H-E-B gives customers free groceries for Christmas after computer glitch

BURLESON, Texas - Shoppers at an H-E-B store in North Texas were surprised with free groceries just in time for the Christmas holiday.

H-E-B's Christmas Gift

Burleson H-E-B gives free groceries after system glitch

H-E-B is winning Christmas! After a system-wide computer crash at the Burleson location, the store decided to give everyone in line their groceries for free! Credit: Shelley Browder.

What we know:

Shelley Browder shared a video of what happened as she was shopping at the store in Burleson on Monday morning.

She said something caused all the cash registers to go down.

Her video shows a store representative thanking customers for their patience.

"H-E-B, we love having you as our customers. Thank you for waiting with us. Unfortunately, the computers are not coming back up right now," the employee named Destanie announces.

While some people groaned, the sentiment didn’t last very long.

"Today, everything that you have, we are going to back you up. And we hope every one of you have a very Merry Christmas and continues to shop with us," Destanie continues.

The customers then began to applaud and cheer as they realized they were getting free groceries.

What they're saying:

H-E-B confirmed what happened and shared a statement with FOX 4.

"H-E-B is committed to serving our customers year-round and especially during the holidays. During this busy holiday season when our registers were temporarily down at one of our stores, we gave all those with full baskets their groceries for free. The customer experience is at the heart of what we do!" said Mabrie Jackson, H-E-B's managing director of public affairs.

Browder said the store’s gesture was an early Christmas gift for everyone who was shopping at the time.

"This is why we love our H-E-B!!," she said.

David Davidson was there getting all the items he needed to make dinner on Christmas Eve and lunch on Christmas Day. He said the lines to check out kept growing noticeably longer and longer. Then the announcement was made.

"I was just thankful. I couldn't believe it," he said. "There's people, their baskets were fuller than mine so you can imagine how they feel."

Some other missed out – just barely. FOX talked to a few shoppers who said they were walking up to enter the store but were turned away because of the computer problem.

Still, one man said he was happy for those whose timing was fortunate.

H-E-B in North Texas

Big picture view:

Over the past few years, H-E-B has made its expansion into North Texas, bringing a cult-like following. People have lined up for hours before new store openings in hopes of being one of the first shoppers.

The chain now has locations in Allen, Frisco, McKinney, Plano, Prosper, Melissa, Rockwall, Fort Worth, Hudson Oaks, Mansfield, Burleson, Waxahachie, Cleburne, Granbury, and Corsicana.

Additional stores are planned in Dallas, Murphy, Mid-Cities, and Denton.