H-E-B plus! — Attraction in Bastrop

Managerial/Organizational complacency creates disturbing outcomes, across a variety of recent interactions: Three stories/interactions/observations

Generally, I don't grocery shop on a Friday night, after dark. Because of the rise of the COVID-19 outbreak, and the need to stock up on a variety of items, coupled with time constraints, I did visit the Bastrop/Hasler HEB on Friday evening, March 6th, 2020. And here's what I saw, and what disturbed me.

It's true that the parking lot is considerably less crowded, after dark. And maneuvering through the aisles is easier. But while there are fewer shoppers, per se, this Friday night (and perhaps on other Friday nights, at many locations), the clientele were hard-working, paycheck-to-checking working class families, Latino and White. Generally, they earnestly marched up to the checkout with two or three baskets, each. I watched while a young and inadequately staffed HEB line struggled to serve their working-class brethren. I've been in the store other times, and never have I seen the extended wait times (20-25 minutes, average) in check-out lines that I saw at this Hasler, after dark, on a Friday night. The difference in the level of service and staffing was STARK.

From where I sit, the inadequate staffing level appeared deliberate, as if large working class families stocking up after their paychecks were cashed were less valued (and therefore justifying the inadequate staffing levels) than the ersatz elites at "The Colony" and other developments (present and future) springing up in the last of the gentrifying quadrant East of Austin. Class politics and staffing levels showed its ugly head in the details of staffing levels, IMHO, at this HEB on Hasler.

This brief story is individualistic in nature: Earlier in the week, I had ordered a preemptive refill of medication for my condition, a few days before this type of precaution became a formal recommendation to the public, by the Federal Government. (I had read articles about supply chains interruptions of medication, due to quarantines, between the Chinese [who supply raw materials] and the Indians [who produce many generics]). I used the automated system (on Monday, March 2nd, 2020), placed my refill, and was given a pickup time for mid-day, on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020). When I went to the counter to pick it this prescription, they had no record of my order. (My smartphone's history has a record of the call, which I showed them). Counter personnel, who were pleasant, nevertheless blamed the telephone system and the automated program for the problem. When I asked when the prescription would be ready, I was told that it would be sixty-to-ninety minutes.

Given that my wife waiting in the car, this kind of timeframe was unacceptable. I asked to speak to the store manager. When I spoke to her, her initial response was "I don't have much to do with what goes on, over there" (pointing toward the pharmacy). I found this answer to be unacceptable, pointing out that "the Buck stops with her." I wasn't going away.

Given my persistence, the order was processed in 10 minutes, although I had to also answer a number of questions from the pharmacist manager, asking, multiple times, why I wanted an advance refill. I explained why (far better than the explanations I was given as to why my order was not processed, after I was given a pick-up date). Given that the entire pharma business is predicated on global supply chains, It's incredible that a pharma manager had to be educated on supply issues.

Digital: I have increasing found items without price info . The MyHEB app's barcode function did NOT work.

Update: 05/31/2020: I've only been in the HEB parking lot once, since this review. I went to pickup a pre-existing prescription at the drive-through. Two observations: 1. NO social distancing, such as occupancy limits, were apparent. 2. The drive-through experience was terrible. Speakers were old, video...

UPDATE: Within days of writing this review, HEB issued the refund. We have used Curbside Pickup again since this review, and they have generally done a great job. If there are coupons on the outside of boxes, however, they have not pulled them off and scanned them.

The Bastrop HEB has a nice selection of fresh and frozen organic vegetables and fruit, and a diverse Healthy Living section. Their vegan selections are better than some, but could use diversity in items like cheese and meat substitutes and bakery items such as Naan bread. My issue is with their Curbside Pickup. I really wanted to love their Curbside Pickup, but have experienced issues. We have tried it once, and were pleased until we reached home (an hour away), and discovered a number of items missing. When I called the store they were quite pleasant. The original person I spoke to questioned the fact that I signed for all the groceries. I pointed out that their signature device did not list any of the items I ordered, to which she answered that I could have printed the list out myself at home. After placing me on hold, they found the bags of missing items and assured me I would have a refund on my credit card in 2-3 days. One week later, I still did not have a refund and so I called again. Once again, they were very pleasant to speak to, and very helpful. I spoke to Eric, who looked into it and called me back and advised they were speaking to the accountant. I again provided a list of the items we did not receive, and was advised they were on the phone with the accoutant and the credit card would be refunded. Another week went by, and still no refund. I contacted the store again and, thankfully, spoke to Eric again. Both Eric and his manager called me back to advise an email had been sent to the accountant one week ago, and the manager stated he was following up with the accountant and would call me back either yesterday or today. I have not heard back yet, and still have not received the refund, but I am hopeful the situation will be resolved soon. If you use Curbside Pickup, print out your list or have it on your device, and make sure you receive all your items. We had ordered a large number of items and it was cold out, but I should have taken the time to check for everything as we were loading it up in the car. On the plus side, they were very quick about bringing all the items out to the car, they had all cold items grouped together so it was easy to place them right in the cooler, and everyone I have spoken to or dealt with has been kind...

This HEB has become nearly impossible to shop at. The parking situation is a nightmare. It's overcrowded, poorly laid out, and frustrating no matter what time of day you go. Just getting in and out of the lot feels like a battle most days.

Inside, the store is just as chaotic. It’s almost always packed, especially on weekends and after work. Later in the evening, the shelves are often picked over and the aisles are clogged with pallets and boxes waiting to be stocked, making it hard to move around. The remodel is still ongoing and feels never-ending, adding even more to the clutter and confusion. While the general layout hasn’t changed too much, the store is clearly being pushed past its limits. Frozen foods being placed right next to the registers only adds to the crowding.

The food selection is all over the place. You might find something one week, then it disappears for weeks at a time, only to come back and vanish again. It’s frustrating when you can’t rely on basic items being available.

The meat department has always been hit-or-miss in my opinion, but over the past year or two it’s gotten noticeably worse. There’s often an off smell or weird taste, and I’ve stopped buying meat here entirely. Walmart or smaller stores in Smithville or La Grange have been a better bet for me.

The deli is one of the few bright spots. The sliced meats are good, and the ready-to-eat tamales are honestly great. The bakery always smells amazing and usually looks well stocked, though they do tend to run out of tortillas if you show up too late.

The staff are friendly and do what they can given the mess they deal with daily. Once you actually get in line at checkout, it’s not bad at all. Even with the crowding, it usually takes about 10-15 minutes to get through. The bigger issue is just the nonstop congestion all over the store before you even get that far.

Sake and wine are the standout sections. They’re better than most liquor stores, and the cheese selection is decent too. Those are really the only reasons I still bother stopping in.

With how many people this store is trying to serve, it’s long past time for another HEB in the area. Del Valle is a large, fast-growing suburb right next to a massive Tesla factory and still doesn’t have a full grocery store. That makes no sense.

Shopping here isn’t convenient or quick anymore. It’s overwhelming, exhausting, and way more effort than it’s worth. I’ll keep stopping in for sake, cheese, and tamales, but the rest of my shopping is...