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Are you ready to learn the best-kept secret about finding terrific bargains at HEB?
If you've ever seen another HEB shopper checking out expiration dates on food items throughout the store, you probably saw someone working the Fresh or Free policy.
The HEB Fresh or Free policy is really simple -- basically, if you find an item in the store that's expired, your store will reward you with a fresh version of that item for free!
So here's an example of how it works: Say you are buying Yoplait strawberry yogurt, and you notice some of the cups on the shelf expired yesterday. Bring one expired cup and one that's within date up to the registers. Your cashier will give you the fresh one for free!
You can also use the Fresh or Free policy on produce -- if you find withered or past-its-prime produce on the shelves, you can take those up along with a fresh version to get it free as well.
You can get up to one free item per shopper -- so if you stumble across a whole display of expired products (which has happened to readers of the San Antonio Budget Grocery Facebook page) you need to call everyone you know to come take advantage of the free food.
If you've ever used the HEB Fresh or Free policy yourself, please share your story in the comments below!
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I didn't know this applied to produce! Thanks for the explanation.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!! I had never heard of this! So could you take Strawberries up there that had a couple mildewed strawberries and get a pack for free?
ReplyDeleteHere's the HEB page that talks about this on their website: http://www.heb.com/store/whats-in-store/departments/produce/800018
DeleteThe way I read it, produce does qualify for Fresh and Free -- and I've heard other shoppers have used it on produce before. But I have to say my store, which is the Kitty Hawk location, is VERY good about weeding out old produce, so I've never had the opportunity to test it out myself. :D
I remember doing this with my mom when I was younger. We would go to the store and do our shopping and look at other food and come out with alot of free food cause they didn't check their dates real well where we used to live.
ReplyDeleteI use this policy all the time, there are a few things I feel the need to point out. Only some stores will honor the policy with produce that is not dated. For example I have found several of the party trays with cut fruits or veggies and gotten one of those for free since they do have an expiration date.On the other hand if you find something without a date but obviously bad, like MKs example of moldy strawberries some stores will let you have one free and some won't.The policy has nothing written about undated perishable items so the manager can use their own discretion. You said one item per shopper but the policy is one of each type of item per shopper. I get multiple items just about every time I go. The policy is nowhere on hebs website and many stores cant seem to find a copy of the policy, although all the managers are familiar with it.If you email corporate they will email you the written policy.It states “We guarantee the freshness of all products in our store. If you find a product with a sell date earlier than today, we will gladly exchange it for a free FRESH replacement item (not redeemable for cash). Limit one free item on any like UPC. On bulk items normally sold by the pound you will receive one pound free.” I have gotten lots of items that sell by the pound, such as meat and gotten an amount equal to what I find expired for free.Ive never had a store give me a pound only of the item but I have heard of some stores doing that.
ReplyDeleteI used to find stuff all the time at the HEB Plus on Zarzamora. I'd bring it to their attention but never got anything for free. :/ I'm always checking dates just because I'm not about to pay for expired food. Now that I know this, I gotta try it out at my Lincoln Heights and Oak Park HEBs!
ReplyDeleteI live in that area Lincond Heights is really really good about keeping expired items off the shelfs. I regularly find items at oak park.Look for organic items and the expensive cheeses in the deli area. Also reach to the back of the shelf as they always put the new items in the front instead of rotating. I found some dried peaches there a few days ago that had expired feb 2010.I also got 3 boxes of cereal by reaching to the back. If you really want to find alot the HEB on Austin hwy is a good location to look in.
