Both Walmart and H-E-B are among some of the largest shopping stores in the United States. They compete on price, product quality, among many other factors. But if you’re deciding between the two, which one is better?
I looked at 3 major shopping factors and compared both stores. These 3 factors are:
- Price
- Quality
- Product Variety
Which is Better: HEB or Walmart? Walmart is cheaper than HEB by a range of anywhere from 2% to 52% for storebrand items. Walmart also offers much more product variety. However, H-E-B does appear to have higher quality products, according to the FDA.
Is HEB More Expensive Than Walmart?
The price at a grocery store is one of the biggest factors that most customers consider before they decide where they’re going to shop. Most people prefer the store that is going to give them the best price, or the best bang for their buck. So between H-E-B and Walmart, which one is cheaper?
| Category | HEB Brand | Walmart Brand |
| Beverages | ✓ | |
| Baking Goods | ✓ | |
| Canned Goods | ✓ | |
| Dairy | ✓ | |
| Dry Goods | ✓ | |
| Frozen Foods | ✓ | |
| Personal Care | ✓ | |
| Cleaners | ✓ | |
After checking the prices of their store brand items, Walmart is a clear winner. In other words, Walmart is cheaper than H-E-B. More specifically, Walmart’s prices are anywhere from 2% lower to 52% lower than H-E-B.
So when you were shopping, you were going to save more money if you shop at Walmart and than if you shop at H-E-B. So, if you are a customer that prioritizes price over everything else, then you should shop at Walmart.
Product Quality: HEB vs Walmart
Another big factor that people consider is probably quality. Some customers only shop at the store that will give them the best quality of products. So, when looking at H-E-B and Walmart, which one has the higher quality products?
To figure this out, I took a look at the FDA’s product recall database. This database shows how many product recalls each store has had in recent times. Whichever store has more product recalls is likely to be the one with lower quality products.
| Category | HEB Recalls | Walmart Recalls |
| Animal & Veterinary | 1 | 2 |
| Biologics | 0 | 0 |
| Cosmetics | 1 | 0 |
| Dietary Supplements | 0 | 0 |
| Drugs | 0 | 6 |
| Food and Beverages | 20 | 21 |
| Medical Devices | 0 | 0 |
| Radiation Emitting Products | 0 | 0 |
| Tobacco | 0 | 0 |
After looking at the database, H-E-B has less product recalls. More specifically they have seven less recalls than Walmart. So, it is safe to assume that H-E-B has higher quality products than Walmart.
HEB: 22 Total Recalls
Walmart: 29 Total Recalls
So, if product quality is something that you consider when choosing between stores to shop at, then you are much safer shopping at H-E-B as you are less likely to purchase lower quality products.
Product Variety: HEB vs Walmart
When shopping, the amount of options that a customer has to choose from plays a big role in which store people will shop at. So we’re looking at both of the stores, which one has more product variety. In other words, which one has more options to pick from?
Something to note is that H-E-B is considered a supermarket whereas Walmart is considered a hypermarket. The main difference between the two is that a supermarket contains produce and consumables whereas a hypermarket contains produce, consumables, and department store products.
By nature, Walmart is built to carry more items than supermarkets.
| Total H-E-B Products | Total Walmart Products |
| 17,000 products | 120,000 products |
Walmart has significantly more items to pick from then H-E-B. To be specific,Walmart has over 120,000 products at their stores, whereas H-E-B has 17,000 products. This means that Walmart has more than 7 times the amount of products to pick from when compared to H-E-B.
For reference, the average grocery store carries about 31,000 products in their store. So, H-E-B has just about half of the average whereas Walmart has around 4 times more than the average.
A big benefit of shopping at a store that has more product variety is that they are much more likely to have all of the things you need. So, you will always find what you are looking for. If you are a customer that likes product variety, then you should shop at Walmart.
Which One Should You Shop At: HEB vs Walmart?
When to shop at HEB: despite not having the lowest prices or the most amount of product variety, H-E-B does offer higher quality products than Walmart. If you don’t mind paying a little bit more for higher quality products, then you should shop at H-E-B.
When to shop at Walmart: Walmart offers the best prices hands-down, they also have significantly more products to pick from. If you do not mind lower quality products, then Walmart is a clear winner for you.
Final Thoughts: Walmart vs HEB
After the analysis, it’s clear that Walmart has won 2/3 main comparison categories. However, this doesn’t mean that H-E-B is a bad place to shop. In fact, H-E-B and Walmart are fierce competitors and the main reason for that is because H-E-B is also a great store. They still offer cheap prices and have more product variety than most other grocery stores.
So no matter which store you really shop at between these two, however, this doesn’t mean that H-E-B is a bad place to shop. Regardless of which one of these stores you shop at, you’re still getting great deals, quality products, and a ton of options to pick from.