shopping

Walmart Adding Organic Foods to Compete with Whole Foods

After writing my last San Antonio Blog, I was reading an article about the grocery store smackdown on where to shop for organic foods.  It caught my attention because last week I was shopping at Walmart and as usual I only get paper goods, vitamins, soaps, and shampoos, and pet supplies.  They have a good variety of pet foods and other items like collars or snacks for my cats and dogs.

I usually shop HEB or Whole Foods for more natural organic products or foods from the USA.  I decided I wouldnt make the trip back to another grocer since I only needed a few things, but then I started noticing many organic products.  This caused me to end up with a basket full of groceries.  I really liked the Great Value Organic Fat Free Milk and when I checked out, I noticed I saved money on the organic products I was buying.  As I shopped around I was able to find apples grown in the USA and all natural , no preservative Deli turkey by Hormel.  I noticed alot of the produce was grown in the USA.

Being able to buy organic foods, grown in the US, at cost saving prices is definitely a combination that will have me shopping more at Wal-Mart.  I like Whole Foods but their prices are significantly higher.  If you’re not from San Antonio, HEB is a large South Texas grocery chain that is has become a direct competitor with the Wal-Mart superstores.

See: Walmart vs. Whole Foods, Walmart vs. HEB

http://www.sanantonioblog.org

HEB Plus

HEB is not sitting still while Wal-Mart takes over San Antonio.  The historic San Antonio grocer is expanding its operations to convert more traditional stores into Plus stores.  Plus, in this sense, means “you’ll find thousands of new surprises throughout the store” according to the HEB Plus website.  We translate this to they have more stuff.  HEB opening itself up to retail product lines is a little strange to me.  I understand what they’re doing, but all of their retailing has an HEB feel to it.  For example, they have big screen tvs, but they aren’t really mainstream.  There are some name-names, but they don’t rise to the level of Wal-Mart.  My sense is HEB wants to put itself on the same platform as a Wal-Mart super store, but not at the price it takes.  HEB hopes that it will appear they are a one-stop shop, but we’ll see if San Antonio buys into that.