Almost a week after Joe V’s Smart Shop by H-E-B opened its first Dallas location in South Dallas County, the store’s large parking lot stayed full to overflowing. While neighbors agreed to wait for “the excitement to fade away,” my husband and I opted to be among the earliest Smart Shoppers.
We lucked into a shady parking spot (very important in Texas summers) Monday morning, joining a line of people walking toward the store’s entrance. The shoppers ranged from couples like us to family groups of five or more, all ready to be Smart Shoppers. Once inside, we were surprised by the orderly way all these cart-pushing people moved through the produce section. It was hard not to stop and gawk at some of the amazing prices, like a box of strawberries .67, blueberries and blackberries .97, cherries $1.37 lb., watermelons $1.97, and limes 10 for $1.
My husband liked the grab-and-go section by the produce department, which had heartier items like oversized beef and bean burritos (.97 each), pizzas, ready-to-cook meals, and sandwiches. Just past the produce section, Sushi lovers were excited to find the large Sushi House, where employees create fresh Sushi and hot dishes like fried rice daily.
Smart Shoppers Find Good Buys
My favorite purchase was a pack of H-E-B butter tortillas ($4.67 for 20)—these melt-in-your-mouth tortillas are addictive. I also love the store-brand buttermilk pancake mix. My husband marveled at an 88-cent loaf of wheat bread, 12 ice cream sandwiches for $2.98, and Marie Calendar TV dinners for $3.17. Racks of ribs and large meat packages overflowed many shopping carts, with people taking advantage of special opening day offers. Large Bundles packed with a five-day supply of meat, poultry, or Pachanga are sold for just $20 each.
Looking over the $67.75 receipt from our shopping trip, the best surprise was realizing that the sale items amounted to a small percentage of our buys. Joe V’s Smart Shop prices for their own and other recognized brands are already extremely low.
Joe V’s Smart Shop executives
Many of the top executives of Joe V’s Smart Shop, including Mr. Joe V and Stephen Butts, were helping motivate the new hires at the Dallas store. They all stayed busy answering questions and assisting customers looking for hard-to-find items during our shopping trip.
Top Store Leader Jeremy Chappell was pleased with the enthusiastic turnout, saying, “The surrounding community has welcomed us with open arms. We have seen a steady flow of customers since opening day and are thrilled to serve the kindest people offering fresh products and incredible prices.”
H-E-B lived up to its reputation for generously giving back to the community it serves with three $10,000 donations to local nonprofits. The donations were presented at the ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 11. The Duncanville ISD Food Pantry and Duncanville Outreach Ministry each received a check donation.
Not Really Self-Service
While parking at the new Joe V’s may still depend on “do you feel lucky today,” checking out and exiting the store is a breeze. Eager team members stand ready to check you out swiftly at the plentiful self-checkout stations. They carefully bag your groceries as well, so those of us who resist self-checkout can go happily on our way without any issues.
From our visit, it’s clear that Joe V’s team believes in providing service from the beginning to the end of your shopping experience. Top Store Team Leader Jeremy Chappell has 20 years of service with the company, and Manager of Retail Operations Chris Kirby has 22 years.
Joe V’s Smart Shop by H-E-B is located at 4101 West Wheatland Road in Dallas and opens from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The Best Southwest community will soon welcome another H-E-B store to the area, with a new H-E-B in Mansfield scheduled to hold its grand opening on June 26.
