cashier

personal shopper

customer service representative

store shopper

checker

Just a disclaimer, this review does not reflect HEB in its current state. This is strictly about my time with the company during 2012-2013. HEB was my first ever real job, fresh out of high school. I was simply given the job of "customer service". This included bagging groceries, bringing in shopping carts from the parking lot, and helping customers with finding items in the store, or addressing complaints. Though the hours were reasonable, they only offered minimum wage despite working us quite hard. Additionally, HEB, was a 24-hour store back then, meaning we would often have to arrive at 6am. The best part about the job was that our schedules did offer a lot of flexibility, and even allowed us to make changes via the company computers if need be. We were given fair break times, with two 15 minute breaks a day, and an hour for lunch. The employee discount also helped with buying lunch or snacks for breaks. I'll get this out of the way now; management was some of the most disgusting and unprofessional things I'd seen in my entire life. The actual store manager was rarely there, and would leave the assistant managers in charge instead. Some were nice and capable workers, but they largely acted more like a clique or a frat house than someone representing a company. For the entirety of my eight-hour shifts, I never once saw them get an ounce of work done; they would simply stand in one spot and play on their phones until it was time to clock out. As the new guy, I was the prime target for the daily hazing, talked down to like a child. Admittedly, I did not fit in well at all here. I was also usually strictly forbidden from using the bathroom if I was not on break, even if the store wasn't busy. The times I was allowed, one of the assistant managers would send a coworker in behind me to report on how long I'd been in there. Though I did not learn this until I left the job, I was also stalked by coworkers online via Facebook, by their own admission. The real issue that made this job unsuitable was that the assistant managers blatantly played favorites with the employees. Many days I would notice the 'favorites' were allowed to relax and hold entire conversations in the parking lot or bathroom while on the clock, with no consequence. They would even break their own rules for the sake of singling people out. For example, there was a set-in-stone rule that after six consecutive months of work, I was supposed to be given proper cashier training. When the time came, they simply refused to train me with no explanation provided. Other coworkers told me similar experiences. I was also once accused of taking a "30 minute break" even though I had the time I went on break stamped on a piece of paper. I was never late to work, and only ever missed two days of work (once due to car trouble). On the day after my second absence, I was physically pinned to a wall by one of the assistant managers and screamed at about how unreliable I was, even though I called a full day ahead to tell them it was impossible to make it that day. To top it all off, the assistant managers regularly made very inappropriate comments even around customers. Many things have changed since I left, including a new team taking over and standard pay nearly doubling from 7.50 to a much more reasonable 13.50. If you want to know why HEB Plus is no longer 24-hour, you can blame the previous group of assistant managers. They managed the money so poorly that they were no longer able to pay overnight stockers. I'm glad they've been able to do a proper 180 in recent years and see it as a much more suitable workplace now if I were to ever return.

I was very excited to work for HEB for 2 years. Overall, it's a decent job with great pay and a very flexible schedule. Full time positions and benefits are nearly non-existant & getting decent hours is almost always an issue. My main concern is with the management of this company. Hard to get hired, very easy to get fired.

Interview process:
Let me just start by saying that It is very hard to get hired with the company, as they are very picky with their interview process. You will first be called by a store admin (HR rep) who will ask you basic questions such as your availability, a brief background of your customer service history, etc. If they like you, you will be invited to participate in a group interview. In the group interview, you will sit at a round table with about 20 other people and the store manager usually conducts the interview. He will go around the room, asking various questions on customer service situations, etc. The best advice I can give you is to be super energetic and all about customer service. Smile a-lot, it can be hard to stand out in a group of 20 or so. 

If you pass the group interview round, you will be called 2-3 days later by the manager of whichever department you applied for. Their interview is more in-depth to get to know you as an employee and a person. Be sure to be talkative and energetic is this round as well. 

If the department manager likes you, you will be asked to sign a consent form to submit your background check immediately. This process can take 1-2 weeks, so don't worry too much if they don't call you right away.

Training:
I will say HEB has an amazing training program. You will watch tons of videos fully explaining how pay, day-to-day procedures go, company polices and procedures, etc. After that, you will attend a 1 day Alcohol training class, complete with a test at the end, and then be given a TCAB certificate that you can take with you if you leave the company. You will also take a 2 day "checking skills" class if you are a cashier which will help to prepare you before you get on a register. 

