribly packed and frequently out of stock. They're refusing to build another store in the area, despite the exploding population. Really wish Kroger stores were down here. HEB is infiltrating DFW so why can't Kroger make their way back south?