Best H-E-Bs in Austin - Introduction and Rules

    Today was a great day at HEB!  It took quite a bit longer to visit the over 20 different HEB locations on my list, but, today, I am happy to introduce my Best HEBs in Austin series.  Before I get into the best of the best, I wanted to give you a quick overview of my rating criteria.
    I will be judging each HEB based off of 5 categories: Aesthetics, Design, Amenities, Selection, and Spirit. Each category will receive an individual score and an overall score will be given to the HEB itself. Importantly, each category informs the overall score, but the overall score is not the sum of the parts as certain aspects can interact with or overshadow each other.

• Aesthetics - How good does this HEB look?  This category includes things like exterior design, lighting, floor and ceiling tiles, store cleanliness and just general feel.  Not only are these the things you notice first, but they effect every aspect of your store experience. Yes fruit looks better under natural light!
• Design - How is this HEB optimized and what affect does it have on the shopping experience?  These are things like parking, accessibility, visibility, navigation, placement of products and checkout aisles, and size of store.  Like aesthetics, design impacts every moment you spend in the store.  Should you have to walk a mile from bread to milk?
• Amenities - What makes this HEB special? These are the extras that go above and beyond the basic needs of a grocery store.  This covers things both inside the store such as bakeries, delis, bathrooms, dining areas, samples and pharmacies and outside the store including the neighboring stores in the shopping center.  Is the sushi here sales tax free?
• Selection - What kind of grocery product can I expect at this store?  One of the things I love about HEB is that each one has a unique product line up.  The selection category includes things like bulk products, ethnic specialties, beer and wine selection, and organic produce. Mmmmmm this HEB has Korean red bean rolls!
• Spirit - How does this HEB feel. By far the most subjective of the categories.  Yes, it does include things like staff friendliness, middle management styles, and the other customers' vibes. Really, I can't describe exactly how I rate this category, so just consider it the HEB With Ed touch.  You there, looking good!

    Lastly, I will generally be publishing lower rated HEBs before higher rated, but the order is not a strict rank.  Each visit to HEB is highly subjective and depends on time of day, the present staff, and my particular mood.  While I am confident that the rating I give each HEB provides a ball park indicator of its quality, I cannot definitively say one HEB is better than another similarly rated HEB based off of the small sample size–one to two visits for almost half of the HEBs on the list.  Just because X HEB is reviewed after Y HEB, does not indicate that X is better than Y.  A better indicator of quality is the overall score I give the HEB.  I will be publishing either a top 5 or top 10 HEB list after I finish my preliminary reviews, so look for a more detailed comparison then!  Also I am still accepting submissions for greater Austin area HEBs, so please let me know if you want me to review a further out HEB that might have missed my list.
   I will be publishing a new review two to three times a week.  So tune in this Thursday for my official review of HEB #404. And as always shoppers, have an H-E-Best day!