Many Texans seeking food and comfort after the devastating winter storm last week found both at H-E-B, reports The New York Times. Long before the storm, H-E-B gained a generous following, with shoppers buying T-shirts that said “H-E-B for President” or proclaiming to social media, ““I wish I had a boyfriend like H-E-B. Always there. Gives me flowers. Feeds me.”
However, as Texans became increasingly frustrated with their government for leaving millions without power during the worst of the storm, the love for H-E-B grew as it provided food, water, and a sense of normalcy to shoppers, according to the report.
“They’ve been great,” said resident Lanita Generous, who lost power, heat, and water in her home. “If it hadn’t been for the bread and peanut butter, I would have died in my apartment.”
With more than 340 locations in Texas, H-E-B is something like a “good neighbor” to residents.
“It’s like H-E-B is the moral center of Texas,” said Austin-based Stephen Harrigan, a novelist and journalist, according to the report. “There seems to be in our state a lack of real leadership, a lack of real efficiency, on the political level. But on the business level, when it comes to a grocery store, all of those things are in place.”
In a statement H-E-B said that it is still focused on operations after the storm and praised employees for their hard work.
“We have witnessed tremendous actions taken by H-E-B partners to keep our operations running so that we may provide for our customers, and those most vulnerable,” the statement said, adding that the company had worked with state and local officials. “We are particularly grateful for the utility workers in Texas who worked bravely and diligently through the storm to restore water and power to Texans.”
In the past year, through the pandemic and hurricanes, H-E-B has become known for its logistical strengths.
“That’s what we’ve come to expect of H-E-B,” said Leigh McAlister, a marketing professor at the University of Texas, and author of the book “Grocery Revolution”. “It’s from the heart and they’re good at logistics. If their Texans need water, they can get it to them, because it’s their Texans who are thirsty.”
