H-E-B Store

ANOTHER renovation? Yes, it is true! I was amazed when I walked in this store and saw they were expanding (and perhaps cleaning up) things.
But…wait where is the VERY effective bargain all purpose cleaner that I found. It was from Mexico — and presumably imported for the (then) predominantly Hispanic demographics.
HEB is in such a hurry to bring in ‘new’ products they can’t figure out what was actually working inside this store. This store is
Yes, there were things I’d honestly get rid of.
The lack of front electronic gates/​locking up the cosmetics section at odd hours. And I hope this renovation finally does address this. I really can’t see the ‘new neighbors’ who are moving putting up with such awkward practices. Especially when the Walgreens immediately across the street does sporadically not lock up their cosmetics section. They understand that the best way to deter theft is simply to install electronic gates. Common sense goes a long way people.
But after the company had previously made such a big deal about ‘the neighborhood’ — they are now tossing out too much of their own handiwork. It’s a shame too,
What will this store again do if the tech market suddenly crashes and Austin is no longer the hot place for yuppies!

Yup. Still the worst, most poorly stocked, blatantly racist («Hispanic themed»? Really?) grocery store I’ve ever been to. And apparently even the staff have given up now, too. Absolutely zero reasonable coffee options. Or pretty much anything options, for that matter, unless all you’re looking for are tortillas and Topo Chico. And it still feels like flying creatures from another realm are going to crash through the front windows at any given moment.
Every time I stupidly decide to come to this store, I leave grinding my teeth and cursing under my breath. You’d think I’d have learned by now.

I tried to enter by the produce doors but they didn’t open. Assuming it was a sensor issue, as has been the case at this HEB in the past, I opened them manually and entered. A very rude man in a yellow HEB shirt yelled at me — «those were closed for a REASON» — I replied «then put up a SIGN or lock them»! Really, how difficult would it be to hang an Out Of Order sign rather than yelling at your customers?
This HEB is conveniently located for me to stop on my way home from work. Unfortunately it is also always a little dirty and the selection is substandard. There are 2 other HEBs fairy close and this location just can’t compare, it’s like they are completely different chains. The HEB at Tech Ridge is big and bright, well-​lit with wide aisles and gleams with cleanliness. The produce is perfect and plentiful with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. In comparison the HEB on Rundberg and Lamar always seems to have gotten the ‘seconds’ of the fruits and vegetables and has nowhere near the variety. The dry goods are limited, as are the dairy options; I can’t find the waffle mix or butter that I’ve found at every other HEB in town.
This HEB just seems to be low-​end and I will only be shopping here as a last resort.

Strategy and a positive mindset is key when coming to this grocery store, especially when its in a highly dense area next to a major highway. Yes its going to be crowded and busy and the parking can be difficult but i still need groceries and HEB is better priced and has more products that i like. the layout of the store is simple and similar to its other stores but it is also pretty big. a plus for me is that they have a pretty good beer selection. also as a side note, I’ve been to lots of HEB’s around town, this one has way better looking people, lots of eye candy while you wait for the register.

Does not stock the same variety as other HEBs. Usually very crowded and a mess.

Not as bad as the Riverside location, but the product selection is almost as abysmal. The aguas frescas looked great and the store was clean, but just a few comparisons to my most frequented store at McNeil & Parmer:
1. No organic bananas in sight
2. Less produce variety
3. The wine selection is absolutely horrible at this store. Like, as bad as Target. Other HEBs have at least 2 aisles dedicated to wine. Here, it’s about ½ an aisle of mostly crappy options. There was literally one kind of sauvignon blanc available, and only one kind of bubbly was stocked. The beer selection isn’t much better.
4. No fresh made sushi
5. The parking lot is not very big. Though this wasn’t an issue at 9am on a weekday, I’d be wary of coming here during peak hours.

Gimmicky and deceitful pricing. Watch out for promotions where the deal is actually more expensive than their standard pricing. I noticed that this is often the case with soda. Compare unit prices to make sure you’re not getting ripped off.

