H-E-B

I usually try to avoid this place. I will make the extra 5 minute drive to the Olmos HEB if possible. I have had family members come from other parts of city pick up groceries on way to my house and always mention it is truly the worst. Also be careful getting into store, I have almost been cut down by traffic twice. Security does not enforce any restrictions on loading groceries in their fire lanes. I have brought to attention of managers but just been told «oh well people don’t listen». The check out lanes are endless especially at start of month. Store is jam packed usually after 3 pm everyday. Good luck. You have been warned. HEB management needs to do serious review of this establishment.

There are some places that are your «go to» places this is one of mine. The store for me is convenient, close and the staff is helpful and courteous. The store is arranged so you can find your item. If you can not ask someone. Will definitely go back.

As an oversized convenience store, this «Economy» H-​E-​B is OK, but it is nothing more. The selection tends to be of the least-​common-​denominator variety. This is the place for you if you dote on Hill Country Fare products. If you want something more, drive two miles to the east and go to the newly refurbished and much improved H-​E-​B on Olmos Drive near Hildebrand and San Pedro.
As for the Deco H-​E-​B: Do you want a salad dressing selection containing more than the bare basics? Not here, Dear. Wanna purchase white pepper or shaved Parmesan cheese? We don’t carry it, Harriet. An olive bar? No, olives are on the pickle aisle.
The Deco H-​E-​B is pretty from the outside. It is one of the «cool» H-​E-​B stores, accoridng to the Express-​News. The personnel are as nice as at any H-​E-​B store. But it is extremely frustrating to me to have to drive out of my way to go grocery shopping. This store carries about 95% of what I want, but I also want the other 5%, so I shop elsewhere.

As I have said before any area within the city is one or two businesses away from becoming a boomtown. In this case the Deco District is an area desperately searching for its own unique identity, like Southtown. Unfortunately, the opposite has been painfully true for a very long time. Anchor stores like the remodeled HEB are yet to be the glue that brings this district together.
The ironic thing is that this HEB location was perfectly fine until they began altering its layout, which drastically changed its flow. Before It felt like a part of this community, where a general respect by the business for its patrons was garnered. And the customers acted in kind. But now:
The store is an obliterating mess. The produce section is cluttered. Anywhere you walk you are always in someone’s way. They are constantly stocking or restocking stuff at all hours of the day. The vibe of this store now is frantic, like a mad drove of shoppers purchasing in the event of an apocalypse. Shopping carts turn into mini tanks of impoliteness and plow through the aisles with little regard for their fellow man or woman.
The selection of items is decent, much better than other locations. But the trade off of a good selection versus disorganization doesn’t seem worth it. Even subsiding the rude people that go here the staff, at least on the floor can be equally as bad. For example one time I asked a stocker, as they were fixing their beer section if this would be the degree of their selection. He said, «Whatever you see, is whatever is there.» This answer reflects the degree of professionalism here.
And the checkout lanes are not much more encouraging. The 15 items or less lines, that were meant to alleviate traffic are a complete joke. I have already seen numerous occasions where carts stockpiled to the brim are allowed to check through that lane. I know full lanes are a sign that a business is bumping, but it also can reflect inefficiency.
The saving grace of this location is in the checkout clerks. Bless their souls, sometimes the traffic can become heavy. But they are always patient and friendly. Now if the store can only harness their positive energy, it might be a totally different store .
They need to:
1.) Remove the bargain bins from their aisles.
2.) Make demos more chic and classy.
3.) Include more checkout lanes for big purchases.
4.) Enforce a 15 items or less rule.
5.) Stock and restock before peak hours.
HEB locations like the one in Olmos Park and by University of the Incarnate Word have helped tie together those areas. However, this location is in a bit of an identity crisis at the moment. It is a work in progress with no clear vision.
ps. A few months back I saw a few security guards chase after a gentleman who did a beer run. Nothing says that our store is more sophisticated and welcoming than a little felonious behavior.

Deco District HEB!
This is not the nicest HEB in the world. It’s one of the busiest. Parking is a pain. There’s a lot of people that come through here. It’s a dirty location, and needs a good scrubbin’.
They do offer a nice selection of beers and chorrizos. Just what you need!
I like how the shopping carts have this electric leash thingee on them so you don’t try to steal them. Smart thinking!
The place is well lit, and the produce section is large.
My favorite thing about this store? The weird layout and ingress and egress. It’s as maddening as it is delightful. Check out the awesome bus stop by the roadside in front of this place!

Not as fancy as other HEBs, but they had an amazing little treat for me in the bakery that I haven’t seen in other locations: a cream cheese bear claw. Never heard of it before I tasted it, but it was better than a Starbucks cream cheese danish. And it was only 59 cents!

