Wednesday, August 31, 2016
HEB Hancock #425
Today was a great day at H-E-B! I stopped into the HEB Hancock #425 again today to use the restroom and pick up a pint of New Belgium Fat Tire. Having just been in Hancock on Sunday, I do not have a lot to add about #425. A small downside to the Hancock HEB that I did not address last time, are of course the bathrooms. The restrooms here are scrunched up in the middle-front of the store, behind the registers. As such they can be a little complicated to get to, and you can easily miss where they are if you are not familiar with the store. They are also a tab bit small. So far my waits have never been too long, but the cramped environment does bring down the HEB mood. Of course, once you leave the restrooms you are in the luxuriously spaced HEB Hancock, so any negative vibes will quickly fade. The beer selection is of course great, though a little difficult to navigate. This actually sums up #425 pretty well! Great, but a little difficult to navigate. I hope in a future post, to post up the floor plan and talk in detail about the layout of HEB #425, but until then I hope you all have an H-E-Best day!
Monday, August 29, 2016
HEB Hancock #425
Today was a great day at H-E-B! On the way to go tubing in New Braunfels, some friends and I stopped into the HEB Hancock, located near the intersection of I-35 and 41st Street. Many people will tell you that HEB #425 is one of the best. While do I think that it is very good, I would hesitate at calling it the best. The major advantage to HEB #425 is in its selection. This HEB is huge, it is almost the size of an HEB plus, and it is filled with food. Being located near both the campus and the medical area in Austin, means that healthy foods are in surplus. The produce section is always well stocked, and I hear that the delis are excellent. Once you round the prepared food section, step over to the bulk and health area. The bulk section is one of the best HEB has to offer. They even have Kombucha on tap so make sure to bring your growler. The alternative food section is also very good. My vegan friend, T, comes to this HEB almost exclusively to stock up on yummy vegan products. You can also head over to the freezer section for some unique asian selections. I always try to grab some hard-to-find Japanese red bean paste rolls. As far as I know, this is the only HEB that carries it. The downside to HEB #425, is that it is always very crowded and the checkout lines are not well laid out. But it is open 24/7, so you can stop by at anytime to avoid the wait. Hope you all have an H-E-Best day!
Sunday, August 28, 2016
HEB Whitestone #265 and HEB #639
Today was a great day at H-E-B. I was in Cedar Park on business, so I decided to stop by the HEB on the corner of Whitestone TX-1431 and US-183. I used to consider this HEB on the bottom tier of HEBs before it was renovated two years ago. The new features are nice, but they come with some cost. First off, they completely remade the front of the building, adding two beautiful glass entryways and small shopping areas. While they certainly added to the overall aesthetic appeal, the new entrances also pushed the parking lot back a good 30 feet, meaning that there is less parking and more congested traffic flow. In addition, the items that they placed in the new shopping space are an odd collection of plants, tupperware, charcoal, and school supplies. I guess the management plans to rotate the inventory here seasonally, but to me it just looks strange. A huge up side with the new entrance, is that they remodeled the old single person bathrooms into standard multi-stall units. Also there is significantly more room between the checkout counters and the front wall, giving you that satisfing, complete feeling once you checkout. One final note is that the manager at #256 always seems to run a really tight shift. The cashiers always complete the transaction by the book. I am sure you will hear the trademarked, "Do you need and bags, stamps or buddy bucks?" and "Your total is X and you saved Y today," when you get your receipt. I personally prefer when things are done less standard, but if you are one of those people who always strive for perfect service, give HEB #256 a try!
Later in the afternoon, my friend and I decided to walk over to HEB Mueller #639 after swimming in Bartholomew pool. On the way in, we noticed two other patrons dressed in togas and sandals. It seems as if HEB #639 is turning into quite the Forum! We ended up getting a lot of groceries for tonight's dinner of rouladen and apple pie. One thing I will say about my friend is he takes advantage of all of the free samples. The way he does it, a short tour around the HEB can constitute a small meal and a trip to the bar. Personally I am not a sampler. This always seems to surprise the food vendors. In fact, I got into quite a discussion with one such vendor, who was very insistent about me sampling one of her health bars. I of course do not sample, but she made a very good logical case. I hope I get to see her again next time at #639. Who knows, maybe I'll even buy her product. At the checkout counter, I made my second HEB concession of the week–I bought a bag. If you imagine yourself shopping at HEB, I am one of those people who normally awkwardly carry everything around, no cart, no basket, and then perilously carry my items out of the store in a carefully crafted balancing act. To me it is a ceremonious dance, one of my favorite parts of shopping at HEB. A bag is a big deal for me, as I have never actually bought one before in the 3+ years of the Austin bag ban. But let's just say that the rouladen was worth it.