Look this HEB gets what you need done, for the most part. There are some definite lacks in the whole system but I dislike this one so much.
First forget trying to get in and get out. Why you ask?
Parking: OK so its really hard to just get into the place. There are three different ways and you always feel like you are going to die getting to any of them. When you do get in good luck finding a spot. Its either packed or you are waiting on 4 cars backing out and four more coming in.
Long timely lines: Everyone pays with food stamps here and I’m not talking about the lonestsr card. And they pay with change and then they argue the prices. Which is all good stuff but it takes so long when everyone in line is doing it. Also they complain about the no bags or they have bags that are falling apart or even that they are trying to stuff too many things in one bag.
No shopping carts: Whenever you go here you can never find a shopping cart. I have started taking them from the parking lot. I guess it lightens the load anyway for the guys who bring them in.
Crazy people: It is very common for people be yelling at their girlfriend or their boyfriend in the store at the top of their lungs. Also you got ballas and gangsters try to make a piece in the store. Plus everyone goes here to cash their check so when going to frozen foods the way is always blocked and they literally yell at you trying to get past them… I know avoid that section of the store entirely.
The Staff: Young or really old people who hate their job… but who can be them, its close to runberg the most violent street in Austin
Stuff is also hard to find in the store… but even with all of that they do have a decent variety for the crazy you have to put up with…

I go here because it’s down the street from me and let’s face it… the same produce that goes here is the same that goes to any HEB or Central Market… just because it’s packaged differently doesn’t mean that it’s higher or lower quality.
I have never had a bad experience at this HEB. Is it dirtier than other HEBs? Sometimes… Is it more convenient to me than other HEBs? Yes.
I won’t go out of my way to have a better grocery shopping experience. This HEB has everything that I could possibly want to shop for. Milk, Eggs, Bread, Cheese… toilet paper, cereal… on and on and on. It’s a grocery store.
Is it deserving of the 2.5 star average? Probably… but I gave it 3 stars because they have aguas frescas at this place. It’s funner to get horchata to drink while shopping around a store.
Plus… did you see that pic I posted of the charging station? Come on. What a win.

I can’t stand going to this location, but it is the closest one… Pharmacy staff needs to get it together and learn how to give their customers the correct price for their meds and tell people about the HEB Plus program more often.

I miss my old HEB, this one is ghetto! The parking lot is small and people everywhere. It made it hard to drive around. If you need some he’s panic food then this is your HEB.

Horrible HEB! Today’s visit was the first in about two years. This location is the closest to me yet I drive to the Braker/​183 or Burnet/​Koenig stores. With the latest renovation the produce selection is good which is the only reason they are getting two stars. As large as this store is I can’t shop here as I can’t find so many items I use, I shouldn’t have to go elsewhere to complete my shopping for basic stuff. They supposedly cater to the neighborhood demographic yet I’m in the neighborhood and should be considered and not ignored. I know so many who refuse to go to that store for similar reasons… wake up HEB your losing customers or do you not care? I’m guessing you just don’t care.

I’m going to miss my old HEB where I knew the aisles and the staff was awesome. I feel like this location is just thrown together.
On the plus side they have a huge produce section. The fellow shoppers are rude and I had to dodge an incoming cart more than once!
The girl at the check out was super nice though and even helped me bag my groceries!
I feel like I should duck though because holy birds in the parking lot. I am talking «the birds» Alfred Hitchcock type attack of the birds!

While I didn’t grow up in the shitty ‘hoods of NYC in the 70’s, I walked through some of them. These were places I went with a small crowd of folks, but I really would have preferred Batman.
This HEB is not nearly that bad. Poor Rutland HEB is tepidly fighting the unfortunate socioeconomic status of a lot of the people around it anyway, I guess, but I wouldn’t say it’s winning. I find it hard to believe the place has been recently remodeled. In fact I feel like if a giant were to come by and accidentally bump the building a little, the lighting would instantly transform into some kind of Half-​Life/​post-​zombiepocalpyse set. Except maybe from the early 80’s.
Other reviewers have mentioned that they have tried to cater to the locals post-​renovation, but just because you have barbacoa or fresh tortillas doesn’t mean people want to go to a store that looks and feels like heck if they don’t have to. (Also, see Bing C’s review for a list of things the store feels are not necessary/​wanted by the bulk of its patrons).
On the other hand, there’ve always been one or two security guys patrolling this HEB, as well as in the parking lot, the couple of times I’ve been there recently. I have no idea what the cost of keeping a supermarket functioning in a trashier part of town costs vs. one out on 360.
So lo siento Rutland HEB. I feel you. I wish I could instantly transform you into an oasis of grocery convenience as well as pleasantness for the peeps around you. But if it’s going to take a supermarket Dark Knight… maybe just surviving is a noble enough fight.