Very typical H-​E-​B as we’ve all come to expect. It’s clean and there are employees available on just about every aisle, which is cool if you need help getting pointed in the right direction. There is a redbox and mailbox drop out front on the Fresh Food side. I like that all their deli sandwiches are kept up with. While looking for a yummy sandwich for lunch I didn’t come across any old dates. Though it was late morning and not that busy there were a number of registers open and line free. My checkout was quick, painless and was able to utilize the human contact register instead of the self serve which I usually prefer. I was in and out in record time. Thanks H-​E-​B you’re good to me!

This has to be the WORST HEB in the city! I know the area may not be the best, but that doesn’t mean that employees have carte blanche to be rude, as well. There are never shopping carts at the front of the store and when you ask the «greeter» they always respond that their job is to stand there but to feel free to walk back into the dangerous parking lot (which never has close parking, always has random people congregating in cross walks, bad drivers and no security– there was a stabbing a few months ago) to get a cart myself. I must admit, they have gotten a tad better selection on gluten free items (the one star) but still not too many organic items. The people behind the deli counter are slow and rude and I feel like I should send them a 1099 at the end of the year for having to bag my groceries myself after waiting in a long line. Not to mention, it seems like every time I finally do get to a cashier (never a bagger), they are always having personal conversations with each other or managers!
Definitely worth the time to drive to another HEB!

This location is in such a sketchy area that the H-​E-​B itself has become a sketchy destination. I mean which other H-​E-​B can you think of that has electronic leashes connected to their shopping carts to deter customers from taking them? Which other H-​E-​B has an announcer every 5 minutes saying «security cameras scan such and such area for shoplifters»!!! Which other location has vagabonds hanging out at the front check-​out harassing customers? And last but not least, which other H-​E-​B has their lighters locked up in a glass case to prevent them from being stolen??? None that I can think of…
And to top everything else off, a man was just recently stabbed to death in the parking lot as part of a drug-​deal gone wrong. It is safe to say that I will NOT be returning to this H-​E-​B any time soon. As for the store itself, employees are not very helpful and the floors are always sticky and dirty. Customers at this particular location don’t seem to adhere to the «15 items or less» rule on the speedy check-​out lanes. Their produce selection is very sad, although I have noticed that the prices are much lower compared to the locations that I frequent on the NW side. They do not have a very good selection of pre-​made meals, but they do have every flavor of Bud Light Margaritas ever known to man. Ok, MAYBE I might consider coming back just for that reason… and for their selection of novelty Mexican candies. But if I do go back, I’ll be sure to wear a bullet-​proof vest!

Don’t let the deco exterior fool you! This has got to be the WORST HEB! Poor selection, poor layout… produce is eh. Seriously hoping the remodel is a true remedy to this tragic case called a grocery store! The only thing that saved them from one star is the fact that they SOMETIMES have my fave Lost Gold beer… sometimes. If you can avoid this deco disaster!

Admittedly, we just stopped in here to grab a couple of things and then get out, so my review isn’t so much on repeated visits to do weekly shopping or anything.
The store felt kind of small and cramped, but it was also a Saturday afternoon! The produce section, deli, and meat departments were all clean, and the store was well-​lit. Our cashier was really nice and quick, and they seemed to have enough registers open to meet the demand.

This HEB is a good store! Yes it is smaller then the larger locations but this location is really a gem in the rough! I went to this location just before 8pm on a Tuesday night and I must say that I was very well pleased!
Each HEB has its finer points and this location sure has it’s own great points! The first is they have a large produce section with lots of fresh produce and a good deal of variety! That is great for someone leading a healthy lifestyle!
The second good point is the meat department and sea food section! The meat department is large and great prices for chicken, beef, pork and sausage! The section is always fresh and is cut right there in the store!
The third thing I really like about this location is the old school deli they have! Everything is on display and they cut the meat and cold cuts right in front of you!
The store was very clean when I went, well kept up and the employees who worked there where friendly and very helpful! Great customer service from the people working on the floor!

This store is close to my house, and I’ve been shopping here since the 80’s. When they first built the new store it was great, but since then a steady decline. Always a terrible shopping experience. They don’t even stock real syrup, all HFCS! Their cilantro is always brown and wilted, the meat selection sucks! Always a hassle to get out of the store, 5 people deep in line all the time and constant hassles. I have since stopped shopping here and taken my business to other grocers in the area and the Olmos/​Central Market HEB wen I need full list shopping. The gas pumps are always 1 or 2 cars deep, and people are just plain mean, they will come in after you and cut you off unless you get aggressive, which is not my bag. I will drive away and hit the Exxon for gas instead of fighting for a spot at HEB. This place needs an overhaul in design and more checkers. Maybe a no WIC/​Lonestar/​checks line would help!

I used to really like this store since it’s so close to my house… But now it’s always dirty, customer service is horrible, and the feel is just drab. Maybe the day time is still a better time to come than in the evening. But other than that I think it’s time to find a new store whereto shop.