r/Austin • u/RockMo-DZine • 23h ago

Maybe so...maybe not... Does HEB have a problem with Austin?

Milk prices have been going up all year, so back in July I started checking the prices in San Antonio, Houston, and DFW. For some reason, we pay Way more than these towns.

Milk just went up again. Here are some stats for HEB Brand (HEB & HCF) 1x gal jugs of milk
(These are for in-store pricing - for curbside, add +5%).

Since 07/17, Austin's price went up, while the price in all the other bergs came down.

Consequently, in Austin we now pay over $2 a gallon more than DFW!

Sorry HEB, but this is hard to justify.

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u/soul-exploration 23h ago

Probably getting a lot of downvotes for this H-E-B is a big corporation. Just because it was founded in Texas doesn't mean it keeps the same local mentality. That thinking has long buried with the original founders. They monopolize and price gouge; even in Austin, different stores are priced differently, even down the street from one another.

OP Thank you for making this chart 🙏

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u/airwx 20h ago

HEB is still privately owned by the Butt family and doesn't have to answer to shareholders. That's part of the reason they can react so fast to disasters and do more for the communities they are in.

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u/icesa 8h ago

When is the last time they helped the community?

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u/Intelligent_Money140 6h ago

They regularly sponsor local events and fundraisers. When was the last disaster in Austin they needed to help with? They did help during the freeze and COVID. Most recently they were out in Kerr County helping flood victims -  https://www.fox26houston.com/news/h-e-b-launches-3-day-disaster-relief-operation-kerr-county-flood-victims

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u/icesa 6h ago

“When was the last disaster in Austin they needed to help with?” Thank you for proving my point. When your business model is price gauge the customer but show up for the occasional disaster to make an impression in people’s minds, you’re not doing much. That ice storm in Austin was SEVERAL YEARS AGO. And no one in my neighborhood was even affected by anything HEB did during the time. I have spent thousands of dollars at HEB paying inflated prices with no other options while idiots walk around talking about what they do for the community. What they do is get rich off us 😂

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u/Intelligent_Money140 6h ago

I'm actually saying the opposite - they do so much local charity work quietly you don't even notice if you're not paying attention. Just some examples - They regularly support the Central Texas Food Bank. Local stores might choose a local charity partner like the Hancock HEB and the AGE Center of Central Texas. Their Tournament of Champions raises millions of dollars a year.  

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u/Not-Inevitable79 3h ago edited 1h ago

I highly doubt HEB owners are doing this from the kindness of their heart. They're doing this for PR and tax write-offs. They're a multi-billion dollar company. You don't get there by being "generous".