H-E-B — Attraction in San Antonio

Been shopping here for 2 years now. Firstly, the meat selection, more specifically the steaks/ground beef, are very poor quality when compared even to other HEB locations. Not sure what it is, but they seem to be going bad WELL before the sell-by date and have been doong so for months now. I've picked up literally black, freezerburnt steaks that were still 3 days to the sell-by date... so I think there's something wrong with the meat department, it goes bad far too quickly compared to everywhere else. For this reason, I'll be going to another store from now on, despite this one being 2 miles from my front door.

Secondly, they NEVER have enough full service lanes open. Maybe 3 maximum if youre lucky, and like 20 "self serve" locations, which take just as long because everyone always needs help and there's 1 person for 10 lanes... please, it's very simple, just open a few more full service lanes. There's always people standing around. They could be at a register.

Thirdly, I'm pretty sure nobody here is taught how to bag things properly, or with any sense at all. It's either one thing in a bag each, or random things slapped together like sushi with a champagne bottle in a small bag, so the sushi is ruined. Cold stuff is almost never together, and they've even put Magic Shell topping in with frozen stuff, ruining the topping before it ever got home.

I like HEB, but this one is a mess, and there is something amiss in the meat department. Hopefully, this is remedied with the remodel but for now, I'll avoid. It just doesn't live up the...

I was in H-E-B on 78 and Foster road on March 2nd Sunday at 9:25 pm. I didn't realize I didn't have enough money to pay for all my groceries that were all bagged up and there was a line behind me. I was kind of embarrassed and flustered thinking about what I needed to take out of the bags. I was $60 over from what I had. I wish I would have looked at her name tag, but the bagger girl came right up to my basket and started asking me, okay what do you want me to take out and started just taking charge of the situation and so I told her the different things and right away she pulled it out, pulled it out and handed it to the cashier that deducted it from my purchases. She was very fast and efficient to get the line moving again. She is total management material. And after that when I was leaving I noticed right away she was taking all the cold stuff right away to put it where it goes I'm sure. Like I said I wish I would have looked at her name tag but she's a young, thin Hispanic girl with tattoos on her arms. She is the friendliest, most efficient worker that I've seen at H-E-B in a long long time. This was at 9:25 p.m. on a Sunday and my cashier's name was Azael, but the bagger girl is the one that I'm praising for her efficient service. She is a Hands-On, take charge kind of person. And very very welcoming and talkative and friendly just an overall nice person I just can't praise...

I really like HEB, overall. This location (6850 FM 78) though, it really doesn't seem to "live" like the others. The workers seem nice enough, the quality of the "Meal Simple" section is pretty low though.

Not only is the Meal Simole selection extremely small as compared to other locations, the quality of the meats tastes and sometimes smells very low. This is based on my own ability to cook.

I love to cook my own food. We rarely go out to dine as well. Every now and then though, we pick-up the Meal Simples and use them for a week. I first came across "old" chicken and salmon from this loaction's Meal Simples a couple of months or so ago. I brushed it off, but still opted to be safe and get the next ones from the HEB outside Ft Sam, at my lunch break, and put them in the fridge at work until going home.

Since then, this HEB on FM 78 has twice more had Meal Simples with old tasting chicken and salmon though! There's a sort of chewyness/toughness to old chicken. Old salmon has an odd smell and flavor, before turning colors. It's a coin toss at this location if you're going to get fresh stuff. It just sucks that it is so much closer to our place.

There goes another hundred bucks for a week of meals!

Edit: I'm adding a star because the employees are actually very helpful and nice. I'll the the MS another try in a month or so and judge again then. Until then three...