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!