AUSTIN, TX — I’ve been waiting for this store to open for a while, and I’m so glad I had a chance to stop.
During the lockdown, I’ve stayed pretty much in my own neighborhood. And, while the HEB BB #:106490 I usually shop is great, this new one is a really inspiring experience.
First of all, the produce department is HUGE, and for some reason, I’m noticing just how many own brand items HEB carries in produce.
For example, I never noticed the grapes before. Or two different packs of sweet corn. I knew about the oranges and bagged salads but there’s so much more.
It’s also interesting to see how a new store has adapted and changed with the pandemic.
H-E-B originally planned to open the store in March, but delayed to June.. I’m only assuming they took some time to re-think layout and features to optimize a new customer experience, like the lack of hot bar deli and a larger click-and-collect.
Those features typically are add-ons to existing stores and have to be retrofitted into the design. Seeing how a company is experimenting with the concepts when they don’t have to be squished into an existing space gives some insight to how store design is evolving.
While I know the store has been in the works for quite a while and the changes weren’t done entirely because of shifting pandemic habits, it’s interesting to see how H-E-B is emphasizing these new features.