DeleteSadly people take advantage of this policy. In my opinion I wish it didn't exist since heb has customers whom hide items a day or 2 from expiration so they come back to get it along with the free item. I work for heb so I see it all the time. :/
ReplyDeleteI do too, but for my store the pre made veggies and fruits are pulled two days in advanced,, it ups on shrink,, but keeps the freebie shoppers at bay,, the two hebs I shop at regularly mark down there mat in the evening one does ground beef the other will do jalapeño bombers just depends on where you go
DeleteOnce every few months, I buy fruit and open it with it being moldy inside, and I have been understanding about it in the past. I would have never considered using this policy until about a month ago, when two weeks in a row, the bread was moldy. The first time, I just threw it out, not wanting to go to the trouble of returning it. When it happened again, I had to wait in line at the store, wasting my time, and having to buy bread all over again. All I got was my money back for the one loaf I didn't throw away after having to make a special trip to purchase a new loaf both times, I told the employee about the first loaf, and was not compensated at all for that, since I had thrown it away. Since it is clear to me now I have to spend my time checking if the bread is expired every time I shop, I can either use the policy from now on (I haven't yet) or shop at another store.
Delete.
I used to work at heb ..its true but its their out of date garrenty. They don't publicize it they in fact canceled It at one point in time till outraged people complained if they can't honor that garrenty then who do they expect them to honor its product garrenty which if its doesn't meet or exceed expectations they will cheerfully refund your money. I have used this garrenty before and cooked a full bbg on hebs tab..its just alittle embarrassing .. but free makes up for it..
ReplyDeleteI didn't know this was available. I have brought expired things to workers attention on several occasions but I never got anything free.... I will make sure I ASK next time! Denise Y
ReplyDeleteThis applies to any dated items. I've gotten quite a few cake or brownie mixes that were out of date. Also had luck with the fruit & veggie trays that are dated. I've heard of people getting cakes & cookies in the bakery but every time I've looked in the bakery it is all neat and in date items.
ReplyDeleteI was VERY excited to find moldy strawberries on Saturday at the HEB on Grissom & Tezel. Only to bring them to the register and have a manager tell me because they don't have an expireation date, they could only take them off the shelf- not give me a free one. I was very disappointed and couldn't find the policy online anywhere to see if I was right or they were. :(
ReplyDeleteHeather -- Here's the URL for the fresh produce guarantee at HEB: http://www.heb.com/store/whats-in-store/departments/produce/800018
DeleteI hope that helps!
hi,i will like to share my experience with this policy i was in mcallen heb store and it was me and my mom and we found alot of expired products well the manager got mad do ,he folow me to my car and the folow my mom to the bus stop in a public waithing stop,they where stocking us ,well the guy talk to my mom saying that u cant do that if u are family u cant rite togeter and alot of crap.please people dont let this guy try to go over you.
ReplyDeleteI am so tired of buying clementines and getting home and a few already being bad. A lot of times I don't even buy them because they aren't fresh. So yesterday I remembered this policy and took up a bag of clementines that had some really bad ones in it. Mentioned the free thing, and was told it's not for produce. Only for expired items. May need to print out the produce guarantee. Wonder if that is more of a policy for if you bought it and discovered it was bad, you could bring it back for a new one. Heck, I could buy the bag and turn around and go to customer service if they weren't busy. Not that'd I'd try this all the time. Just curious.
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly what the policy means. If you buy produce (which does not have an actual expiration date), you can take it back for a replacement. You don't get anything free at the register.
DeleteMy friend from work does this all the time- she does it at the register and showed me her register where she got about ten things free.
DeleteI tried this with a bag of clementines that had a whole bunch of spoiled ones in the bag on Monday. I was told it doesn't apply to produce, only expired items. So I just bought the good bag anyway. So I came back to re-look at this post. Going to mention the fresh produce guarantee next time. maybe they just mean if you buy it and it's bad you can take it back for an exchange. IDK. I'd be interested to hear if anyone has had good luck with the produce part of it.
ReplyDeletethe HEB on 24th and culebra are really bad about rotating stock. I use to watch the regulars leave with hundreds of dollars worth of food several times a week. I unfortunately couldn't use the policy at the time because I was married to an employee and his boss would threaten him each time i tried.
ReplyDeleteI have a question regarding the freshness guarantee. Since most of the products (meat, fish & produce) have a date & time stamp, would something qualify as expired if it is on the same day you are shopping, but past the time you are there?
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Brian
You mean if it says "2:30" and you're there at 5:30...? That is an interesting question.