Work:
HEB is a very fast paced environment. There is little to no down time if you are a cashier, which to me was great because it would make the time go by very fast. You are also given a paid 15 minute break every 2 hours and an unpaid 30 minute lunch if you work 8 hours or more. You get paid weekly, every Thursday, which is great so it's not a long wait to pay day. Most shifts they like to give are 6 hour shifts, you will work alot of these in your early days! The store is open from 6am-midnight daily so your shift can be anywhere during their business hours. So, for example, you way work 6pm-midnight one day, and then have to come back the next day 6am-noon. So, be ready for that! If you are hired on as Part Time, which most employees are outside of management, you will get anywhere from 15-25 hours a week. 

Easy to get fired:
HEB does NOT go easy on you if you make a mistake. Even if you are new, you are held to the accountability as someone who has been there for a long time. I have seen so many great workers get fired for some really small stuff. The staff/managment at my store was VERY gossipy and loved to spread untrue rumors about people that would land those people jobless. They play favorites alot so if you don't play by HEB's rules, it's very easy to get fired without notice or write-ups first. My best advice is to be a nice, hard worker, but to keep to yourself alot at the same time.

As an H-E-B Business Center Representative, my day typically started with helping on the front end (e.g. bagging, cashiering, giving coworkers breaks).
Once behind the customer service desk, I would answer phone calls, resolve customer issues, and process payments such as bills and Western Union money transfers. Most of my time was spent staring at a wall, which is unfortunate due to the fact I desire to stay busy at work. With absolutely no tasks to complete unless a customer was present or the phone was ringing, I had managers I'd never dealt with before breathing down my neck thinking I wasn't doing my job correctly.
Perhaps it was the particular store I worked at, but the managers I dealt with on a daily basis were a strange mix of pushovers and unforgiving in the way they handled their authority. I understand that they oversee dozens of employees, but they didn't seem to pay much attention to employee strong suits unless the said employee was doing something wrong. This isn't to say I dislike the managers (most of them are very gentle), but I wish I'd felt welcome to give my own feedback or receive more insight on their dilemmas without feeling like I was going to be punished, reprimanded, or frowned upon. 
For what the job entails, the pay is fair; However, even with open availability, scheduled hours are all over the place, unpredictable, and downright confusing. Assistant Service Managers were great people, but usually had no communication/feedback from their higher-ups, thus leading to constant stress and needless hassle with getting customers through cashier lines. I've never had an issue with any of my coworkers, but that didn't mean it didn't feel like high school all over again.
It started off as a wonderful place to work, but the longer you're there, the more you realize how upside-down the management is and how poorly the front end is run and how dissatisfied employees are.
Stress rubs off on every single employee, and I am one of the dozens who felt the slow burn of poor management. The most difficult part of the job was not the customers; it was dealing with odd schedules, confused assistant managers, and little-to-no coordination amongst those who didn't quite understand/care about the store's basic policies.
I enjoyed the sense of teamwork and being entrusted with the customer service rep. position. It was unfortunate that it felt like we were in constant competition with one another rather than working together, but, all in all, I enjoyed the relationships I've made and the backbone I grew from dealing with people of every type.
Overall, people are people, and some people are put in high-stress positions. It's not their fault when things go awry, although I wish there had been a bit more attention to detail within the company (especially with the confusing schedules). No company is perfect, but confusion is something that can be trained and shaped into something that works. I regret that the management is what pushed me out of the company, but there was no place for me to progress or grow in that environment. I learned all I could, but it wasn't somewhere I can thrive so much as I learned to be patient.

First of all, everyone is hired as a "part time partner". Meaning that you can work as many hours as possible (for me, it was 40-45 per week) & STILL not be eligible for benefits. No vacation time, no sick time, no health insurance, no vision insurance, no dental insurance, no guarantee of hours, etc. You have to work 1500 hours before you are eligible to be considered to become a full time partner!!! Which calculates out to approximately nine months of employment before you can even request to become a full time partner. Once you hit the required hours, there is still no guarantee that you will be approved to become a full time partner!!! If you are approved to become a full time partner, you have to wait another 90 days to be eligible for benefits. That's roughly one year of employment (IF all goes in your favor) before you will be able to apply for health insurance, vision insurance or dental insurance!!! From there, you have to earn your vacation time & sick time still. Meaning that you will not have any time accumulated until you are there another year. So, that's TWO WHOLE YEARS before you are fully eligible for any type of benefits! You are promised the moon when you start. They hide this fact from you unless you specifically ask. When you ask, you are treated as if you should have known when you took the job.

