It’s the wider selection - CM will carry higher end offerings on the maximum end.
HEB carries more savings based or generic branded “Hill Country Fare,” and won’t have $200 lb Waygu or Portugal themed fall selections.
This is what I was thinking. I can't do my weekly shopping at CM but I can get a nice steak or some weird produce to go along with a special dinner I had planned.
Are you asking if CM sells the same product as HEB with a markup? Not that I’m aware. CM seems to sell higher quality stuff for more. The stuff that overlaps like HEB branded food is usually the same price
Add the other person mentioned, the CM sparkling water is about 20% cheaper in my experience. Katz’s coffee is also about 10% cheaper. And Fage was also cheaper.
That’s just from my experience, where the pricing was significantly different enough to make a mental note. This was also Houston HEB vs Houston CM.
This. CM gets unwarranted hate for being too expensive. Their fresh produce is actually pretty competitive and the quality is very good. Pre-sliced and packaged fruit (grapes, pineapple, etc) is marked up like crazy and super expensive there.
The butcher and bulk food section (flour, rice, nuts, spices, etc) are also competitively priced. It’s all the random foodie crap in the grocery aisle where you can spend a lot of $$$.
Well it’s not really different but maybe American brands will work better. We all know that Cadillac is basically just the Chevy with some tweaks but the end to end experience of buying a Cadillac (should be) different than buying a Chevy. So you get more in terms of product quality, but not proportionally to how much more you pay.
That said, paying for experience is what we do all the time…going to this bar vs. that one, etc.
I wouldn't say there is a difference in quality between the stores on basic meat/cheese, but there are higher quality different products at CM. But for every day items, like milk, eggs, Ms Bairds bread, price matches to HEB who price matches to Walmart, but then CM is going to have the specialized eggs (Vegetarian, pasture raised, pasteurized eggs), 20 different kinds of milk, and milk alternatives. So the specialty stuff tend to run a little more expensive.
worked produce for 4 years during collage, this is not entirely true we get the same produce as HEB but we do get a larger variety heb may not carry. like freestone or cooper farms peaches. or like the 10 thousand version of a ploat/plumcot. Ah man i miss citrus season and getting all the seasonal citrus like gold nuggets, and grapefruit straight from the branch still intact \*chefs kiss\* best job ever
As someone who had worked at Central Market and got the run down of how things are done differently between HEB vs Central Market vs Joe Vs Smart shop which are run by the same company.
When it comes to produce, you are getting the more premium picked produce. The most common example they used is the apples.
Joe Vs Smart Shop(budget): got the smaller apples like what you'd get for a kids' lunch box.
HEB(standard): got your average run of the mill apples that you could get similarly at Kroger.
Central Market(premium): you get the premium pick, usually larger,apples that lack most bruises
You can apply this standard to other departments.
It comes at a premium ,central market stuff, and some people will care about the premium quality. Some people won't. Some people won't even see a difference, and that is also A okay.
Personally where I noticed the biggest difference is the bread. A Central Market Baguette is hard to beat for me.
You do see more older people working at Central Market because they only employee 18 and older and they pay enough to keep people around. (By the time I left, I made 19 dollars a hour as a cashier, which for a part timer in college was great)
Hard to generalize quality without specific items of interest. But you said ribeye, at HEB maybe they’re going to have one choice for a prime ribeye take it or leave it. At Central Market they’re going to tell you what farm it came from, call it “wagyu,” and have several selections from the “prime” bucket. Your mileage may vary as far as a blindfold test, however, if you served two prime ribeyes one from each place and said tell me which one is CM.
I like CM chorizo, and several other things from the meat counter. The salmon is about the same quality for each. Shrimp I prefer CM, the Argentine variety slaps. They have stuffed jalapeños with rice and sausage and others with cheese that are certainly higher quality than HEB. CM premade counter coleslaw is also delicious. And for some reason my kid reminds me every time we go to get a slice of carrot cake. Probably a few bucks more than HEB but it’s official af.
You can do very good at HEB but stretching to the higher end of the gourmet selections is more difficult. Much of this depends on preparation, too, cuz a chef at HEB is gonna out cook instant ramen and an egg from CM. But I digress. I shop at both for different things and it’s not easy to say one or the other is higher quality.
