H-E-B — Attraction in Austin

This store is just too big. It's basically just a normal HEB, but supersized to insanity. For the times I can't avoid going to HEB, I'll stick with the one on Slaughter and Manchaca, which is set up a bit more logically and not such a task to shop at.

Pros: It's clean (since it's new) The selection appears massive, at least for meals to go, ice cream, and beer. I've never seen so much ice cream in one place. If you need a specialty cake you can probably find it here. There were a lot of really adorable cakes and fancy tarts, like Central Market has. Almost all of the cashier checkout lanes were open when I went, although the teenagers assigned to direct customers kept asking people to go to self checkout, rather than to the short lines with cashiers.

Cons: It's massive, inside and out. There isn't such thing as a quick trip here. Because it's always packed, the walk from the back of the parking lot is super long. No crosswalk at the pharmacy doors, plus the fact that traffic turning in regularly backs up down Congress, makes it not super safe to go in and out on that side of the store. Cars are paying more attention to the line of traffic behind them than to people trying to cross at the doors. As huge as it is, it's still nearly impossible to find an employee to help. The layout is designed for sales, not customer convenience. For example, instead of being with the regular frozen foods like at every other HEB, chicken nuggets are in a separate freezer section in the meat department, which requires walking all the way to the back or front of the store, as the center aisle is blocked there, and so you are required to go through the bakery, cheese, meats, etc with all of the impulse buys (other routes still require walking all over the store). Not specific to this store, but like all HEBs, no limits to the number of customers and no distancing or guidance within the store, other than the cashier checkout lanes (not the self checkout). It was very crowded when I was there, and there were many areas where it was impossible to distance from other shoppers. Even Walmart can manage distancing. Also not technically the store, but the BBQ place is set up so you have to walk all the way in the enclosed line/counter area to see the menu, and judging by the advertised "special" of a $9 sandwich, it's a bit proud of itself for being a grocery...

Update - 05/28/2025 As someone with a disability who relies on a service animal, I’ve had multiple negative experiences at this store. Until tonight, I never connected these issues to having my service animal with me. This evening, I had to rush to the store without my dog for the first time in years. Despite arriving 25 minutes before closing, I was treated exceptionally well—like a valued customer. It was such a stark contrast from my usual treatment that it felt extraordinary.

Past Experiences Unfortunately, my overall experiences with this store have been disappointing, mainly due to rude, inexperienced, and very young managers. They make any situation outside the routine act of swiping your card unnecessarily difficult.

When the store first opened, my initial visit was frustrating. As the last customer of the night, I stepped out of line briefly to grab an item from the freezer aisle while another customer was being checked out. For this, I was denied service and escorted out of the building by security when I expressed disbelief at being forced to leave without my basket of groceries.

Another negative encounter occurred as was leaving Austin on a trip out of state in May 2024. My car was packed, and I stopped to return a small Igloo cooler that I purchased a few days earlier that cost $50. Assuming my receipt wasn’t needed since most transactions are tracked electronically these days, I used my debit card for the return. When the item didn’t appear in their system, I showed them the exact transaction date and location via my banking app. Instead of resolving the issue, a manager treated me like a criminal, claiming they couldn’t process the return due to the item being “high-priced.”

To resolve the issue, I had to drive all the way to the Westlake store, where I had originally purchased the cooler, and call accounting to track down the receipt. Only then was I finally able to return the item. —————————————————————

As a lifelong H-E-B customer whose first job was as a sacker and cashier at H-E-B from 2000 to 2002, the consistent disrespect feels personal. The company needs to improve its training for employees on how to interact with customers. The current standards at this location fall far short of what...

I have to say that HEB has the most cordial, pleasant and customer service oriented employees over any other grocery store I shop in Austin and I shop everywhere. It is pretty amazing actually because regardless of which HEB I am shopping I am met with the nicest hardest working employees. Today though I have to give special thanks and acknowledgement to those who made a wish and request come true and expedited it. I was shopping at the HEB at South Congress and Slaughter for Icelandic Glacial water only to discover it was not only on sale but a”buy two get one free” sale. I needed a very large amount and approached Trevor and Corey who I believe are both front end managers who made all of this happen. Corey initially made a call to the grocery manager, Keko who then took time to get approval for my large order. That was three days ago and today I had that order. Trevor was there today and while we know sometimes things have glitches like computer issues, etc… to give me the sale price…he stood by to make sure it all worked out as discussed until the very moment I walked out with my water and with a huge smile on my face. I hope HEB knows how truly exceptional they and their employees are and hope that all HEB employees are acknowledged for their outstanding service…deservingly rewarded for their efforts and hard work and for their impressive dispositions always putting their best foot forward. I have never experienced it any other way there. Today though the big thank you goes to Trevor, Corey, Keko and I almost forgot to mention Michael who filled in for Keko today and assisted with making sure I got my entire order and Alyssa at the customer service desk. She assisted with the transaction and helped to work through the glitch…always personable, pleasant and reassuring. She has all the qualities you want in someone in that position. The experience and of course the appreciation I feel for all they did will not soon be...