If you get sick during the first 90 days of employment, you are basically SOL. They "counsel" you when you return, saying your attendance is poor. They do not care whether or not you have a doctor's excuse, or what was wrong with you. The only thing they  do not question is a death, because "that is not preventable". While that is true, neither is an illness like bronchitis or the stomach flu. And since when does a doctor's excuse not matter?!

If you ask off (to spend time with family or friends), you MUST include why you are asking off. Management does not care why you asked off - if they want to deny you, they will. There is ZERO work/life balance as HEB does not allow for set schedules. When you apply & accept a position with HEB, you agree to work ANY & ALL hours!!! You do not get two days off in a row - unless you request it & are actually approved. (And even then, good luck actually getting that requested time once schedules are made!) Schedules come out every Friday at 12:00 noon. Meaning you have until Monday (that's 2.5 days) to make plans to have a personal life the next 7 days. 

The slogan "Here Everything's Better" is false advertisement. Every partner is miserable. They hide it & are fake - to the point that it's cheesy. You are worked to death. Literally. Ask anyone you know WHO IS NOT IN A MANAGEMENT POSITION that has been there for any length of time. I was there for roughly 3 months. I began getting migraine headaches within about 6 weeks. Then came muscle spasms. You mention it to your coworkers & management...& you get worked harder. There were other partners who have ended up being hospitalized due to the stress & working conditions. HEB does not care, nor do they show any sympathy towards anyone. ALL positions are incredibly physical!

While the salary seems decent, once you factor in everything else, it is not worth it. 

The only thing "enjoyable" about working for HEB is working with the public. (IF that is your "thing".)

       A typical day at work for me is... I say hello to almost everyone, I work in the connections department. So, I head to the back to where my team is, we get a update on sales and what we all will be doing for the day and a pep talk of some kind. Then we go out on to the floor and set up and start demoing our set products. We have to talk on a head set microphone and talk to customers and try to get them to buy our products. Of course with providing great customer service. Usually I always end up helping out customers find where products are or recomneding products.
     This company is a place that you can grow with if you want to. There are endless opportunities, but they do require you to leave the valley where more growth opportunities are. This company has gotten me out of my comfort zones many times. I use to be a very shy person but working here has gotten me to be more out spoken. Some things I've learned from this company is a bit of spanish, customer service skills, time managment skills, how to talk to people, I've learned how to impliment skills that I've learned in college into the work space and so much more. 
          The work culture here is so good, especially because you are always seeing new faces. In this company you get to see customers from all over the world.  I have regular customers that come from Great Britain and come here to Texas to visit family, and they always seek me out becuase I provided good customer service to them when they had first came to the US. Also, co-workers and management are always moving around because they either get promoted, tranfer to a store nearer to them, or they get to go to another h-e-b store because they are trying to grow. They encourage growth and help you. Even through the ups and downs you may have. 
      I think the hardest part of my job is standing for 8 hours on hard concret, dealing with rude customers and trying to get my sales to be good. The most enjoyable part of my job is the new friends that I've made along the way. Co-workers have become like family. Customers also become like family because you do get your regulars that come almost every day. 
          Another an enjoyable thing Is that I get to cook products and taste test what I make, for quality insurance of course. Overall, after 7 years of working here my experience has been good so far. I have had some moments here that weren't pleasant but what job doesn't. I do recommend working here. 

It's hard to make an opinion about the whole company because every store is different, and inside every store, all the departments have different working styles/cultures and better supervisors than others. 

I worked at a Central Market and I worked there for about five years while in college until I got my first "real adult" job. But saying that does not discount the many people who make the company their career. Like any retail job, some of my co-workers had been there for years, and some only last a few months. Retail is not for everyone, but you learn so much that can be applied to any other career.

It's a great opportunity for some people, great pay above the industry standard, well nice benefits, good products you can stand behind, COVA twice a year, and a recognized company on your resume anywhere in Texas. 

