Local Super Markets Open for Last Minute Shopping Craze

The Thanksgiving holiday is a time for sharing blessings with family, friends and loved ones, but there’s a lot that goes into making that perfect meal that everyone looks forward to every year. Not to mention, some people work long hours, have tons of things going on, or simply have no choice but to wait until the last minute to do their shopping.

Well, here’s the good news. Not only will the local super markets have regular hours today, but three of them are also open on Thanksgiving Day for convenience. Overall, these stores have specials that will make people glad they waited for the last minute to get their Thanksgiving necessities--well, except for the crowds they have to fight to do so.

H-E-B is Ready for Holiday Shoppers

Unit Director of H-E-B Lynn Shipley said the San Angelo store will be open during regular hours today, and on Thanksgiving, employees will service customers from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., so if people missed something important, no need to fret.

“We have some really great items,” Shipley said. “For people looking for a holiday meal, really I would recommend they get their turkey now so they can start to thaw it out.”

Additionally, Shipley said people who buy a spiral ham get a free 8- to 12-pound turkey.

“When you have a $10 purchase, you [also] get an 8- to 12-pound turkey for free,” he added.

One of the best specials H-E-B is offering is an 18-quart ChefStyle roaster oven, regularly $34.97. H-E-B has a $15 coupon for buyers, so the final price comes out to $19.97, stated the director. Also, there’s nothing like leftover Thanksgiving dinner, so to make sure that food stays freshly stored away, H-E-B is offering 50 percent off all Rubbermaid food and beverage containers.

“If you need a snack for the family, we have what we call the HEB City-Street Nuts up front,” Shipley added. “They come in a 7-oz package. They’re regularly $4.98 and we have a $2 coupon. The final price is $2.98. We have just a lot of specials like that throughout the store.”

As far as desserts go, H-E-B also has the normal pumpkin and pecan pies. There are no big specials on those, but the bakery has 12 and 18-inch pies. The 12-inch pecan and apple pies are $12.98, and there are 12- and 9-inch pumpkin pies for $7.48 and $3.98.

Shipley noted, “We also have our Primo Picks. Now, these Primo Picks are pecan pies and they’re $10.98. The Primo Pick is one of the specials we run here in the store that’s unique only to HEB.

As for Black Friday, Shipley said H-E-B isn’t doing anything out of the ordinary.

“We’re going to have our own in-store specials, but not the rock-bottom pricing like on TVs and stuff,” he stated. “We’re not going to be into that. We’re just really into taking care of the Thanksgiving focus.”

Lowe’s Has a Little Bit of Everything

Brad Johnson, Lowe’s assistant manager, said today’s shopping hours are normal, but people will want to get in today since the store will be closed Thanksgiving Day, so workers can enjoy the holiday with their families.

However, the store will be open until 10 p.m. today, and it has some specials people may want to take advantage of.

“We pretty much got a little bit of everything,” Johnson said.

Johnson also said Lowe’s has a good sale on its 4-pound sugar, which is $.99, and there's deals on the vegetables, which are 2 for $.88. They also have pumpkin pie mix and cranberry sauce for $.77 a can.

“Everything looks pretty good in our ad this week,” Johnson stated.

As for the main meals, some brands of turkeys are going for $.57 per pound and the Butterballs are going for $.99 per pound. Hams are around $30 - $35.

Johnson said Lowe’s doesn’t have anything specific planned for Black Friday, nor are they open Thursday, but if people choose to do their last minute shopping at his store, they can expect good customer service, and they will feel comfortable knowing the store won’t be out of the things they need.

“We try to stay stocked on everything, and [shoppers] will get good customer satisfaction here,” Johnson said.

Green’s Grocery & Café Have Desserts to Die For

Green’s Grocery & Café is known for its fresh made-from-scratch foods, so of course it’s natural the store offered fully cooked Holiday Thanksgiving meal specials; however, employees stopped taking those orders on Monday.

That doesn’t mean though people can’t find what they need, especially since the store will also be open Thanksgiving Day from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“We have lots of options,” said Mary Beam, co-director of Green’s Grocery.

For those people who were unable to place their special holiday meal order, the store has several smoked turkeys available for purchase, and staff have prepared sides in the Ready-To- Go area of the store, so shoppers can piece together their meals.

“We are also getting a lot of calls from small families, maybe one or two, or even three, wanting just a small meal, and we will have sides and turkey breasts for those people,” Beam stated. All these people have to do is put their food in a microwave or oven, warm it, and Turkey dinner is serve, she noted.

Beam also said for those people who spend $100 or more, they get a free Butterball or Jenny-O turkey.

“You’re buying stuff anyway, so you might as well get a free turkey while you’re doing it. It is while supplies last,” she said. The turkeys are up to 12 pounds.

The best ingredient Beam said Green’s Grocery offers are the desserts. They have made-from-scratch pecan pies, pumpkin pies, coconut cream pies, millionaire pies, strawberry millionaire pies, sweet potato pies and more.

“Right now, because those are made from scratch, we had several orders for the holiday meals,” Beam stated. “Our bakers are baking as fast as they possibly can so they are freshly made products; so if anyone does need some dessert, especially last minute, they should call to make sure we have them available. As soon as we’re putting them out, people are buying them.”

These pies are exactly what families need to make that lasting impression on their families and friends.