Hope you all have an H-E-Best day!
Later in the afternoon, my friend and I decided to walk over to HEB Mueller #639 after swimming in Bartholomew pool. On the way in, we noticed two other patrons dressed in togas and sandals. It seems as if HEB #639 is turning into quite the Forum! We ended up getting a lot of groceries for tonight's dinner of rouladen and apple pie. One thing I will say about my friend is he takes advantage of all of the free samples. The way he does it, a short tour around the HEB can constitute a small meal and a trip to the bar. Personally I am not a sampler. This always seems to surprise the food vendors. In fact, I got into quite a discussion with one such vendor, who was very insistent about me sampling one of her health bars. I of course do not sample, but she made a very good logical case. I hope I get to see her again next time at #639. Who knows, maybe I'll even buy her product. At the checkout counter, I made my second HEB concession of the week–I bought a bag. If you imagine yourself shopping at HEB, I am one of those people who normally awkwardly carry everything around, no cart, no basket, and then perilously carry my items out of the store in a carefully crafted balancing act. To me it is a ceremonious dance, one of my favorite parts of shopping at HEB. A bag is a big deal for me, as I have never actually bought one before in the 3+ years of the Austin bag ban. But let's just say that the rouladen was worth it.
Hope you all have an H-E-Best day!
Friday, August 26, 2016
HEB Meuller #639 x2
Today was a great day at H-E-B! Yesterday morning I went to #639 to pick up some gas. As always HEB has great prices on petrol. This time I paid the extra 5 dollars for the Additech™fuel additive they advertise at the pump. Normally, I am not one for getting these types of extra gimmicks that have murky science and marketing behind it, but hey it's HEB. I have actually tried the fuel additive last year, and was surprised when my car got 38 mpg (I normally average about 28-33 mpg). One should never trust purely anecdotal evidence, but I will let you all know what my fuel efficiency is this time. After that, I headed inside to pick up some yogurt, blueberries, and oats for morning granola. They were playing some really chill 90's pop/rock ballads over the speaker system, which put me in a rather happy mood.
Today, I woke up rather tired after a evening nap. I was not feeling very well, so I headed over to HEB Mueller to cheer me up. I grabbed my usual spot–the first one next to the exit northeast. I love parking here, it is very convenient for quick exits and is always available. Also, you get to walk through a well landscaped garden area on your way inside.
If you are one of those people who like hunting for spots, I imagine #639's lot can be very annoying. The pedestrian flow brings the parking lot traffic to a crawl. Also the relatively small lot and slanted parking (I hate these) can make it very difficult to find a good spot on your first pass. Fortunately, I am not one of those types of people. For the spot hunters out there, I would recommend parking to the east of the store, next to the pharmacy drive-thru. There are usual plenty of spots and you have direct access to the NE 51st Street exit. Also it is only 10-20 feet before you are underneath the front overhang, which will protect you from both the rain and brutal summer sun. In most cases try to avoid crossing the lot in the lane directly in front of the HEB. The pedestrian crosswalks cover the entire lane and can make getting across take 2+ minutes. If you do have to cross the lot east-to-west try going behind the building. The back is completely open, and you can help contribute to a safe, pedestrian friendly HEB environment!
Hope you all have an H-E-Best day!
Today, I woke up rather tired after a evening nap. I was not feeling very well, so I headed over to HEB Mueller to cheer me up. I grabbed my usual spot–the first one next to the exit northeast. I love parking here, it is very convenient for quick exits and is always available. Also, you get to walk through a well landscaped garden area on your way inside.
If you are one of those people who like hunting for spots, I imagine #639's lot can be very annoying. The pedestrian flow brings the parking lot traffic to a crawl. Also the relatively small lot and slanted parking (I hate these) can make it very difficult to find a good spot on your first pass. Fortunately, I am not one of those types of people. For the spot hunters out there, I would recommend parking to the east of the store, next to the pharmacy drive-thru. There are usual plenty of spots and you have direct access to the NE 51st Street exit. Also it is only 10-20 feet before you are underneath the front overhang, which will protect you from both the rain and brutal summer sun. In most cases try to avoid crossing the lot in the lane directly in front of the HEB. The pedestrian crosswalks cover the entire lane and can make getting across take 2+ minutes. If you do have to cross the lot east-to-west try going behind the building. The back is completely open, and you can help contribute to a safe, pedestrian friendly HEB environment!
Hope you all have an H-E-Best day!