But, the flip side is that if you aren't in the good graces of your immediate supervisors, your work life will be terrible...I've seen it happen a million times, even in my department. To get raises outside the COVA, or to advance, or to get good shifts, good days off, vacation approvals...your supervisor essentially has ultimate say, so always be on their good side even if they personally make you want to push them in front of a bus. 

Beyond that, its like any retail or CS job. You will work weekends and holidays, work odd shifts and they keep changing week to week, not knowing days off until the Friday before the next week, having to ask months ahead of time for vacation, constantly understaffed, often rude and crazy customers, overbearing and oblivious store management, etc etc

People think just because it's Central Market that its an easier retail job..and I always laugh when people who've never had a retail or CS job in their life say that working at CM must be so fun and easy. Not at all...it's a hard job, and very stressful and demanding but in the end it is very rewarding. I learned more working at CM than any other job I've had. So much of the skill sets you learn can be applied to any career...and every job interview I've had since, they see CM on your resume and half the interview are questions about CM lol...so overall, it was a great place, the work isn't glamorous and at times drive you nuts, but in the end it's worth it.

While HEB is an amazing company their Bakery department is extremely mismanaged from the corporate level.  Conflicting directives and a situation where the level of product needed to be made daily (it is mainly scratch in the Houston division) is not supported by the allocated labor budget.

Bakery managers are put into a situation where the Company directives are at direct odds with what Top Store Leaders and top Bakery Department Managers expect.  So, with no labor budget available to speak of Bakery managers are often forced to work upwards of 12 -15 hours daily, five or six days a week in order to satisfy the demands of the business or face documentation for not being "sales ready".  

It is typical for a Bakery Manager to arrive at 2 AM, Fry Donuts, Make/Bake Bread, package all baked products, run the customer service counter and assist with cake decorating until about noon.  This is not as "pressure point relief" or as a result of being understaffed or an upcoming holiday - this is the normal expectations under new labor budget directives.  Once done with working positions, the manager is still responsible for all the management duties:  Daily SOP walk, Daily Sanitation Walk, Sales Deep Dive Review, Shrink Review, Time and Attendance review for partners, Warehouse Orders, Direct Vendor Orders, Manager Meetings, scheduling, inventory, coaching, monthly e-learning to facilitate to the crew, the list goes on.  Add to this the fires that you have to handle every day as a food service/retail manager and the random things that just always seem to pop up and yeah....12 hours on a good day. Add up to two hours of commuting in good old Houston traffic and that lends itself to some long days.

It is an unfortunate situation where the company as a whole is top notch but the Bakery Department is very VERY poorly managed from the corporate top down to the regional and division leadership.

IF YOU ARE AN OUTSIDE HIRE INTERVIEWING FOR A BAKERY MANAGEMENT FOR HEB POSITION BE WARY.  The interview will include expositions on the opportunities for advancement or the opportunity to transfer between departments.  None of that is necessarily true.  There is a current stop loss on Bakery Managers (2018/2019).  No transfers, promotions or even voluntary demotions are currently being allowed.

I really love this company and it makes me sad that one department is being so badly run across the company.  I hope it gets better sooner rather than later.

My typical day began by running my custom numbers analysis.  I would see how my department preformed compared to the store and other like stores as well.  I would run these numbers also to compare to see how much I improved versus the previous year.  I would dig down into any strange phenomena regarding returns, breakage, shrink and then research to find the answer.  Depending on the time of year and which day during the week it was, I would custom tailor a  strategy that would best keep inventory levels as low as possible, but and the same time making sure we did not have any out of stocks.  After running my numbers, I would then front my department.  Pulling up product, cleaning any trash and stocking any product that needed it.  The majority of my job duties kept me out on the floor educating customers on products, answering their questions, finding the best product for them, and then up-sell when I could.  During this time I also had several sales reps that make calls and try to sell me certain products.  One of my most important jobs was to listen to what they had to say, ask appropriate questions, and make the best business decision for my store and my customers.  

The most important lessons I learned was that customer service is by far the best way to earn trust with top leadership and with my customers.  Building those relationships through customer service is essential in growing business and establishing myself as an expert.  Also, learning to be flexible.  Flexibility is key in a fast past, high volume establishment.  I learned that improvising and being able solve problems is a fundamental componet.

