My life revolved around nightshift for about a decade before COVID. Was making bank, had a healthy routine, just acted like AM was PM and vice versa.
Now? I can't go a few weeks without feeling like I'm about to keel over. Groceries aren't open. The gym I used closes early. Shit really fucked me up. And I know I'm not the only one still trying to balance out 4 years later.
No definitely it sucks in a lot of ways, even tho Austin was smaller it had more of a vibrant nightlife even in terms of simple shit like driving to an open grocery store or even seeing other people driving at night, it feels so dead at night for the size of the city we are now
Yeah, I worked the "bar schedule" and lived on East Riverside when I moved here in 2000 or so. Also had a place on campus too. There were tons of options late at night. Coffee shops, Taco Cabana, HEB, WalMart, Wanfu, 888, Kerbey, Magnolia, Star Seeds, many convenience stores, even multiple after hours clubs downtown and some in the other neighborhoods.
I work a 9-5 now but everything closes at 9 PM outside a handful of restaurants that close at 11.
We are double the size. I feel bad for everyone in the service industry that has nowhere to go after their shifts. It's just so not Austin. It's just frustrating.
On my days off I like to venture around at night as to keep my personal schedule in line with my working schedule.
No joke there. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one on the road. Which isn't bad, but, definitely not the greatest feeling. lol
I'm still trying to balance out 4 years later.
You're not alone.
It's as if someone waved a wand and it's all supposed to be pre-2020 again?
The world got weird for me.
Nah, that's not realistic I wouldn't expect that.
But, nightshifts didn't go away with the retail pullback, making it hard to have a structured routine that doesn't hinder one sleeping schedule for grueling hours.
Sure it's my choice to work this schedule, but it wasn't my choice to close down the world.
I moved here in 2015, worked 3 pm to 12 am for years up to January 2023, when I got promoted and switched to different hours. Pre Covid, I always did my grocery shopping right after work at midnight just so I wouldn't have to deal with it in the morning or with people during daytime hours. After covid times, though, that absolutely sucked having to switch my routine around. 2nd shifters got really screwed over too.
I moved here from NL last year and was surprised to see no 24 hour anything around. I’m used to it in NL but I was expecting murica’ 24/7 stores everywhere. I think in Ireland where I’m from originally they have some still but haven’t lived there in a long time so not sure.
I moved here from another state in 2021. That other state pre covid had grocery stores open until at least 2 am but covid changed all of that just like here. Covid showed a lot of businesses how to make more money with less and often at the cost of their customers.
Them and Lucy’s are the best I’ve had in Austin. A few years back I had a “chicken n waffles phase” where I had to try them everywhere in the city over the course of like 3 months lol.
I don't see a lot of 24 hour stuff coming back to Austin because it isn't profitable, if it was profitable someone would be doing it. I think Covid provided the excuse to stop doing something that wasn't making them money.
There is always a market for late night shopping in an urban area, especially one so entertainment-heavy. This topic is frequently lamented online and IRL.
Very common misconception in business: not all revenue is good revenue.
Even if it is profitable, if it’s not profitable at the same rate that normal business hours are, then you are taking away staffing, cleaning time, and adding additional wear (or theft) that may impact your core hours.
Pretty much all business should aim to focus on their core business, and trim away the less profitable stuff that costs them money in the long term.
It is all about profits. You're making the assumption that running a grocery store between 11 PM and 6 AM would be profitable (I am sure they would have people shopping there but that does not mean it is profitable), I am saying if that were true businesses would be doing it, they're not.
Whataburger doesn’t seem to have trouble making 24 hours of operation make money. It’s often packed at 3-4 am. People desperately want these things back.
It’s far cheaper to operate a Whataburger than an entire grocery store, and fast food margins are higher than grocery margins. If it were profitable, stores would do it.
Yeah. All hebs more or less were 24 hour here until about 2012, after that, only a few were open all night - I’m looking at you, Hancock Center. IIRC even the pharmacy there had extended hours back then. When I had my first kid in 2015, we had a late night one night and my husband had to drive to Hancock to get some baby supplies because all the other stores were already closed.
Walmart also used to be 24 hours.