Two words to describe this location, cluster fuck.
The people and the parking are ridiculous. The selection isn’t as diverse as other HEBs. However the staff here seems to do their best.
To avoid the mania ill take a slightly longer drive to Techridge or Burnett.

What the hell with the parking lot.
Also sad: no «healthy living» stuff, that means no bulk spices.
I dream of an HEB that has coffee going at five in the morning. At this HEB they randomly have ready food or beverages available. They have all the supplies and space, they would just need to staff that department adequately. I would eat there and drink coffee all the time if it was reliable.
This place really is cheap and they’re always open so that’s okay.

Do you love screaming children running wild while you try to grocery shop? Do you like not having to choose what type of yogurt to buy because the store carries only one brand? Do you like bagging your own groceries while a jaded employee pretends not to see you?
Then you will love this HEB.
I can deal with the crowds, and I can deal with bagging my own groceries, but I cannot handle the lack of variety in the food here. They carry one brand of vingar, two types of olive oil, three types of apples – you get it. And the only kind of soy meat-​like product they carry is chorizo, which is great, but I need more. I live only minutes away from this HEB, but I’m more than willing to drive to an HEB across town for better quality food, better customer service, and a better environment to shop in.

This is the HEB nearest my home, but it is NOT «my HEB». My HEB is the one from when I was at UT and spent leisurely afternoons browsing the bulk food items for just the right post-​study snack. This HEB? It’s hell.
Somehow whenever you’re there, day or night, there are very small children there. Midnight on a Tuesday? There they are. 7am on a Saturday? All over the place. I love children, but the hours in which they inhabit this HEB give me great concern about their level of overall care. Additionally, the folks that shop here routinely are of the variety that often smell of smoke of one kind or another or appear to have bathed very little in the recent past. And I’m not making some vague nod at any one race or even income class. I am someone from a mixed race family and come from a very low income family. But these folks aren’t just Mexican or poor. They’re completely out of their minds. I’m just… I don’t even. It hurts my brain to think about how this many people in a concentrated area can allow themselves to act this way.
There are more choices in dollar store quality toiletries than coffee. The meat department closes basically whenever they feel like it. They have no bagels. They have almost no spices. They have very little of anything, really. I have no idea how they continue as a business when every line takes ages, and the idea of an express line is just beyond the comprehension of 90% of the customers there.
The one plus I will happily acknowledge: the employees here have some of the best attitudes I’ve ever seen. I don’t know how they do it, but every time I finally make it to check out, thinking I’m about to have a stroke from stress, they manage to be warm enough to put a smile on my face.
That said, I’ll take my unemployed self to the Whole Foods 5 miles away and buy ¹⁄₅ the amount of food to break even monetarily just to avoid this HEB. It’s just not worth it. Ever. Ever ever.

Don’t be scurred about stopping off at this HEB! Come on in! They have aquas frescas, and fresh tortillas! What’s not to like?
So it’s not the prettiest HEB, but it doesn’t need to be.
The produce is geared towards the Hispanic population which means great deals on these items: jalapenos, white onions, limes, jicama, tomatoes, etc.
I actually hopped on over to La Michocana next door to see if their prices were better on some crema/​cheeses and both were running at the same price.

Yep, this is for you, Rundburg HEB haters. I went here for the first time yesterday because I was in the neighborhood and I loved it!
I loved that the meat department had all kinds of different cuts of meat that was suitable for lots of different kinds of cooking. Short ribs for Korean BBQ? Check. Thin sliced round for carne asada? Check. Intestines? Check. All KINDS of sausages? Check. The bakery case was filled with cakes that looked ten times more delicious that the cakes in my little HEB in Oak Hill. The meat and produce department were also wayyy better than my Oak Hill HEB.
The selection for snack foods and sodas was incredible! They serve everybody here!
I loved that the store announcements were made sometimes in English and sometimes in Spanish. I loved that I heard at least four different languages in that store, some I could not identify. I loved that everyone was super friendly. The produce was beautiful. They had fresh nopalitos. They had a fantastic array of freshly made aquas frescas in flavors I’ve never even seen before, being ladled out by the glass. The BBQ counter looked good. The guy behind the counter looked like he was proud of his work and wanted to fill you plate up. I loved the diversity of the customers, not just in race and ethnicity, but people with long hair, handlebar mustaches, etc. Coming here on a Saturday was just plain fun.
I’m taking a star off for the parking lot because that was a freaking nightmare. I finally figured out that you really need to park at the McDonalds and walk to the store and not try to navigate that crazy parking lot.