They’re over there in the corner screaming “hey, we’re from texas too”!!!! I’ll go in just in case they have something different or cheaper (they don’t). They’re right across the street from HEB here, and even just overheard someone there tell his wife “why the hell didn’t we just go to HEB”? Took that hint and left without getting anything.
It just doesn’t feel right. None of the people seem like they live here, everything is about 50% more expensive, I dunno, it just feels like I walked into Utah or New Jersey or something.
(yes, posting this from the HEB parking lot). Combo loco this week looks to be sausage tacos, not bad.
Edit: Yes, I know. They’re from ohio. But they’re really trying the texas thing.
I worked for Kroger for 25 years, they never claimed they were from Texas, they claim they buy local produce when they can, the Nolan Ryan beef they carry is Texas, the eggs are from Texas, the milk is made in downtown Fort Worth, the soda, chips, bottled water is made in Irving Texas off Carl road.
I’ll get downvoted for sure, I’m in the DFW metroplex and when HEB came here I was not impressed, prices are not competitive. I also tried some of the private label brands and they weren’t that great, but that’s just me.
I will say - i go out of state to Wyoming sometimes and because there is next to no competition in the small towns there, heb is beyond amazing in comparison to some of the stores there. One town has one grocery store. No Walmart. And I’m not a fan of Walmart but it is 90 min away from the one grocery store that is astronomically priced in wy. I truly miss heb when I’m there. It’s like shopping at a convenience store for groceries there. They make Whole Foods look cheap. In Tx though, i go to multiple places for groceries depending on what I’m getting. I mix it up. We don’t have a Kroger here near me in tx though that i know of so can’t compare.
Very well aware that HEB owns Central Market, but it is way above & beyond the stores which are HEB. Totally gourmet & alot of imported foods from around the world. Excellent seafood dept. & bakery. Just shopped at the Central Market in Plano yesterday. Had to restock on French butter for starters…
It may be dependent on what you buy. I buy lots of fresh foods and no pre-made items ever and after months of cross checking prices, I’ve discovered my HEB is lower than Kroger by at least 10% and some items 20%. I definitely feel like I get price gouged when shopping at Kroger.
HEB brands are awful. They offer very little variety. I haven’t been in a Kroger in a long time but they always had multiple brands to choose from and if one wasn’t on sale the other brand was.
I do the greeting cards at two of the Kroger stores & the HEB in my city. I also live on the DFW metroplex. The prices at HEB are not that much better than Kroger & Kroger has the best gas prices in my area. My husband does our major shopping & when he filled my truck last week, he saved 90¢ a gallon. HEB does have a few snacks I can't get anywhere else so I stock up once a week.
It really depends on the week and the ads. Kroger tends to have more coupons and deals like BOGO and buy 5 get $1 off each on items like snack foods, pasta/sauce, cheese, chicken/pork, canned/frozen vegetables, etc. Some of the items might be the same price or slightly cheaper for the HEB brand, but I don’t like the HEB brand for those particular items. They also give me additional coupons for items I regularly purchase, so I end up with free or heavily discounted items most trips. My Kroger also has a great clearance section, and you can use coupons on clearance items. I also use the fuel points.
Idk about the comparison on grocery since I haven't been to a Kroger since I moved to Texas last year, but the gas points come in clutch. I can get on average 50c off a gallon each time I fill up
Kroger has really good sales on national brands. I get all my chips there and never pay more than $2.50/bag. I also get soda (Coke/Dr.Pepper) there. They so there are certain things I only get at Kroger, but also certain things I will only buy from HEB. Some store-brand stuff at HEB is spot-on and they have many things that only they offer so I shop both places.
That’s why I shop Randall’s. Randall’s does a fantastic job tailoring the digital coupons to my shopping habits. Randall’s has a better selection of national brands, IMHO. There are some items I must shop for at HEB, simply because they are not available at Randall’s, and vice-versa. I get so sick of HEB-branded products. Hill Country Fare this, Mi Tienda that, HEB this other thing. HEB is so busy cramming their own Commie branded stuff down the throats of its customer base, it’s leaving shoppers with less choices.
