The website Epicurious recently wrote up what are we in Texas already know. There's no question H-E-B is the greatest grocery store in Texas and probably all of United States.

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Moving from Louisiana as I have, I noticed a lack of selection in our Bell County area want to comes to grocery stores. There's H-E-B, there is Walmart, if you're in Salado there's Brookshire Brothers, Natural Grocers has the health market cornered, there's Aldi for el cheapo and that's about it. I went looking for an Albertson's because I was searching for a specific product but no dice. No Winn-Dixie, no Kroger, no nothing.

I know why this is. In the grocery business it's all about distribution. If you don't have the network set up, it's impossible to be competitive and successful. H-E-B has it down. They've been doing this for a while. That's why the selection is awesome, and why they have such a unique selection of store brand products.

As many of you know, our local gas station extraordinaire Buck-ee's has decided to open their first out-of-state location in my hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  I honestly believe they will be successful there. I also believe that since H-E-B has expanded into Mexico, that they know what expanding into an unconquered territory is all about.  I hope they're eating because Louisiana is ripe for the picking by H-E-B.

There are three kinds of grocery stores, basically. You have your mass-market Walmart supercenter, you have your mass-market big national chains like Albertson's et al,  and you have your smaller localized and specialty stores.  All of the country knows what a Wally world supercenter does:  it places pressure on the Albertson's in Kroger's of the world, but doesn't have enough hometown flavor like the moms and pops do. Basically, Walmart is good for business for the local grocery and not so good for the big chains.

H-E-B on the other hand can compete head-to-head with Walmart in selection and price, and they have taken the place of the local and specialty markets in so many Texas towns. They make Walmarts seem ratty by comparison. H-E-B could really dominate the space between the moms and pops and Walmart.

Regardless if they ever expand, H-E-B is a genuine Texas success story. Let's tip our hats in their direction.

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