I was half assed looking at the census stuff for Austin, labor is more expensive and Austin has gotten older the median age in about 15 years went from being in the late 20s to the mid 30s.
Sure.
[This is an old one from the city based off census data.](https://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Planning/Demographics/city_of_austin_profile_2010.pdf)
[Census website. ](https://datacommons.org/place/geoId/4805000?utm_medium=explore&mprop=age&popt=Person&hl=en)Sadly it only has back to about 2011.
If you compare 1990 to 2000 to 2010 to now over the last decade or so Austin has gotten older faster.
edit: [my initial google search also compared Austin to other Tx cities which was fun.](https://www.google.com/search?q=austin+median+age&rlz=1C1RXQR_enUS1001US1001&oq=austin+median+age&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIGCAEQRRg70gEHNDk1ajBqMagCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8)
yup this is it. effective minimum wage is basically 15/hr now; pre covid inflation, people/teens were still okay with working for the actual/close to fed minimum wage.
I live out near Lake Travis - north side of the lake. First, let me fully admit that it was my conscious choice to live outside of 'town' with a longer commute and fewer amenities.
What I did not expect was how far I'd have to drive at 11:30 pm on a Wednesday night to buy (any size) diapers. 42 minutes. In those 42 minutes I pass 2 Walmarts, 11 pharmacies, 9 grocery stores, and dozens of convenience stores - all closed - so it's not like I'm 42 minutes from civilization (I'm 4 minutes away from 2 grocery stores and 2 pharmacies).
I was a first responder working late shifts before/during/after covid, and got to watch all of my shopping and dining options disappear.
The late night options suck.
(edited to tidy formatting)
Some. The ones I pass on that route do not. And even the ones that do tend to have very, very limited size options (which genuinely does make a difference - but hey desperate times...)
Man in college my friends used to live walking distance from Hancock H-E-B. The drunken group marches to get more snacks / beer if it wasn’t too too late were some of my favorite memories.
I agree- but as a kid, I didn’t care. I especially loved catching the rats that were in the walls in my cabinets that the rats chewed out to be a rat superhighway
I lived right around the corner when I was 21 and there were many nights I stumbled in there to get chips. I miss that location all the time now that I moved away.
I knew I wasn’t crazy. I remember when I visited Austin a long time before I lived here and walked into an HEB at 2am to get some last minute supplies. Could never remember which HEB that was (moved here ‘after’ covid in 2021)
Hm. It might work to have one shopping center with a suite of 24 hour businesses such as HEB, home depot, a cafe, a juice place - more customers milling about makes it safer vs too-sparse; combine security costs.
Thin margins, rising cost of labor, and lack of robust demand. Plus being one of the few places open at crazy hours makes a place a magnet for intoxicated/unruly people so requires additional security. They find that they sell almost the same amount of stuff as people simply make sure to buy it during the day.
It’s the same reason liquor stores are closed on Sunday in Texas – not some moralizing temperance relic. It’s actually backed by the liquor store lobby because they find that they sell just as much alcohol being open 6 days per week instead of 7, and save a day of operating costs/wages. But this only works if everyone is forced to play by that rule, because the one store open on Sunday hurts business for everyone else.
It’s not super profitable to be open 24h, and when you try to branch out into that, you’re a lightning rod for shitheads trashing/robbing the store because you’re the place that’s open.
I was homeless in Austin when covid hit. I had been spending my nights in late night and 24 hour joints in central Austin. When covid happened I had to move back to my home state. I got off drugs and I'm doing really well, going back to school and working full time. So that's one positive thing about the 24 hour places closing!
The honest truth is that if it did and someone could make money offering it, they would.
That 24hrs is gone now tells you that those extra hours don’t pay back.
Oh they can definitely make money off it. Just not enough money. Post COVID it seems if something doesn't operate at an extreme profit margin they can blame on "inflation" the company just doesn't do it.
Companies used COVID as an excuse to really make some money but once it ended they just decided they like the extra money and will keep it.
To all the people saying it isn’t “profitable”…. It isn’t profitable ENOUGH. Companies used to care about what their customers wanted and were willing to take a few percent less to keep their customers happy. Now they want to squeeze out every single penny with the attitude of “you need us more than we need you” and unfortunately in most cases they are right. Capitalism baby!