Deleteyes, it does count. but with meat and fish, or weighed items like that, you only get a lb for free, not the equal amounts of what you've found. or at least that's how they do it at my store.
DeleteIt is not written anywhere, but HEB gives their employees 8 hours from the time of expiration to remove the product from rotation. Most HEB stores will not honor time-stamped items. (You may get lucky and have a nice manager, but don't expect to get it for free if it is within that first 8-hour window.)
DeleteP.S. To the poster above...you are not correct about the fish or meat items above. HEB will only give you one pound of bulk items sold by the pound. If you find prepackaged fish or meat expired, you will get one of equal or lesser value for free. Prepackaged fish and meat are priced per pound, not sold by the pound. They would let you open a package to sell you one pound.
I actually just got off the phone with HEB customer service and they explicitly stated that the timestamp has nothing to do with the expiration date policy. Only the date applies.
DeleteUnfortunately, they also stated there is no written policy as far as the expired product policy is concerned.
yes thats why it has a time stamp! if they dont call heb corporate
ReplyDeleteOn the evening of March 22 I found a couple of cheesecakes in the freezer with Sell by March 19 stickers on them. When I went to check out with other items as well, I was told that the "manager in charge" was not going to allow me to get a free one. At the time I was tired after a long day and I didn't feel like making a big deal about it, but on my way home I thought "I wonder if there is a clause in their fresh or free policy about them reserving the right to not honor certain items?" Anyway, I think I'm going to call the corporate office next week so I can be enlightened!
ReplyDeleteHere is the policy:
ReplyDelete-
“We guarantee the freshness of all products in our store.
If you find a product with a sell date earlier than today,
we will gladly exchange it for a free FRESH replacement item
(not redeemable for cash). Limit one free item on any like UPC.
On bulk items normally sold by the pound you will receive one pound free.”
Sincerely,
H-E-B Customer Relations
I go every day to both HEB's in Kerrville, TX. Here are some tips:
1. If asked by an employee what I am doing, I politely explain that I am looking for out-of-date stuff.
2. I am always friendly. Remember, this is not my policy, nor the employee's policy, but rather, it is the policy of the HEB employee's employer.
3. I am never confrontational. If there is a dispute or disagreement, I will NEVER ARGUE with an employee in the store. Rather, I will call the HEB customer service number for clarification. Phone: 800-432-3113.
4. I ALWAYS leave the product rotation in better condition than that which I found it.
5. I am sympathetic toward special circumstances. For example, during a store inspection by corporate management, I was asked by an HEB employee if I would forgo my out-of-date shopping ritual for that day. I complied. It never hurts to accumulate good Karma points.
6. I always thank the HEB employees who process the out-of-date transaction.
Remember, life is short and quid pro quo. You reap what you so, so, be cool about things!
When I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes, I was so happy to find "Glycemic Health" bread reasonably priced at HEB and ONLY at HEB. One day, they only had 3 loaves and all were expired. I didn't know about this policy then but just happened to come across an article/blog? later and Emailed the HEB customer service reporting what I found at the store. The local manager responded the next day and offered a free loaf. All I had to do was to mention his name to get it. I thought it was nice of them and the response was timely. Another day, the free item on the yellow coupon for 'buy this and get that free" was all sold out. So I asked an employee if I could get another similar item(brown rice in place of white rice, I think) and he said yes. Again all I had to do was to tell the cashier "so-and-so said OK" and he honored the coupon. I don't always have pleasant experience there, so these were notable events.
ReplyDeleteToday we found a brisket and a ham out of date, the manager refused to let us have a free one he said he could give us a lb free because these were considered bulk items? Calling corporate on Monday
ReplyDeleteI found lots of frozen meals and candy and donuts out dated it was so awesome to get them free...
ReplyDeleteGod Bless
I do this all the time.. It's fun and I save a ton of money..
