H-E-B plus! — Attraction in Austin

Great! Nice people, working fast. High volume, mostly good fresh produce. Quick visit as King Tutenkhamen (Tut to his friends) gets the Treat (it's a Really Big Deal) every evening, and believe it, there's no forgetting. Night comes quickly in winter. So I only saw produce so far; will go back & report on the whole place another visit. First time at this new-looking Riverside store - ended up there by happy accident.

While looking for $2.90 (you know, $2.89 AND 9/10) gas, I crossed the river south, soon saw the huge grocery store & remembered both truck and I needed food. Turned out they have their own gas station, just like Walmart ... and there was the elusive lowest price $2.89 9/10 I'd been chasing east of downtown! We pay a lot less here in Austin than most of the country already, being closer to the supplies. Like produce, if you poke around online in "comments" of YouTube videos about getting prepared, it's sobering how supplies are, other parts of the country (outside major cities). Down here we grow a lot of food nearby, the Valley and even in town. Some very local - lots of gardens, even chickens, in backyard Austin.

You can grow any root you buy; right now I have ginger - tropical, and alliums like garlic and green onions, tucked in where there's room. Garlic repels lots of pests, and the leaves are mild to chop & drop in the pan last minute.

Indoor fruit trees - Meyer Lemon trees, just bought this year. Already they've produced many clusters of six fragrant flowers! They'll drop some fruit & you help by thinning; that's too many big fruits for a tree to have on one thin branch. I appreciate their enthusiasm, and it gives you something to look forward to every day. You go out and see the flowers magically turn into fruit just when many plants are dropping leaves. Citrus trees you get in Austin, The Great Outdoors down Congress or try Tillery Street Plant Company in East Austin. That's because citrus can only be sold in-state. Other kinds of fruit plants usually best quality and varieties via mail order. Bare root usually the best, Ison's is best I've found for the South. You get what you pay for, and when you weigh the tree you'll see grow for years, more fruit/nuts every year, against that $4 for one pomegranate... Of course I'd just planted mine when the February Arctic freeze hit, but many survived. Local for citrus, even just go for the experience is worth it. Super people both places - makes sense, as studies have consistently shown health effects of contact with living plants. So these places act to produce endorphins in their people - and you too, try it. Mission creep - you came here about a huge grocery store. We can grow our own too - see YouTube Gardener Scott for all ages, leadfarmer73 for adults esp. if you want to preserve your own, and a range of...

I've shopped at almost every HEB in Austin, and this one is my favorite. I'm really not sure what all the other reviewers are squawking about on here, as this store is top notch. A possible explanation would be that this area of Austin has been gentrified, and subsequently overrun with yuppie Millenials. Evidently, nothing is ever good enough for Daddy's Little Princess and Mommy's Special Little Guy.

To us natives, though, this store is a blessing. It used to be a plain ol' HEB, but they have since remodeled it into an HEB Plus. The criticisms against this store are ridiculous, and stem mostly from pretentious White people who find it unpleasant having to shop alongside "the peasants". I'm White, and I love this store. Nobody twisted these D-bags' arms and made them move to this side of town. You and your "holier than thou" attitude can go back to the suburbs.

Produce isn't "fresh"? "Fresh" is subjective. Go to Whole Foods and spend a lot more for the same thing, then. The only way you'll get "fresher" is if you put a garden in your backyard.

Don't like the people who shop there? HEB has no control over that. Take your uppity White posterior somewhere else, hoss.

It's always crowded? Must be a good store, people like shopping there. What's YOUR malfunction?

Hard to get in and out of the parking lot? Take it up with the City Panning Commission. Even better, research your candidates and vote for the people who will fix our traffic issues.

Items are piled into bins? They're on clearance, that's why they're so inexpensive. If they paid someone to put them on shelves, they would cost more. Go somewhere else and pay twice as much, if you don't like it. Better yet, take a Business course at ACC.

Empty shelves? They were remodeling. Get over it. The world is a hard place, Princess; if empty grocery shelves are such as gross imposition, you've got a long road ahead of you.

The main reasons I love this store are that the prices are better than Walmart, and they always have PLENTY of checkout stands open. If necessary, they will open every single one of them, and have a manager directing you to the shortest line. They will even overlook the "10 items or less" signs if they get too busy, and help you bag your stuff. The worst part of grocery shopping is checking out, and this store makes it as painless as possible.

Fresh tortillas, bread, doughnuts, sushi rolls, pies, all made daily; the staff are always friendly and helpful; AWESOME beer and wine selection; and the prices can't be beat.

HEB Riverside is the best grocery...

Note: This review is of the HEB Plus on Riverside Dr. in Austin, Texas. Edit: updated for safety in 2021. HEB is no longer requiring customers to wear masks. Edit: second update: So...AFTER HEB gets backlash from not requiring masks, they start requiring them again. Okay...good on you, HEB. So noble of you. Not going to change my rating. A business should be proactive, not reactive, when it comes to keeping their customers safe.

COVID safety: Poor Inventory management: Very poor Selection: Good Convenience: Excellent Friendliness: Excellent!!

The main reason for this review is the inventory management. Selection is pretty good - there are a wide range of products and brands. But almost every time we have gone, we haven't been able to find at least one of the products we normally get. Completely sold out. Soda, Wheat Thins, Grandma's Hummus, raw cashews, red curry paste, Kashi GO cereal, and more. We're going to find another HEB because we just can't get what we need at this one.

Management needs to know that there's a merchandising problem - and it needs fixing. I'd recommend, from a customer's perspective, discontinuing products if they are not available anymore, or simply ordering more of the products that sell well. I understand we're in a pandemic, and the store is probably short-staffed. Measures can be taken, though.

Second. Safety precautions during COVID are average at best. All employees wear masks, sanitizer is at all entrances, and plastic shields separate customers from cashiers. However, no one social distances. There are no stickers on the floor (that I can recall). There are way too many customers in the store at one time, so that needs to be limited more. Take notes from REI Downtown Austin and Aldi. They are top-notch in safety, and that should be the model for all retail.

That said, I love how convenient this store is, and the staff are all INCREDIBLY friendly. Love the people! Inventory management just needs a HUGE...