GONE SHOPPING

By LYNETTE SOWELL

Cove Leader-Press

 

H-E-B Plus! along with the USO Fort Hood held a day for military spouses to learn the ins and outs of shopping H-E-B on a budget at the Copperas Cove store on Wednesday.

 

Johnny Mojica is H-E-B’s community coordinator and welcomed the spouses to the store.

 

One of the event’s purposes was not only to thank the spouses, but also to acquaint those who are new to the Fort Hood area with the H-E-B brand.

 

“This is to thank you for the sacrifices you make each day to uphold our nations’ freedom,” Mojica said. “You may be unfamiliar with the area, you may be thinking, ‘What is an H-E-B?’, or as others may be thinking, ‘What is a heb?’”

 

USO Fort Hood center director Isabel Hubbard told the spouses that the USO is dedicated to making their lives a little easier, along with helping them stay connected to their community.

 

Store leaders welcomed the approximately 15 spouses who attended and were given a gift bag with complimentary H-E-B branded items.

 

“My team gets an opportunity to walk you through today and share with you how to shop H-E-B effectively,” said the store’s general manager, Tim Smith. “We’re going to talk about how to save time and shop healthy. We’re going to spend time in our produce and market, to show you our organics.

 

And then there’s our in-store fresh juice and guacamole. Who knew? You’ll see how we bring that to the floor and sell every day.”

 

Smith talked about special occasions and H-E-B’s carryout catering, which a lot of times doesn’t require 24 hours’ notice.

 

“We prefer it, but in a pinch, we can take care of you.”

 

The spouses were divided up into several teams which had their own personal escort at different stations set up in the store, such as in the seafood department, where they saw the sushi prepared, and in Bakery, where the spouses learned about the various breads made on-site daily.

 

One military spouse remarked that when she and her family were stationed in Georgia and friends knew they were returning to Texas for a visit, she had numerous requests for items from H-E-B to bring back to Georgia with her.

 

“We almost had as much H-E-B to take back as regular luggage,” she said.

 

Shopping on a budget was one of the themes for the day, with partners showing off H-E-B’s Meal Deals and Combo Locos, along with using the store’s app which contains resources like shopping list, store map as well as digital coupons.

 

Wednesday’s event was the second such event held at the Copperas Cove store, with a “Spa Day” being held for military wives last fall.