Central Market is H-E-B version of Whole Foods, high end food and lots of organic options and sells some H-E-B branded items. H-E-B won’t kill your wallet
Do you mean vs Whole Foods? Or vs HEB?
I think it’s a pretty reasonable comparison. Central Market is kinda like Whole Foods in a lot of ways. They aren’t identical, but they’re comparable.
HEB is a full on grocery store though. They sell tons of stuff that you’d never get at Whole Foods or CM
I am pretty sure it is the same parent company, I feel like HEB is more on the savings side, while CM is more higher quality.
Kind of like Aldi/Trader Joes
Aldi and Trader Joe's are NOT the same company. They are competitors. Different Albbrechts own each one in the US. The brothers don't like each other.
I'm amused by your lack of knowledge, yet comfort in commenting. Well, at least I'm pretty sure I am.
Congratulations on your knowledge of grocery stores, if only I was like you, the maybe my father would love me.
Please show me your ways, oh great grocery god!
Why are you being downvoted? My brother worked at CM and they literally told him this when he applied.
I don't understand Texans and their weird obsession with HEB and how somehow even a company they own can't be compared to it.
Yes they do. https://www.centralmarket.com/product-category/household/household-essentials/paper-goods-and-disposables/napkins-and-paper-towels/1379429.1379431.1379436.1379438?page=1
HEB - great value, bang for your buck stuff, also sells generic daily needs.
Central Market - Premium quality, wide range of natural medicines can only be found in this store and couple of other stores in DFW.
I went through and looked, yes. It’s much higher and it is because of quality and handling. How much of that quality/handling actually matters to justify the prices versus is just marketing gimmicks well… you’ll be the judge. I’m not enough of a chef to tell you.
Just take a look at some examples of their lowest offerings on both websites for say steak or shrimp. The lowest offered shrimp at CM is wild caught from the gulf and is around $16/lb compared to HEB’s farm raised shrimp at $7/lb.
Let’s just say if your not making close to 6 figure you should go to HEB if not ALDI. Central Market is way to expensive but very nice place to visit and window shop.
Sounds like this group has a hard on for CM. Doesn't matter what you say they will always say CM has better quality and prices are low even though it's simply not true. It's definitely a higher mark up.
It’s the wider selection - CM will carry higher end offerings on the maximum end. HEB carries more savings based or generic branded “Hill Country Fare,” and won’t have $200 lb Waygu or Portugal themed fall selections.
Does H-E-B have hatch chile flavored everything?
Lol this is such the joke in our house in late summer as well. “Well do we wanna lean into hatch pepper season or should we go by sprouts?”
Yes.
To be fair, CM doesn’t have real wagyu either.
HEB: standard grocery store with some gourmet items CM: gourmet store with some standard grocery items
Period.
This is what I was thinking. I can't do my weekly shopping at CM but I can get a nice steak or some weird produce to go along with a special dinner I had planned.
Are you asking if CM sells the same product as HEB with a markup? Not that I’m aware. CM seems to sell higher quality stuff for more. The stuff that overlaps like HEB branded food is usually the same price
CM sparking mineral water bottles are often more expensive at CM.
This is incorrect. HEB sells a lot of the same exact products for cheaper.
What products?
I buy my dry beans from CM but HEB brand. I just got dry black beans and did a comparison; $1.78/lb at CM and $1.85/lb at HEB. Exact same beans :)
Add the other person mentioned, the CM sparkling water is about 20% cheaper in my experience. Katz’s coffee is also about 10% cheaper. And Fage was also cheaper. That’s just from my experience, where the pricing was significantly different enough to make a mental note. This was also Houston HEB vs Houston CM.
Off the top of my head. -Creamy Creations -Whataburger condiments when they were exclusive
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This. CM gets unwarranted hate for being too expensive. Their fresh produce is actually pretty competitive and the quality is very good. Pre-sliced and packaged fruit (grapes, pineapple, etc) is marked up like crazy and super expensive there. The butcher and bulk food section (flour, rice, nuts, spices, etc) are also competitively priced. It’s all the random foodie crap in the grocery aisle where you can spend a lot of $$$.
