By Caitlyn Meisner | Copy Editor

H-E-B is the worst grocery store and I am not afraid to say it.

Coming from little ol’ Massachusetts, I’m not used to the “regular-sized” grocery store standard here in Texas, which is basically super-sized. I think my local grocery store is half the size of the H-E-B on Valley Mills.

Unfortunately for me, this is the only option when it comes to my weekly grocery shopping. Other stores like ALDI, Target or Walmart just don’t compare. I am forced to go due to the convenience of purchasing my favorite products all in one trip and not paying so much to where it breaks the bank.

Whenever I step into this behemoth of a store, I am immediately overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people, sales and food available. Sometimes I walk in and want to walk out right then and there.

I find it truly amazing that it doesn’t matter what time of day or day of the week I go, it’s always the busiest time for the store. I could go at 6 a.m. or 10:45 p.m., and I would encounter the same amount of people.

It’s also impossible to even walk through the aisles. With the amount of people mindlessly walking through the aisles and small space allotted for dozens and dozens of products, I almost always have to leave my cart at the end of the aisle and shuffle my way through people to get my one jar of peanut butter.

Don’t even get me started on the presence of the H-E-B workers throughout the store wheeling around the gigantic online order carts. I find most often they’re the ones leaving the multi-tiered cart in the middle of the aisles, which causes the shoppers to maneuver around them. So many people don’t even want to come to the store, which necessitates for so many workers and the online order system.

I wish I didn’t have to visit my local H-E-B every weekend, but alas, it is my only option. The grocery store chain has monopolized the Waco area and has forced college students, families and other Waco residents alike to flock to the store to survive.

I hope one day H-E-B is dethroned in Waco and we can get a variety of grocery stores in the area so there’s more options in products, a reduction in crowds at all times and a less stressful time all around.