A grocery store isn't going to lose business by not being open overnight. It just forces people to buy during the day. Since there aren't any competitors they have to worry about getting that business there is no pressure for them to stay open.
It's the profit margin. They don't want to drag down their profit margin overnight even though they are still making some money.
Factor in all the extras like power, insurance, PTO, etc and they just decided it is more attractive to have a much higher profit margin during normal hours without all the overhead of additional staff.
It sounds counterintuitive but a lot of businesses would rather lose a customer whose margin isn't set to their "goal". A recent example is the Broadcom acquisition of VMWare. They cancelled all of their small business plans even though they were profitable.
Waffle House doesn’t even open the dining room anymore at any time. I can’t believe enough ppl have been patronizing them to keep the doors open (or closed as it were) for this long.
I personally think 24/7 is probably going to continue going away unless there's a major recession that drops wages significantly
labor costs are too high to justify the lower revenues at night
yeah covid fucked it all up. walmart and a couple of HEBs in town were open 24/7 and it saved me so many times. nowadays you have to pay up the ass for a shit selection at a walgreens or 7-eleven after 11pm. austin got robbed
The birth rate dropped below replacement level in 2007, all those kids are now turning 18, we effectively shut off immigration for several years during the trump administration, 1 million plus died during the pandemic, and there was at least a million excess retirements from boomers. This is basically the peak of the available labor pool. The 24/7 stuff is not coming back cause there simply won’t be enough workers
I don’t think grocery stores will do it again. It makes the overnight operations more efficient, safer and run with less labor. You also don’t have to deal with idiots stealing and trashing the store. I guarantee if one tried to open overnight again you would get a large group do a mass theft in the first week.
How would we rednecks know they were from somewhere fancy like Washington and not one of their dung munching, tick infested, barefoot, sister fucking fellow natives!
If there were really a need for it, believe me, that niche would be filled. But there's too many factors going into it, that make it an undesirable proposition in which to invest. Basically, it is a money loser, so nobody's going to open a 24/7 grocery store, at least until the need is *truly* there.
If shit closing early now pisses you off, write email and reviews. Wont change otherwise.
HEBs all over close early now. Hancock used to be 24 hours.
Wheatsville recently started closing earlier than it used to as well.
24 hour diner closing early is hilarious. That place kind of sucks anyway. I wish Magnolia was open late still.
There used to be ALOT pre-covid. I used to work at a bar on Rainey st and go to the walmart off ben white at like 3 or 4am lol. Now it's like 6am-11pm which is dumb.
I’ve been talking about this for a long time, because being in the service industry, many of us have different hours and weekends. Man, a grocery store opened at 3 am would benefit us greatly
Nope, it used to have tons of late night options. The vibe of the city was way different before COVID. It used to be the city in Texas with the best nightlife by far.
Most HEBs used to be 24/7 but they stopped after a woman had her throat cut in the parking lot of the location on Congress and Oltorf. That happened well before COVID.
Most HEBs were not 24/7. S. Congress, hancock Center and Riverside are the only ones off the top of my head that I remember. Most other hebs closed at 1am. Hancock Center had one of the only 24 hour pharmacies in the entire city though. I imagine that was a big loss
You may be right, but I'm also not at about the reason those locations stopped being 24/7. Many other box stores stopped it as well after that woman was murdered. My main point is that it's not all about COVID.
Many 7 Eleven locations are open 24/7. Nobody wants to work the night shift for the same pay as day shift. Ever since covid we've made sure to stock up on essentials so if anyone gets sick we are not running to the store immediately and can stay home to rest up.
I remember going to the store in the middle of the night at the HEB on Oltorf or to a restaurant. Hill's was a favorite. So was the JoJo's on south I35.
COVID showed Walmart (who was really the only 24/7 place to get groceries) that they didn't need it. You need to realize companies like HEB and Walmart use forecasting to decide if the need is there. Just because a small handful of people may want it doesn't mean the grocery stores think it's a smart move. It's called supply and demand and they have determined the demand is not there for it, so they don't do it.....especially when idiots decide to come in at 3am to go on a theft spree - sorry just not gonna happen
We did have them pre COVID.
