HEB OR Walmart? (school, live in, price)

[TXsurburbanmom]

I just returned from the land of Food Lions and Harris Teeters (also Lowes Food which we found very confusing as there was Lowes Home Improvement as well). I practically cried the day I shopped HEB again. That said as much as I missed HEB, I shop as much at SuperTarget. As someone who shops Target 1-5 times a week I know how the prices compare and Target really is as cheap as HEB. Not necessarily item for item or if you happen to need the things on those "mega-coupons" HEB does, but on an overall shopping trip I can do as well and sometimes better.

Whenever I'm in Target and will be home soon I troll the meat to check for clearance items. I've cleared out the chicken or hamburger at times and often wish for a bigger freezer the prices are so good. Plus I can always score some clearance t-shirts for my boys while I'm getting my grocery shopping done. Yep, I live in Stone Oak and dress my kids in Target--granted they are 9 and 4 AND boys but still... Also, living in Stone Oak provides me with quick access to 2 SuperTargets and I've been known to hit both in one day if something was really cheap at one.

I also noticed in NC the Target prices were less then the other stores. They were still slightly higher then here because there was no HEB to keep them down. Unfortunately, my town only had a SuperWalmart and I'm just not a Walmart shopper. I found the prices good but in the end there was always something I had to have that they didn't have and I'd end up wishing I'd made the drive to the Target in the next town. Since we got back I probably split my grocery shopping fairly evenly between Target and HEB. Saturday I needed 2 items and opted for Target at 8 PM instead of HEB. I breezed in and out no problem. My brother hit HEB after the Spurs game and every register was open and jam-packed...

[sapphire]

I agree with the above poster regarding clearance meat at Target. You can get some great deals. 96/4 ground beef for $2 a pound. Nice strip steaks for $3 a pound. Of course, you have to either use them that day or freeze them. Still a great deal! I love Super Target anyway.....it's just a totally different clientele than WM and the HEB's by my house. I do buy quite a bit of my groceries between WM and ST, and head to Green Field's at times, Whole Foods at times, Sun Harvest rarely, and HEB if my hair is on fire and I need something ASAP. It's right at the entrance to my neighborhood but I generally avoid it, if possible.

[SabresFanInSA]

Originally Posted by sapphire

I agree with the above poster regarding clearance meat at Target. You can get some great deals. 96/4 ground beef for $2 a pound. Nice strip steaks for $3 a pound. Of course, you have to either use them that day or freeze them. Still a great deal! I love Super Target anyway.....it's just a totally different clientele than WM and the HEB's by my house. I do buy quite a bit of my groceries between WM and ST, and head to Green Field's at times, Whole Foods at times, Sun Harvest rarely, and HEB if my hair is on fire and I need something ASAP. It's right at the entrance to my neighborhood but I generally avoid it, if possible.

On the grand scheme of things I think I would prefer to shop at Super Target but they arent convenient (for me) to get to. Either have to deal with the Culebra/1604 traffic (AR is a SuperTarget, right?) or deal with Bandera and 1604. Neither area is much fun to deal with traffic-wise at any time of the day.

Not sure why when they put the strip center in at 151 and 410 they didnt make that a Super Target.

[RGJ]

Went to Walmart last night(HEB, my usual place, was closed for Easter) for some breakfast stuff for this morning. The Owens sausage in the round tube. One was out of date over a week, another expired last night, and finally at the very back, found one not out of date.

[ged_782]

Originally Posted by Pagandad

I lived in VB and more recently before here, Norfolk.
But pretty much everything is cheaper here and with some actual competetion would be moreso.
I usually go to HEB mostly because they have a better overall selection, but was boggled they were closed yesterday and had to go to Walmart or woulda had PB&J for dinner. Never heard of a major business like a supermarket closing on a purely religious holiday (other than friggin Chick-fil-A.. which coincidentally I only ever have a craving for on Sundays) but they sure lost alot of business from those of us outside that demographic, cuz Wallyworld was packed.

I believe the only holidays HEB closes are Easter, Thanksgiving day, and Christmas day.

If you think that's bad, just be glad you didn't live here about 30+ years ago. Nearly everything was closed every Sunday. Grocery stores (including HEB) pretty much stopped closing on Sundays by the mid-1970s, because most of the products they sold weren't prohibited from being sold on Sundays by the blue laws that were in effect in Texas at that time. Other retail establishments generally weren't open for business on Sundays until the mid-1980s, when blue laws were abolished.

[sapphire]

Originally Posted by RGJ

Went to Waheblmart last night(HEB, my usual place, was closed for Easter) for some breakfast stuff for this morning. The Owens sausage in the round tube. One was out of date over a week, another expired last night, and finally at the very back, found one not out of date.

Same thing happens at heb.....and the employees there get an attitude with you when you tell them. The heb at bandera and guilbeau SUCKS for this very reason. I won't ever set foot in that dump again....

[stoneoak]

It's a rarity, but I love finding expired products at H-E-B -- because then you get one that's not expired for FREE!! And they have never given me any attitude. In fact, I prefer H-E-B mainly because the employees are sooooo much better than WalMart's.

[hellpaso]

I haven't shopped at the HEBs in SA, but I do go to Central Market when we're in town. I avoid Walmart like the plague, but I don't mind Sam's for bulk products. In the valley it's pretty much Walmart or HEB. Walmart also makes a big deal about their steaks--they are "select" grade. Anybody that knows how to shop for groceries should know the difference between "prime", "choice", and "select" grades. At least HEB sells only "prime" and "select". They also carry upscale items that you'd never find in Walmart. Sign up for coupons on HEB's website--I recently got a $9 wild salmon for free (coupon & $50 purchase).

[christebo]

Whoever said that HEB meat spoils quicker is not correct. Wal-Mart packs their meat out of state (they do this to prevent unions getting in their stores) Wal-Mart meat uses gas in their packaging and I have had their meat get spoiled way before the sell by date. With HEB, you can trust their sell by date. Their produce is better. Certain stores have better quality meats and a bigger variety of produce than even other HEB's. You will not find better products although you may find more organic stuff at Whole Foods, etc.

All around, HEB is the better deal. They are within a penny of anything you can name. Their fresh products are superior to Wal-Mart and Target. Their products rotate faster (eggs and milk usually have a longer expiration date because HEB is more popular and they sell through their product faster).

[L210]

I like the HEBs in my area. The employees are certainly friendlier than the ones at the Walmarts in my area. Maybe they're just more miserable either because Walmart is so big and busy or because of the way Walmart treats them.