Attention Shoppers: HEB Closed For Easter Sunday

Born, bred and buttered Texans know this. It's as much a certainty in the Lone Star State as is the uncertainty of Texas weather: HEB is closed on Easter Sunday.

It always has been, and it probably always will be.

On this most holy weekend devoted to the tactics of fasting and penance, it might be inappropriate to admit this publicly: It's fun to watch unknowing people arrive at their neighborhood HEB, park their car (seemingly oblivious to the barren parking lot), actually walk up to the entrance still hopeful of reaching the bounty within, only to find the automatic doors aren't parting.

They stand there bewildered for a few moments before realizing the store is closed. Watching them in that state of being is to witness cognitive dissonance in actual practice.

Good times.

(Side note: We don't consciously exert effort or make a habit of engaging in this sort of observation annually because that would just be weird; we just happened to be nearby at this time a few times in years past and able to observe this curious human behavior.)

The grocer -- the dominant food store chain in Texas -- prides itself on giving its employees days off or providing shortened hours to be with their families on important holidays.
"HEB puts families first with shortened Thanksgiving hours," reads one note on the calendar denoting shortened hours for the day of thanks in November. The grocery store chain also has abbreviated hours on Christmas Eve and is closed entirely on Christmas Day.

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Consumer reaction to this tradition is mixed. While many applaud the company's stance in enabling employees to engage in family time for the holidays, some consumers object to the practice.

Some get downright mad about it. Yelp reviews related to the Easter Sunday closure tradition span the range of emotion.

"People don't stop needing food just because it's Easter," one woman rails. "Just who do you think you are? Chick-Fil-A?"

Andrea, the woman posting, is taken to task for the comment: "Harsh... really harsh," respond a fellow reviewer. "I betcha the majority of employees like the opportunity to be with their families on the 2 days of the year they are closed."

Another reviewer is critical of the corporate practice, yet honest about his motivation for said criticism.

"I think it's dumb on their part; Sundays are huge grocery shopping days," the Yelp reviewer opines. "But I'm just bitter because I don't celebrate this holiday, I have to work every day. I don't want to work including holidays (that includes today), and I'm feeling hungry and lazy."

HEB officials have done a masterful job in their marketing over the years toward achieving a sense of ownership among their customers. In cities and towns across the state, Texans speak of their neighborhood HEB as if discussing a family member -- sometimes with the reverent, hushed tones normally reserved for a relative inspiring particular deference and respect.

It's the result of masterful PR. To be sure, they have an excellent business model. But the intangibles of their offerings and the resulting emotional investment some have to their HEB locations is absolutely brilliant marketing.

So, to even think about going elsewhere for their groceries is verboten. It's simply not done, y'all. But if you find yourself arriving at the HEB on Sunday only to find it closed, there are other options. Unlike HEB, Whole Foods and Randall's are traditionally open on Easter Sunday.

Also, did you know that Walmart also sells food? They do, so there's that option. One can buy food there on the way to buying a needed barbecue grill or car tire.

But for you HEB loyalists, stock up now or spend the rest of the long weekend in a corner, rocking yourself gently until the pain of an HEB-less day dissipates. Don't say we didn't alert you.

What do you think? Do you think it's good that HEB closes on Easter Sunday? Tell us in the comments section!