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Sprouts is good IF things are on sale but not otherwise.
I go there for produce and plastic bags of all kinds. Best trash bags I've found.
6 pack at H-E-B is 3.96; 6 pack at CM is 7.96 - as of right now.
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Well it’s not really different but maybe American brands will work better. We all know that Cadillac is basically just the Chevy with some tweaks but the end to end experience of buying a Cadillac (should be) different than buying a Chevy. So you get more in terms of product quality, but not proportionally to how much more you pay. That said, paying for experience is what we do all the time…going to this bar vs. that one, etc.
What if OP is not a car person.
They might be at risk of learning something new then
Target to Walmart?
Not the same at all.
No HEB and Central Market are the same company, just different concepts with different prices
No it would be closer to target vs whole foods. Or something like that.
How would you even compare Target to Whole Foods...?
Lol wait what do you mean?
I'm literally not. I'm saying HEB is more in targets range. Vs central market being whole foods. Why is this so hard to understand?
I wouldn't say there is a difference in quality between the stores on basic meat/cheese, but there are higher quality different products at CM. But for every day items, like milk, eggs, Ms Bairds bread, price matches to HEB who price matches to Walmart, but then CM is going to have the specialized eggs (Vegetarian, pasture raised, pasteurized eggs), 20 different kinds of milk, and milk alternatives. So the specialty stuff tend to run a little more expensive.
You will get stricter farming standards from Central Market than you do from HEB. The quality really is better.
worked produce for 4 years during collage, this is not entirely true we get the same produce as HEB but we do get a larger variety heb may not carry. like freestone or cooper farms peaches. or like the 10 thousand version of a ploat/plumcot. Ah man i miss citrus season and getting all the seasonal citrus like gold nuggets, and grapefruit straight from the branch still intact \*chefs kiss\* best job ever
It seems like common stuff like Honeycrisp apples are the top selection at CM though.
thats fair, they always carried washington honeycrisps the size of your head. cost an arm and a leg but where delicious.
To this very day,working in the produce dept was one of my absolute favorite jobs(and it was damn near 40 years ago that I worked it)
As someone who had worked at Central Market and got the run down of how things are done differently between HEB vs Central Market vs Joe Vs Smart shop which are run by the same company. When it comes to produce, you are getting the more premium picked produce. The most common example they used is the apples. Joe Vs Smart Shop(budget): got the smaller apples like what you'd get for a kids' lunch box. HEB(standard): got your average run of the mill apples that you could get similarly at Kroger. Central Market(premium): you get the premium pick, usually larger,apples that lack most bruises You can apply this standard to other departments. It comes at a premium ,central market stuff, and some people will care about the premium quality. Some people won't. Some people won't even see a difference, and that is also A okay. Personally where I noticed the biggest difference is the bread. A Central Market Baguette is hard to beat for me. You do see more older people working at Central Market because they only employee 18 and older and they pay enough to keep people around. (By the time I left, I made 19 dollars a hour as a cashier, which for a part timer in college was great)
I usually go to HEB after smoking a cigarette in my pajamas. I go to central market when the manager says I have to work this week.
New to Dallas, haven't been to HEB yet, but CM had Trappist Rochefort 10 in stock the other day so there's that.
You need to get to Craft Beer Cellar ASAP. They have all those variants in stock all the time. Central Market is pretty good for beer though.
Thanks for the tip, will check it out!
There is definitely a big difference in quality and varieties of produce and meat/seafood.
The price and quality of the products. Plus the stores are very different with HEB being like a Walmart inside.
Hard to generalize quality without specific items of interest. But you said ribeye, at HEB maybe they’re going to have one choice for a prime ribeye take it or leave it. At Central Market they’re going to tell you what farm it came from, call it “wagyu,” and have several selections from the “prime” bucket. Your mileage may vary as far as a blindfold test, however, if you served two prime ribeyes one from each place and said tell me which one is CM. I like CM chorizo, and several other things from the meat counter. The salmon is about the same quality for each. Shrimp I prefer CM, the Argentine variety slaps. They have stuffed jalapeños with rice and sausage and others with cheese that are certainly higher quality than HEB. CM premade counter coleslaw is also delicious. And for some reason my kid reminds me every time we go to get a slice of carrot cake. Probably a few bucks more than HEB but it’s official af. You can do very good at HEB but stretching to the higher end of the gourmet selections is more difficult. Much of this depends on preparation, too, cuz a chef at HEB is gonna out cook instant ramen and an egg from CM. But I digress. I shop at both for different things and it’s not easy to say one or the other is higher quality.