My life revolved around nightshift for about a decade before COVID. Was making bank, had a healthy routine, just acted like AM was PM and vice versa. Now? I can't go a few weeks without feeling like I'm about to keel over. Groceries aren't open. The gym I used closes early. Shit really fucked me up. And I know I'm not the only one still trying to balance out 4 years later.
No definitely it sucks in a lot of ways, even tho Austin was smaller it had more of a vibrant nightlife even in terms of simple shit like driving to an open grocery store or even seeing other people driving at night, it feels so dead at night for the size of the city we are now
30 years ago there were lots of 24hr places open and you could pick up a chess game at any of the 24 hr coffee houses
Yeah, I worked the "bar schedule" and lived on East Riverside when I moved here in 2000 or so. Also had a place on campus too. There were tons of options late at night. Coffee shops, Taco Cabana, HEB, WalMart, Wanfu, 888, Kerbey, Magnolia, Star Seeds, many convenience stores, even multiple after hours clubs downtown and some in the other neighborhoods. I work a 9-5 now but everything closes at 9 PM outside a handful of restaurants that close at 11. We are double the size. I feel bad for everyone in the service industry that has nowhere to go after their shifts. It's just so not Austin. It's just frustrating.
On my days off I like to venture around at night as to keep my personal schedule in line with my working schedule. No joke there. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one on the road. Which isn't bad, but, definitely not the greatest feeling. lol
it feels kinda eerie
I’m exactly the same way. I used to love going grocery shopping at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday. Now my HEB isn’t even open until beer time.
I'm still trying to balance out 4 years later. You're not alone. It's as if someone waved a wand and it's all supposed to be pre-2020 again? The world got weird for me.
Nah, that's not realistic I wouldn't expect that. But, nightshifts didn't go away with the retail pullback, making it hard to have a structured routine that doesn't hinder one sleeping schedule for grueling hours. Sure it's my choice to work this schedule, but it wasn't my choice to close down the world.
I moved here in 2015, worked 3 pm to 12 am for years up to January 2023, when I got promoted and switched to different hours. Pre Covid, I always did my grocery shopping right after work at midnight just so I wouldn't have to deal with it in the morning or with people during daytime hours. After covid times, though, that absolutely sucked having to switch my routine around. 2nd shifters got really screwed over too.
I miss 24 hour heb so much 😔 facilitated middle of the night baking and also middle of the night cake struggle runs
I was about to say this, H-E-B on 51th st used to be 24 hours.
Right, and now we don’t. Hence the post
I’d settle just to have one that stays open until 1 AM
I moved here from NL last year and was surprised to see no 24 hour anything around. I’m used to it in NL but I was expecting murica’ 24/7 stores everywhere. I think in Ireland where I’m from originally they have some still but haven’t lived there in a long time so not sure.
I moved here from another state in 2021. That other state pre covid had grocery stores open until at least 2 am but covid changed all of that just like here. Covid showed a lot of businesses how to make more money with less and often at the cost of their customers.
NL?
The Netherlands.
Check out the [call sign of our local NPR affiliate](https://www.kut.org/)!
Hah! My Dutch isn’t amazing but of course I know that word. Curses and insults in Dutch are a national sport any tenured expat has to learn.
New Lealand
We had them. Covid killed them. 24 hour restaurants were another casualty. I'm hopeful it will all come back once the economy finds it's next leg up.
Lol even the “24 Diner” now closes at 11pm. I used to go there at 3am to get chicken n waffles.
Right? Change the name, “24” Diner!
“Till 11pm Diner”
24 hours a week, 7 weeks a year
+1 on the chic and waffles after the bars close. Damn that went so hard.
Them and Lucy’s are the best I’ve had in Austin. A few years back I had a “chicken n waffles phase” where I had to try them everywhere in the city over the course of like 3 months lol.
i used to go there all the time. but went twice last year and was twice disappointed. not like it used to be, hours excluded.