ReplyDeleteI work at HEB and it's true. I do want to say, whenever I first started working there it made me really irritated because there use to be carts full of out of date items. Since we are expected to scan a certain amount of items per minute (they are calculated through the computer) it would drop our count down whenever we had to change the prices of everything (they take them so seriously that we managers hold small meetings with you to try to encourage you to bring your IPMs up.). But now I think its a great policy, not only does it force us to check the items we have on shelf, but it prevents us from selling items that can make people sick that would lead to much larger legal implications. So if a cashier or whoever is checking you out is a little agitated about it, just keep in mind that they probably are thinking more on Items scanned Per Minute (IPMs) than the larger positive implications that out-of-date hunters have on our stores. Happy Hunting. by the way, this policy doesn't apply to HEB employees either, so I'm a little jealous.
ReplyDeleteI bought some organic grapes this week and when I opened them they were full of spider webs and mold. I went to get a new pack and asked about receiving my item for free and getting the refund and they told me no, I could only exchange the item for a good one. Should I contact corporate? Those packs are NOT cheap..plus I buy 2 a week, at $5.98 a pack.
ReplyDeleteThis is correct. You can bring the yucky produce back for a refund OR a replacement. You don't get both. (I think this article is confusing the "Fresh Produce Policy" and the "Freshness Guarantee."
DeleteMe and my husband were informed yesterday that the policy was going to change. That HEB was only going to allow one item per customer with a price limit of $5. And that if the item was worth more than $5 then the item would be discounted by $5 dollars.
ReplyDeleteSo long to a good thing. :(
does this guarantee work if item expires that same day? like pack of meat says sell by jan 1 and i found it jan 1 is that legit?
ReplyDeleteNope, it has to have expired the day before.
DeleteThis policy is amazing. We hit some tough times in the past, and would spend 5 hours on a Saturday every week roaming for different stores. We'd end up with around $150 in free produce, meat, snacks, and bread.
ReplyDeleteWe don't need it as much anymore, but we still check on occasion. We snagged two massive packs of brisket meat for the grill this past weekend, worth a whopping $50 total! I also managed some yummy smoked salmon, and a lot of gourmet cheese.
For newbies, the best items to check for are:
Yogurt, boxed/bagged salads, expensive breads ( less likely to sell in time ) items that are tossed behind shelves/look dusty, orange juice, vegan meat replacements, tubed ground meat, Little Debbie type pastries, Mexican cheeses and dairy product, and lunch meat.
I was told by an Heb manager that the policy is now that you can only take a TOTAL OF ONE PRODUCT FREE now. I had found multiple different expired iems but he would only let me pick one to have free. When I asked why, he said too many people were taking advantage of the policy and getting too much free stuff.
ReplyDeleteI was told my store in Austin doesn't honor this policy at all, even when I produced rotten clementines.
ReplyDeleteThe managers at small heb here in Del Rio are so rude. Every time I go, they follow me and harass me because I find alot of expired meats. They argue and talk rude to you. They would say that its there job to harass you. They get mad because their workers can't do their jobs. I made complaints of their unprofessional behavior but nothing. How sad.
ReplyDeleteI use this policy all of the time in South Austin. Today I found 5 packages of brisket dated for yesterday. I did use the F or F exchange on the largest package of meat, and then I let the meat market manager know they were about to loose $100 on expired products so he could pull them.
ReplyDeleteI attempted to use this policy and was advised that they had until 8am to remove said items and that because the shopping took place prior to 8am they would honor they freshness guarantee. The manager stated that if this happened again they would involve the police!
ReplyDeleteJust an FYI...The policy that allows you to get a free non-expired item is called the Freshness Guarantee, not the fresh or free policy. You can only obtain a copy of the Freshness Guarantee by emailing the corporate offices.
ReplyDeleteSo...we moved to San Antonio last year and this whole one-grocery-chain thing kind of makes me mad. I don't like one store having a monopoly because then it's hard to work with them on anything. And of course our chain only seems to have coupons for people who purchase processed food. So...is there anywhere in San Antonio that has good prices and/or coupons for primal compliant foods? I love Sprouts, but the Sprouts here are tiny, for whatever reason. Whole Paycheck is...well...just that. Trader Joe's rarely has good quality or prices. So I'm left with HEB (who only rewards non-Primal coupons) or central market...still HEB...who is more expensive still. I'd love some advice!