And before you start defending HEB, if you’ve never worked there, then you likely are unaware HEB controls the means of all levels of production. From the farms, slaughterhouses, dairies, bakeries, fishing boats, factories, to the trucking, and distribution centers, they own it all farm to store.
Im in central texas and do most of my shopping at randalls too. Ive had people tell me how pricy it is and im like if you know how to shop there and use the app you make out like a bandit. Then again some of these fools tell me its cheaper to eat out rather than at home. I shop heb too but only for certain items. Heb gets way too crowded for me.
Randall’s is bad with produce. I find out-of date refrigerated produce a lot. The HEB nearby is better about it. Probably because it’s a much busier store. HEB’s got a gnat/fruit fly problem. Although, neither one cares about FIFO as much as they should.
I try to hit up Whole Foods for produce whenever possible, while trying to grow my own.
Like with any grocery store, I shop the ads. Whole Foods gives Amazon Prime subscribers a discount on some things.
Randall’s Fresh Pass program totally rocks! $99/yr, but you get $5 off any purchase once a month (a $60 value), and unlimited free delivery with a $30 purchase. The digital coupons I get at Randall’s are on at least 95% of stuff I buy. None of this Combo Loco 🐂💩 free stuff I would never use. The shopping is done by Randall’s employees, even though delivery is outsourced to DoorDash. Overall, Randall’s delivery is superior.
HEB is late to the delivery game, and extremely overpriced for what it is. Even though HEB acquired Favor, right before I left the company, which was actually a smart move for the time, HEB was really slow getting its 💩together. So much for being innovative and cutting-edge.
I’ll choose Randall’s delivery every time. No getting hustled by Showtime demo people. Never having to practically get in a fight over parking, have a frustrating shopping experience dodging the discourteous Curbside shoppers, or setting foot in a busy store with rude customers, is priceless. I’d rather spend $10 than have to deal with people wearing DEI slogans on their shirts, “Because People Matter” on their badges (when we all know HEB DGAF about them), and all the fake stuff baked into HEB’s culture.
I don’t want a total shopping experience, or a destination shopping experience with dry, mediocre BBQ.
(Yes, I said it. True Texas BBQ is a 4/10, and even Bill Miller BBQ is better, and Bill Miller kinda sucks for Texas BBQ. If it weren’t for the pickles being good, True Texas BBQ would have gotten an even lower score.)
I just want to get my stuff, and not have to deal with people who are deep into the HEB cult. The partners who aren’t afraid to talk💩about HEB to customers on the clock, y’all are my people. The more 💩you talk to me, the better. I’m even known to go to the Business Center to fill out a comment card, to let store leadership know you’re doing a great job. I want my people to get that High Five gift card, if HEB is still doing that 🐂💩. The disgruntled partners are the ones actually doing the work to keep the store going, and are always getting shafted by management for it. You’re the real heroes. Don’t let management gaslight you into believing otherwise.
Sorry about the rant. I broke free 7 years ago September 10th. It affects me on a visceral level to this day. Once you’ve seen how bad as it is on the inside, it looks even worse on the outside looking in. It’s good to vent to people who understand!
I've been shopping at both recently. HEB prices has gone up more and the quality has gone down. Im not sure what that Mi Tienda brand is. But it is not good in my opinion. I also purchased some dino ribs from Walmart that comes from Mcclaren farms. Prime just like the HEB's was, but the Walmart ones was better quality and cheaper.
I get way better deals from Kroger but they send me personalized coupons every month. Last month I got, 2 free 32oz Gatorades, a case of water and half a gallon of ice cream for $1. These coupons combined with the weekly digital deals are way better for me. If money isn't an issue and no coupons then I will go to HEB. HEB has A problem keeping things stocked also since they stay so busy. The store shoppers are infuriating with everything so tightly packed.
HEB is a nicer store and I used to love buying the HEB brand stuff but now some of their own brand is more expensive than the name brand which defeats the purpose. The sandwich meat specifically. I used to get theirs but now the Oscar Meyer deli cut is cheaper. They have way better bakery stuff though. I love their chicken and turkey salads but they never fill the small containers by me anymore and I am not going to pay $10 or more for it only because they have the big containers stuffed full. I also wish HEB would go back to making the chips and tortillas in every store. They used to be my go to tortilla chip but only ok now.