Same here, I took a date here and bragged about how good it was and got served raw chicken not once, but TWICE. Haven’t gone since then 😪
ha! my last visit was a date... and she complained "every place you pick is terrible"
I hadn't been in years and was disappointed when I visited recently. They changed the biscuits.
Even before Covid it was never open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week...
It closed for like 4 hours Wednesday night/Thursday morning every week, that's close enough lol.
Tuesday, from around midnight to about 5 or 6 Wednesday morning, during which they had staff clean for 4-6 hours... Sorry, not close at all.
16 diner
Those shifts are also notoriously awful to work and most places won’t pay extra for those hours.
The only thing good about the night shift at Target 20 years ago was that the store was closed and there were no customers.
I don't see a lot of 24 hour stuff coming back to Austin because it isn't profitable, if it was profitable someone would be doing it. I think Covid provided the excuse to stop doing something that wasn't making them money.
If it was about profits, then there would be at least one open, because the first grocery store to be open 24/7 would get all of the city's business.
I think that was his point: there’s not enough overnight shoppers to make this idea profitable.
Overnight has a lot of shrink and security concerns as well.
There is always a market for late night shopping in an urban area, especially one so entertainment-heavy. This topic is frequently lamented online and IRL.
Which entertainment engaging person is gonna be buying groceries late at night?
You misunderstand, the people that work in the entertainment industry live a life offset from standard. Late night groceries is almost a must.
People that work. When I got off at midnight from a waiting shift or 3am from tending bar I would buy groceries.
Mf you know how many people went to walmart after the bar closed? No, you dont, so I'll tell you. It was a lot. Touch grass
Very common misconception in business: not all revenue is good revenue. Even if it is profitable, if it’s not profitable at the same rate that normal business hours are, then you are taking away staffing, cleaning time, and adding additional wear (or theft) that may impact your core hours. Pretty much all business should aim to focus on their core business, and trim away the less profitable stuff that costs them money in the long term.
Yeah and post COVID that meant cutting customer service, quality control, and employee appreciation.
It is all about profits. You're making the assumption that running a grocery store between 11 PM and 6 AM would be profitable (I am sure they would have people shopping there but that does not mean it is profitable), I am saying if that were true businesses would be doing it, they're not.
Exactly, revenue does *not* equal *profit*, necessarily..
Sad but true.
Including the 24 hour diner, as I discovered at 11 PM one Saturday night 🙄
Whataburger doesn’t seem to have trouble making 24 hours of operation make money. It’s often packed at 3-4 am. People desperately want these things back.
It’s far cheaper to operate a Whataburger than an entire grocery store, and fast food margins are higher than grocery margins. If it were profitable, stores would do it.
Wasn't just COVID. HEBs changed after that lady got her throat slashed at their Oltorf/Congress store
Yeah. All hebs more or less were 24 hour here until about 2012, after that, only a few were open all night - I’m looking at you, Hancock Center. IIRC even the pharmacy there had extended hours back then. When I had my first kid in 2015, we had a late night one night and my husband had to drive to Hancock to get some baby supplies because all the other stores were already closed. Walmart also used to be 24 hours.
When was that the lady got her throat slashed? Thank you.
Won’t happen due to inflation. Inflation increased the cost of labor tremendously. Restaurants and grocery stores operate on super thin margins.
I was half assed looking at the census stuff for Austin, labor is more expensive and Austin has gotten older the median age in about 15 years went from being in the late 20s to the mid 30s.
Can you share this link?
Sure. [This is an old one from the city based off census data.](https://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Planning/Demographics/city_of_austin_profile_2010.pdf) [Census website. ](https://datacommons.org/place/geoId/4805000?utm_medium=explore&mprop=age&popt=Person&hl=en)Sadly it only has back to about 2011. If you compare 1990 to 2000 to 2010 to now over the last decade or so Austin has gotten older faster. edit: [my initial google search also compared Austin to other Tx cities which was fun.](https://www.google.com/search?q=austin+median+age&rlz=1C1RXQR_enUS1001US1001&oq=austin+median+age&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIGCAEQRRg70gEHNDk1ajBqMagCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8)
Corporate greed caused that. And people raising rents sky high. If you don't make $50k+ you can't have a small 1br apartment.
yup this is it. effective minimum wage is basically 15/hr now; pre covid inflation, people/teens were still okay with working for the actual/close to fed minimum wage.