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
HEB Manor/Springdale #161
Today was a great day at H-E-B! I went to the HEB Manor #161, which is two miles away from my house in the opposite direction of #639. There has been a lot of street and highway construction in this area, so I haven't been to the Manor HEB in a while. For those of you who haven't been to #161, the architectural style roughly fits the mid 90s to early '00s HEB designs. While not nearly as glamorous as one of the state of the art HEBs, #161 has a distinct charm with its dropped ceiling and simple floor tiling. The best thing about this HEB is its deals. Today I got a coupon for a dollar off a loaf of HEB's bakeshop honey wheat split top–my favorite type–bringing the price down to a whopping 83¢! I also picked up some well priced chips and apple juice for a small party I had this afternoon. A minor complaint I have towards this HEB is the location of the freezer section. It lies in the middle of the store, and it feels like it cuts the store in half. Even though this is a mid to small size HEB, the freezer section makes going from one side of the store to the other seem like a more daunting task. Other than that, #161 is a pretty good HEB and I would recommend it to anyone looking for great deals or wanting to take advantage of their above average butchery.
Hope you all have and H-E-Best day!
Hope you all have and H-E-Best day!
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
HEB Mueller #639
Today was a great day at H-E-B! My friend and I went around 1pm to my home HEB in Mueller. This time we picked up some fruit, eggs, and yogurt for today's lunch. One of my favorite things about HEB #639 is it only has one main entrance, which faces you toward the high cellinged produce section. It is as if the HEB itself wants you to buy fruits and vegetables. I took my usual journey through HEB #639, which begins in the produce section and spirals around the store counterclockwise ending in the central bread section. I then march down the health aisle to the multiple 15 Items or Less checkout line. My friend and I checked out, grabbed a few more Buddy Bucks, and headed over to spin the wheel. I had about 20 Buddy Bucks saved up, so I was eager to press my luck. After a batch of close calls and small payouts–1 to 5 points–I finally landed a big Instant Winner! Unfortunately the only Instant prize #639 have this quarter is the disappointing sidewalk chalk, of which I already own two. But the man at the claim counter was very nice and gave me two lollipops instead. I'll be back to collect once they rotate the prizes.
Monday, August 22, 2016
HEB Mueller #639 x 2
Today was a great day at H-E-B! For my first trip today, I needed a small amount of cash this afternoon, so I headed over to my home HEB in the Mueller development about 2 miles from my house. Instead of using the ATM, I decided to buy an item and use the cash back feature to withdraw the amount. When shopping around I noticed a shopping cart filled with individually packaged beers, on clearance for 59¢ per bottle. Having tried a few of these yesterday when they were selling for 99¢, I quickly grabbed a hand full, then a basket full, then caved in a got a cart. All in all I bought 40 beers for $26 after tax. Talking with the HEB sales representative, the beers had been overstocked and they were trying to get rid of them. I offered to buy more if she lowered the price, but she said she would hold off on that. Who knows, if they drop the price to 39¢ tomorrow, I might have to buy the whole inventory!
My second trip to HEB, was with my friend, O, from out of town. We stopped in to pick up some veggies and meat for tonight's supper. The overall vibe of the place was really on target today. After striking up a few conversations with other shoppers and picking up our groceries, we headed to the aggravated line for the six, 15 Items or Less checkout counters. The line was a little bit of a disaster as it snaked into the aisles, but I was able to correct it, by shifting it west toward the flower section. O grabbed the first aisle to the right and had an rather exceptional cashier. Not only did he speedily checkout my friend, he also had really good awareness of his surroundings, helping a nearby lost shopper locate his wife–both on cell phones, 15 ft apart. My friend finished checking out, and to my surprise, the same cashier called me up! Meaning that he checked out both O and myself faster than the other cashiers checked out a single person. That's what I called service! Since we were in a rush, I was unable to cash in the Buddy Bucks that I have been saving up, but I hope to take care of that tomorrow.
Hope you all have a H-E-Best day.
My second trip to HEB, was with my friend, O, from out of town. We stopped in to pick up some veggies and meat for tonight's supper. The overall vibe of the place was really on target today. After striking up a few conversations with other shoppers and picking up our groceries, we headed to the aggravated line for the six, 15 Items or Less checkout counters. The line was a little bit of a disaster as it snaked into the aisles, but I was able to correct it, by shifting it west toward the flower section. O grabbed the first aisle to the right and had an rather exceptional cashier. Not only did he speedily checkout my friend, he also had really good awareness of his surroundings, helping a nearby lost shopper locate his wife–both on cell phones, 15 ft apart. My friend finished checking out, and to my surprise, the same cashier called me up! Meaning that he checked out both O and myself faster than the other cashiers checked out a single person. That's what I called service! Since we were in a rush, I was unable to cash in the Buddy Bucks that I have been saving up, but I hope to take care of that tomorrow.
Hope you all have a H-E-Best day.
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