ReplyDeleteHi Lauren! Obviously this is a HEB-centric blog, but my advice would be to check out the small international grocery stores that are dotted around town. You might like some of our Asian grocery stores especially -- they have a lot of raw food ingredients at really reasonable prices. Hope that helps!
DeleteA Houston Manager sait the freshness guarentee is stoping in May. It that True?
ReplyDeleteThis is true for produce.
ReplyDeleteJust some advice, Cashiers are to notify managers and managers notify each department with an out of date product and they will promptly remove all of the other out of dates from the shelf. So the part about letting everyone you know about it won't work. Also, dont take Advantage of the out of date policy. Not only is it a nuisance to the cashier, but it Keeps other customers waiting. I am a cashier & have experience With the policy.
ReplyDelete"A Houston Manager sait the freshness guarentee is stoping in May. It that True?"
ReplyDeleteThis is true
I scored a fully cooked brisket today at almost $50.00 in Kerrville. I was also told that they will be changing their policy as of 5/5/14.
ReplyDeleteALERT!!! HEB just stopped this program today (May 5). e-mail them and tell them to bring it back.
ReplyDeleteGet over yourselves and stop trying to get something for nothing! Work hard and pay honestly. Jeez, happy it is gone gone gone. Stuck in line behind an expired product shopper is a tedious experience and most times it has happened, the folks getting off scott free are so rude to the poor cashiers. Glad this is done!
ReplyDeletecompletely agree!! this policy was for the cheap bastards that would do anything to save a penny. work hard and pay for your groceries like the rest of us do instead of spending hours in the store trying to find expired items you would never buy with money because you have no use for them! HEB will not be bringing this policy back so stop crying about it. It was a privilege for customers to have this policy but people took it to far. Thank you HEB. SMART DECISION
DeleteI am an HEB partner. The main reason HEB has gotten rid of the policy is that it was originally made to reward a customer for helping bring something to our attention, not so people would spend hours looking for free food. What pushed HEB over the line was they found a website for a group that would collaborate and share where to get the most expensive items free. The site also shared where to take items you got free to sell them for profit. Now the policy is a max of 5 dollars free. Unfortunately greed ruins things for others.
ReplyDeleteI am or should say was a shopper at HEB. I learned about the policy two years ago and as I do my regular shopping, if I happen to come across a multitude of one iteam I would always address it to the department manager directly prior to checking out. My goal was to make sure no one else would accidentally purchase and consume the bad item. Last month I was at a store close to medical center and came across and item expired over a year ago. I was so upset about finding this particular item. I know and understand that Texas is HEB's market however we still have choices. I never abused the system, however it truly saddens me that customers will be buying expired products all the time. I called customer relations and confirmed that this is indeed true. The policy is no longer informed so then I asked what should I do if happen to find an out of date product and I was told to address the product with management. What she really meant to say was Yes continue to do your great job absolutely nothing.
ReplyDeleteWhen they are selling their name brand product for pennies less the brand name and have taken over the store with Heb brands this means they are making a killing. In light of the current changes I can go on and on but I have elected to give my business to the competitor's.
To be clear, the freshness guarantee is still in place. If you buy something and you notice it expired before you purchased it, it has gone bad or even if you tried something new and don't like it, you can return it for a replacement or a refund. HEB just isn't going to give free items for finding out of dates anymore. HEB also realizes there are many products that were found by out of date shoppers and will have to ramp up product rotation to compensate. And as always if you do find problems in a store repeatedly please let a store director know. Not a checkout manager. They are often so busy and really only handle the checkout process. Ask specifically for a store director. 90% of the time they didnt know about the problem but they are the final say in getting things done... and often go above and beyond for you.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that they had stopped the "Fresh or Free" guarantee and I brought some meat up to the register. The manager gave me a promotional coupon from her pocket for something else that was free in the store and apologized that she couldn't honor that promise any more. I can't remember what it was that I got for free, but it was something that was pretty closely priced to the ground beef I found that was expired. (HEB in Cedar Park, TX - at 1431 and Parmer Lane)
Delete