My management was very supportive and allowed me to do as I wished.  As long as I had both qualitative and quantitative information to back up my decision, I had an open check book.

I loved working with my co-workers!  There was a certain "spirit" about us and it made for a very pleasing workplace.

The hardest aspect of my job was weighing all my options on certain buy-ins that had a very short timeline.  When it comes to spending someone else's money, I never like to make a rushed decision without doing my homework.  

The most enjoyable part of this job was teaching classes, educating my customers and earning their trust.  The beggest compliment I could get was when a customer walked in and said "just pick me out whatever you think I would like."

Worked for two summers and had an alright experience, mostly because I knew my role was temporary. Loved most of the people who were more permanent fixtures in the store. Most managers were fine like mine, but some were not. Your experience here will depend on your manager and coworkers.

Pay was fine for what the job actually was, but I would not have been able to live off of it long-term. The company does match inflation through bi-annual raise reviews, which I've heard is more than what other employers care to do. "Partners" receive extra benefits but there are a limited number of these positions. 

I would say there's a healthy camaraderie between most of the part-time workers and their immediate manager(s), but it's ridiculously easy to tell who doesn't work in the store everyday. Basically, you'll have a good time in daily operations with those in the local departments, but will have to have a nose for when to be on "good behavior." 

An interesting aspect about working in their stores is that they allow you to transfer departments locally. What this means is that if you get tired of smelling fish everyday in fish market, you can talk to the manager of bakery about transferring. Additionally, since the company is rather high growth, there is the realistic opportunity of getting a job in a new store if you get tired of the one you start in. Essentially, you will have many different opportunities to change what monotonous task you do for the next year or so.

A legitimately outstanding aspect of employment at HEB is the fact that they will train you as an employee at-cost to the company. I have heard of people transferring to the wine and beer department, earning their liquor license, and then later being able to find better employment due to the license. This doesn't apply to every position of course and is somewhat limited by position and personal motivation, but the opportunity is definitely there. 

The final thing I would add is that it's apparent that the "higher-ups" do care about the people working in their stores. Obviously, it's still a business and a grocery store, but they do try to make your time somewhat comfortable.

TL;DR: It's a fine place to work when it comes to retail/grocery, but I would never recommend someone work retail/grocery if they have better options.

A typical day at work is extremely busy, and of course you're not allowed to sit down. Even after my surgery when I was anemic, I was not allowed to sit down. Customers are extremely rude and it ruins your whole day. I may just be a sensitive person but things customers said to me made me very upset for the whole day. Yelling at me for things that are not my fault or that they do not understand about the job. 
The management treats you okay, but they most definitely pick favorites. Whoever they liked most would be the ones to do more fun tasks and whoever they didn't like would work register all day, and never be rewarded for going above and beyond the position. One of my managers made me walk a blind woman around the store for hours and help her get her groceries, which I was happy to do. But after which it was never spoken of again. While a (new) coworker of mine got a $5 gift card for simply taking care of a large order not even 2 weeks later. The management is very well-structured though.
The hardest part of the job is the customers, and putting on that happy face every day. Even if you're sick or you got in a fight with your s/o, you're expected to smile and be friendly and kind to every customer that walks through the door. No questions asked. If a customer complains that you weren't friendly/hospitable, even when the customer was rude to you, you risk losing your job. 
I had a customer yell at me to double-bag everything, point her finger in my face and tell me what to put in each bag, then laugh when I got it wrong. I said nothing to this customer, because I was taught if you have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all. I smiled, I handed her her receipt, and I let her be on her way. I later found out she had complained about me to my manager. I was a week away from leaving resignation at this time so they were especially hard on me.
The most enjoyable part of the job is the fellow partners. Many of them are still my friends, I built a bond with every one of them and they were all positive. I loved my coworkers and they made the difficult job a lot better for the eight months I was there. The pay for the job is also very good, I was very happy with it. And I did have regular customers who meant a great deal to me, and interactions I definitely will never forget.
All in all, it was a job. It wasn't great, but it had it's moments.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Cashier 84 salaries reported	$15.79 per hour
Personal shopper 40 salaries reported	$16.60 per hour
Customer service representative 47 salaries reported	$15.73 per hour
Store shopper 20 salaries reported	$16.40 per hour
Checker 25 salaries reported	$21.28 per hour

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