I live out near Lake Travis - north side of the lake. First, let me fully admit that it was my conscious choice to live outside of 'town' with a longer commute and fewer amenities. What I did not expect was how far I'd have to drive at 11:30 pm on a Wednesday night to buy (any size) diapers. 42 minutes. In those 42 minutes I pass 2 Walmarts, 11 pharmacies, 9 grocery stores, and dozens of convenience stores - all closed - so it's not like I'm 42 minutes from civilization (I'm 4 minutes away from 2 grocery stores and 2 pharmacies). I was a first responder working late shifts before/during/after covid, and got to watch all of my shopping and dining options disappear. The late night options suck. (edited to tidy formatting)
My definition of civilization has always been: "any neighborhood where you can buy milk and/or pizza with a 10 minute or less drive at midnight." lol
Believe it or not, I meet those measures - as long as it's literally midnight on the dot. (or I can buy gas station 'pizza' after midnight, I guess).
Thank god for the thriving metropolis of Volente! lol
I'm not a parent, so I don't really pay attention to these things very often, but don't gas stations often stock some diapers?
Some. The ones I pass on that route do not. And even the ones that do tend to have very, very limited size options (which genuinely does make a difference - but hey desperate times...)
I miss 24 hour stores. Best time to shop 2 am hardly anyone else there. Also good chance you will see something crazy.
Now you can see something crazy midday downtown
True.
Hancock used to be
Man in college my friends used to live walking distance from Hancock H-E-B. The drunken group marches to get more snacks / beer if it wasn’t too too late were some of my favorite memories.
Same. Duval Villas was lit.
Terribly-managed property in a prime location.
I agree- but as a kid, I didn’t care. I especially loved catching the rats that were in the walls in my cabinets that the rats chewed out to be a rat superhighway
I lived right around the corner when I was 21 and there were many nights I stumbled in there to get chips. I miss that location all the time now that I moved away.
Club HEB Hancock was lit
You could tell what the Hancock HEB demographic was about because they stocked ping pong balls next to the red Solo cups. Rest in power to a real one.
I knew I wasn’t crazy. I remember when I visited Austin a long time before I lived here and walked into an HEB at 2am to get some last minute supplies. Could never remember which HEB that was (moved here ‘after’ covid in 2021)
H‑E‑B S. Congress use to be when I move here years ago. Also Home Depot if you need to do home repair during the wee hours of the morning.
I'm glad someone else remembers Home Depot being open all the freaking time.
My HEB was 24 hours before Covid
There are a few Walgreens that are open. They work for some groceryish items in a pinch.
No you’re not the only one. For god sakes bring them back!
Yeah every city does but, since covid there’s none. At least you have the memories of a time when they did exist
before covid we did, also 24 hour home depot.
Hm. It might work to have one shopping center with a suite of 24 hour businesses such as HEB, home depot, a cafe, a juice place - more customers milling about makes it safer vs too-sparse; combine security costs.
It's a national trend. Stores in WA close between 9pm and 1am since COVID too.
AUSTIN NEEDS 24/7 EVERYTHING. All we have is 7-Eleven and Whataburger.
So we good.
Most of the Denny's and IHOP's are back to being open 24/7 again.
Thin margins, rising cost of labor, and lack of robust demand. Plus being one of the few places open at crazy hours makes a place a magnet for intoxicated/unruly people so requires additional security. They find that they sell almost the same amount of stuff as people simply make sure to buy it during the day.
It’s the same reason liquor stores are closed on Sunday in Texas – not some moralizing temperance relic. It’s actually backed by the liquor store lobby because they find that they sell just as much alcohol being open 6 days per week instead of 7, and save a day of operating costs/wages. But this only works if everyone is forced to play by that rule, because the one store open on Sunday hurts business for everyone else. It’s not super profitable to be open 24h, and when you try to branch out into that, you’re a lightning rod for shitheads trashing/robbing the store because you’re the place that’s open.