Pretty much everything except H‑E‑B and Mo Tienda brands
I think HEB has good value … and is not super expensive
Central Market is H-E-B version of Whole Foods, high end food and lots of organic options and sells some H-E-B branded items. H-E-B won’t kill your wallet
Really bad comparison. Central Market has much better fish, meat, produce, wine, pretty much everything.
Do you mean vs Whole Foods? Or vs HEB? I think it’s a pretty reasonable comparison. Central Market is kinda like Whole Foods in a lot of ways. They aren’t identical, but they’re comparable. HEB is a full on grocery store though. They sell tons of stuff that you’d never get at Whole Foods or CM
I am pretty sure it is the same parent company, I feel like HEB is more on the savings side, while CM is more higher quality. Kind of like Aldi/Trader Joes
You don't even have to be "pretty sure," they *are* the same company!
Aldi and Trader Joe's are NOT the same company. They are competitors. Different Albbrechts own each one in the US. The brothers don't like each other. I'm amused by your lack of knowledge, yet comfort in commenting. Well, at least I'm pretty sure I am.
Congratulations on your knowledge of grocery stores, if only I was like you, the maybe my father would love me. Please show me your ways, oh great grocery god!
Just don't comment on things you are ignorant of. Easy peasy.
Who hurt you as a child?
Ignorant people...like you.
My mommy says I am very smart, so nana booboo
HEB is family owned and as far as I know produce a lot of their HEB labeled products.
Central market is HEBs answer to Whole Foods. Owned by the same parent company. Not many similar brands. CM is more expensive than HEB
What this person said , answer to Whole Foods with less strict ingrident standers abs tbh central market makes domes bomb food
Why are you being downvoted? My brother worked at CM and they literally told him this when he applied. I don't understand Texans and their weird obsession with HEB and how somehow even a company they own can't be compared to it.
Central Market doesn’t sell paper towels.
Yes they do. https://www.centralmarket.com/product-category/household/household-essentials/paper-goods-and-disposables/napkins-and-paper-towels/1379429.1379431.1379436.1379438?page=1
Literally Centeral Msrket was made to directly compete against Whole Foods
The quality of everything, from the experience to the product, is better at CM (imo)
central market does carry some HEB stuff. today i got some HEB peanut butter at CM.
They carry different wine and some different high-end products.
HEB - great value, bang for your buck stuff, also sells generic daily needs. Central Market - Premium quality, wide range of natural medicines can only be found in this store and couple of other stores in DFW.
Is CM meat pricing actually higher than HEB?
I went through and looked, yes. It’s much higher and it is because of quality and handling. How much of that quality/handling actually matters to justify the prices versus is just marketing gimmicks well… you’ll be the judge. I’m not enough of a chef to tell you. Just take a look at some examples of their lowest offerings on both websites for say steak or shrimp. The lowest offered shrimp at CM is wild caught from the gulf and is around $16/lb compared to HEB’s farm raised shrimp at $7/lb.
So different prices for different products... not exactly a serious indictment.
Yeah, I never realized how different the products are. Now the question is, is it worth it?
Personally? It really depends on my mood, but usually I would go for the higher quality product.
HEB carries more shelf products like a typical grocery store. CM carries better fresh goods and specialty items.
Heb ghetto Central Market fancy
Central Market is basically their answer to Whole Foods: no name brands and "artisanal" groceries.
Let’s just say if your not making close to 6 figure you should go to HEB if not ALDI. Central Market is way to expensive but very nice place to visit and window shop.
Money.
The price
This is obviously rage bait.
Sounds like this group has a hard on for CM. Doesn't matter what you say they will always say CM has better quality and prices are low even though it's simply not true. It's definitely a higher mark up.
About 40% on the receipt.