H-E-B Is Back to Normal—Nearly

In what seems a promising sign that life may one day look a bit more like it did before the global pandemic—at least in Texas—H-E-B is expanding its temporary hours of operation at stores across the Lone Star State beginning April 27. The San Antonio-based grocer said it would open its stores at 7 a.m. and close at 10 p.m., until further notice. Its Mi Tienda locations also will update store hours to 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., while its Central Market stores will operate from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

“With an improving supply chain and stronger product availability, our stores have the capacity to serve more customers throughout the day while providing the products they want at our everyday low prices,” H-E-B said in a statement.

And that’s not all. While the majority of stores across the country continue to limit product purchases and keep service areas such as the deli and bakery dark, H-E-B is getting back to business in these areas as well.

“Along with our new hours, we continue to ease product limits on many items, and customers will start to notice many popular departments reopen, such as our bakery, deli and floral departments,” said the chain.

Other grocers, including Supervalu’s Stillwater, Minn.-based Cub Foods, which is reportedly adding 24-hour service at 11 stores, further suggest the industry is making at least some progress. Select Kroger banners and certain Hy-Vee stores, which had reduced operational hours last month, have resumed normal hours, citing stocking improvements and increased opportunity for social distancing as reasons for the adjustment. And in a televised interview this week, Ahold Delhaize CEO Frans Muller said U.S. supply chains “look much better” citing strong collaboration between partners, and estimated a return to normal conditions “in two weeks.”

But H-E-B’s new normal sounds encouragingly like the good old days of grocery shopping in a well-stocked store. H-E-B has weathered its fair share of crises in the form of hurricanes and floods over the years. As such, the speed with which the grocer is navigating the coronavirus pandemic may come down to: Been there, done that.

“We have been working on our pandemic and influenza plan for quite a while now, since 2005, when we had the threat of H5N1 overseas in China,” H-E-B Director of Emergency Preparedness Justen Noakes told Texas Monthly in March. “That’s when we first developed what our plan looked like, [as well as] some of our requirements and business implications. In 2009, we actually used that plan in response to H1N1, when the swine flu came to fruition in Cibolo, [Texas], and refined it, made it more of an influenza plan. We’ve continued to revise it, and it’s been a part of our preparedness plan at H-E-B ever since.” 

However, H-E-B is proceeding cautiously, informing shoppers that with the new extended hours, its “top priority remains protecting the health and safety of our partners and customers.” The grocer employs dedicated teams of partners and COVID-19 action managers who are trained in strict hygiene and sanitation measures, as well as social distancing protocols. All partners in customer-facing roles are required to wear masks.

Additional protective measures include plexiglass partitions at all check stands; metered entry into stores; crowd control guidelines to manage customer traffic; deep cleaning and sanitizing of stores and hard surfaces, as well as fuel stations throughout the day; and contactless H-E-B Curbside and Home Delivery to limit direct interaction.