Beam said, “They’re amazing, especially the pecan pie. They’re made with pecans from San Saba, Texas, so they’re fresh local pecans. They’re making them on our sales floor right now, so people are actually buying them. They’re big.”

Like the other stores, Green’s Grocery will have a normal day on Friday, but on Saturday, Chef Antwan Gross will be on the sales floor from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. showing people what they can do with their leftover turkey.

Albertson’s Has the Service

Albertson’s will be open during its regular hours today, but will close Thursday. There are also no major plans for Black Friday, but Craig Sopetto, store director, said people can be sure they’ll get the right service if they choose to do their last minute shopping at his store.

The best deal the store has at this time is a $.50-per-pound turkey, but it’s frozen, which may cause a problem because they probably won’t be defrosted in time for Thanksgiving.

“You’re going to have to find a way to defrost them pretty quick,” Sopetto said.

If people don’t want to worry about that, Albertson’s offers a variety of non-frozen turkeys starting out at $1.99 per pound. The store also has spiral cut hams for $1.57 per pound.

“You probably won’t beat that anywhere,” Sopetto added.

In addition to the main courses, the store has a lot of produce items on sale, as well as dinner rolls.

 As for desserts, the Albertson’s Bakery has pies for $3.99. It also had some Marie Calendar pies for $2.97, but the store warehouse sold out.

“I think everybody has a Marie Calendar pie,” joked Sopetto.

Another thing that sold out were the ready-made meals the store offered. Sopetto said the store will get more in time for Christmas.

“They were very popular this year,” he said. “We didn’t sell out until [yesterday]).”

Walmart is Open All Day Every Day

Walmart will have normal hours all the way up to Christmas Eve, said Store Manager Brian Walker. In fact, Walker has worked for the chain for 28 years, and he said the national chain has always remained opened on the holiday. However, he’s not sure about the new store, and no one answered when San Angelo LIVE! attempted to call a few times.

“It’s a finger of Walmart, kind of like Sam’s,” Walker said. “I’m not sure about their operation.”

However, he does know the Walmart Supercenters have plenty of Thanksgiving items and are not running out of anything; well, except for powdered sugar. However, a shipment was expected to arrive Tuesday night.

“It’s crazy how we can’t seem to get powdered sugar in,” Sopetto said. “We got the brown sugar in. Overall though, we feel we got everything everyone’s looking for right now.” Also, the store has a lot of turkeys on roll back and prices vary.

The store manager said if people choose Walmart for their last-minute shopping, they can get anything they’re needing food wise, and anything they’re needing prep wise like foil pans, turkey fryers and oil.

“It’s just a matter of convenience, and we have plenty of registers open,” Sopetto said.

As usual, Walmart, unlike the other stores, is definitely gearing up for Black Friday, which starts Thursday at 6 p.m. Sopetto said his staff is ready to go. All they’re waiting to do is get through the last shopper for Thanksgiving, then they’ll start prepping to get their staging area ready for all their items.

“About three years ago, Walmart started the 1-hour guarantee, so you may not get the item that day, but you're guaranteed to get it before Christmas,” said Sopetto.

This year, the store has 8 items, and the biggest one will be a 50-inch LED TV for $269.

“Last year we had the 40-inch TV, and that was a big one. All [people] have to do is be in line before 7 p.m., and they will get that TV or the voucher to get that TV,” Sopetto finalized.

Super Mercado Has the “Best Friendliest Service”

Belinda Cruz, night assistant manager at Super Mercado said the store will be closed Thursday so their workers can be with families, but today and Friday, shoppers can take advantage of last minute shopping deals, and on some Black Friday ones as well.

“We still have turkeys for $.69 a pound,” Cruz said. “They’re the Honeysuckle. I haven’t seen one more expensive than $16, and that’s probably a 25-pound turkey.”

Additionally, Cruz said they have hams fro $1.27 a pound, and Farmland whole hams for $6.97. The store also has 10-pound Russet potatoes for $1.17, Iceberg Garden for $.87, and a 10-pound box of sliced bacon for $12.97. Shoppers can also find all purpose flour for $1.37, cooking oil for $1.97, Cool Whip for $.99, shredded and blocked cheese, 3 for $5. Also, if Walmart still doesn’t have that powdered sugar, Super Mercado has 2-pound bags of brown and powdered sugar for $1.17, and baked and regular dinner rolls, 2 for $4 and 5 for $5.

For families who plan on watching the Cowboys play on Thanksgiving Day, they’ll also want to stock up on Dr. Pepper, Dr. Pepper products, Coke, Coke products, and of course, water and beer. Cruz said 12-packs of the soda are 3 for $9.99, packs of Aqua Fina water are 2 for $9. Budweiser and Bud Light 30-packs are $25.97; a 19-pack of Corona and Dos Equis are $19.97; and finally, a 24-pack of Miller Lite is $25.77.

From Nov. 27-28, shoppers can also buy bread at $.77, Ramen noodles, 5 for $1, big boxes of cereal, 2 for $7, paper towels, $.77, DiGiorno pizza for $4.97, and corn tortilla chips, 2 for $4.

These deals alone are worth the shopping trip, Cruz noted. Not to mention, shoppers can be assured they’ll receive the best service if they choose to stop by.

She said, “We have the best friendliest customer service here. We’re very helpful to our customers, and we have great people working here. We also have the best prices.”

Well, with less than 24-hours to shop, we’ll let the readers be the judge of that.