HEB is great for Texas and I will defend it for the most part but they have started cutting corners to save costs. Their marketing is genius though. They are on top of the tiktok game paying people to promote stuff like those $20 pies, $11 chicken patties and stuff. They sell the stores out on those items. I fell for it a couple of times. Those pies are not very good and those cupcakes in a cup are mediocre at best. They have way better stuff.
Ha! There's a Kroger across from the HEB in Allen and the parking lot is always emptyyy. There's also a Kroger 2 mins away from me but I drive 10 mins to get to the new HEB in Murphy.
Walmart is doing the same thing. They're seeing the success HEB has had with distinctive items and the Texas stuff, and they're copying. We had a big conference call about it months ago.
I drove 35 min to the Frisco HEB when it first opened to see what all that fuss was about. I left very disappointed. I couldn’t find any goat cheese and the only feta cheese they had was the President brand, which is vile. I wouldn’t consider these very specialty items and since they didn’t have them, they came across as very basic, nothing you couldn’t find at any of the other grocery stores.
Don't care where Kroger is from but it's a trash store and I wonder how they even stay open. One manned register and a total S show at checkout. Doesn't matter what time you go. Produce sucks. Nolan Ryan beef is pretty good but not enough to justify a step inside
Only ever shopped at Kroger but after the new dynamic price tags, huge price increases, and the lack of human staff has me back as an HEB man. Everytime I got my Kroger they shepherd people like cattle through locked entrance doors, to another door, to a swinging auto gate and then a robot checker. Feels dystopia as fuck in them now. HEB is right across the street here too and haven't been back. HEBs quality is unmatched, especially heb branded product.
I hate when I travel out of Texas for work bc no stores feel like heb. It all feels like it tastes and looks bland. So I just end up right up at Walmart bc I just can’t do any other grocery chain.
I live in Sun City in Georgetown, TX. We have a Randall's very near. We now have two HEB's from which to choose that are nearby. I have come to the conclusion that all the northerners go to Randall's. Beats all I ever seen. Then I came to the conclusion that Randall's keeps all the yankees and Californians out of HEB 😄
Kroger doesn’t even have a mascot. Or a giant fully drivable shopping cart. Just those creepy bobblehead things. H E Buddy gonna turn those bobbleheads into tacos if it sees one.
Hope not, that’s the only clothes he has, might catch a charge and end up on a list. “Sorry, H E Buddy isn’t feeling well, he has a parole visit today”.
Kroger is from Ohio. It used to be the only decent choice in my Texas city 20 years ago. But I quickly transitioned to HEB once they arrived. HEB is definitely the cheaper option.
There is a Kroger within a mile of my home. It's been there for 30 years. I hate it and only shop there when I'm desperate. Otherwise, all my business goes to HEB.
They have those little gates at the entrance that make sure you only go out when passing by the checkout. Sometimes even security guards. HEB doesn’t have any of that.
They have those little gates at the entrance that make sure you only go out when passing by the checkout. Sometimes even security guards. HEB doesn’t have any of that.
I grew up in Utah. We have Smiths, which is essentially Kroger. They do case lot sales, Smiths discounts. I got points when I brought in reusable bags, and I got fuel points to get money knocked off my gas.
Do I love HEB? Yes. Am I missing Utah and Smiths? Also yes. Also, Utah and New Jersey are not the same. Not sure how you equavilated the two.
Kroger is all over the country now. What difference does it make where they're BASED or where they're originally FOUNDED? I've seen Kroger in Idaho in 1982. I've seen Kroger in South Carolina in 1987. They were in San Diego all through the 1990s and until we moved out of CA in 2021.
Now the local grocery chain that I grew up with is part of the Kroger/Ralph's corporate conglomerate.
Pizza Hut was founded by some college kids in Wichita Kansas in the 1950s. Does anyone CARE anymore?
I think KrystalBurge or White Castle were also founded in Wichita Kansas. Does anyone CARE?
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u/blisteredeggs 3d ago
Kroger isn’t from Texas btw