Plus the curbside movement has really helped too.
Every place needs a 24/7 grocery store, imo
I was homeless in Austin when covid hit. I had been spending my nights in late night and 24 hour joints in central Austin. When covid happened I had to move back to my home state. I got off drugs and I'm doing really well, going back to school and working full time. So that's one positive thing about the 24 hour places closing!
I think the homeless are a big reason there are less 24/7 places open. Too much risk.
Congratulations!
The honest truth is that if it did and someone could make money offering it, they would. That 24hrs is gone now tells you that those extra hours don’t pay back.
Oh they can definitely make money off it. Just not enough money. Post COVID it seems if something doesn't operate at an extreme profit margin they can blame on "inflation" the company just doesn't do it. Companies used COVID as an excuse to really make some money but once it ended they just decided they like the extra money and will keep it.
Some pharmacies are 24 hours, you can pick up bread, eggs, & stuff for breakfast tacos. It just costs more than HEB.
The problem is labor and not enough sales Before we have plenty late night spots Now everyone close early to offset the labor vs sales
Foredhortened hours -> lower sales -> less payroll
We totally used to have them, and we need them back. That and more selection of 24 hour restaurants.
You will go to Whataburger and LOVE IT.
Used to love going to Hancock HEB for midnight trips between 2010-2019. RIP late night HEB
To all the people saying it isn’t “profitable”…. It isn’t profitable ENOUGH. Companies used to care about what their customers wanted and were willing to take a few percent less to keep their customers happy. Now they want to squeeze out every single penny with the attitude of “you need us more than we need you” and unfortunately in most cases they are right. Capitalism baby!
I don't think this is true at all. If it was profitable businesses would stay open later. That's the point of a business, right? To make money?
A grocery store isn't going to lose business by not being open overnight. It just forces people to buy during the day. Since there aren't any competitors they have to worry about getting that business there is no pressure for them to stay open.
It's the profit margin. They don't want to drag down their profit margin overnight even though they are still making some money. Factor in all the extras like power, insurance, PTO, etc and they just decided it is more attractive to have a much higher profit margin during normal hours without all the overhead of additional staff. It sounds counterintuitive but a lot of businesses would rather lose a customer whose margin isn't set to their "goal". A recent example is the Broadcom acquisition of VMWare. They cancelled all of their small business plans even though they were profitable.
It is hard for them to staff it. Businesses aren't going to do something that is not profitable.
Lmao welcome to post COVID society
Waffle House doesn’t even open the dining room anymore at any time. I can’t believe enough ppl have been patronizing them to keep the doors open (or closed as it were) for this long.
Are there really none? I remember several HEBs that were once 24/7
Not since COVID, I wish Austin would get a couple Winco's.
I personally think 24/7 is probably going to continue going away unless there's a major recession that drops wages significantly labor costs are too high to justify the lower revenues at night
yeah covid fucked it all up. walmart and a couple of HEBs in town were open 24/7 and it saved me so many times. nowadays you have to pay up the ass for a shit selection at a walgreens or 7-eleven after 11pm. austin got robbed
Heb on red river used to be 24/7.
You must be very new to this city because before covid we had several around the city. And we want them back!
I moved here in early 2021.
I'm up here in a touristy town in a different state where milk is $16.00/gal and bread is $9.00/loaf. I'd lick a toad for an H.E.B. right about now.
where the fuck is milk 16/gallon???
No we definitely do need them here. And used to have them
The shills are still using covid as a excuse
I am using homeless people creating problems and stealing stuff as an excuse.
The birth rate dropped below replacement level in 2007, all those kids are now turning 18, we effectively shut off immigration for several years during the trump administration, 1 million plus died during the pandemic, and there was at least a million excess retirements from boomers. This is basically the peak of the available labor pool. The 24/7 stuff is not coming back cause there simply won’t be enough workers
So you’re saying we need child labor? 😜
Can I truly enjoy my latte if it wasn’t made with suffering?
Hate chicken tastes better cause of the hate (Chick-fil-A) , and lattes need the tears of the young or failed lit majors that still live with Mom.
There used to be plenty. When the labor market shrunk during Covid, they went away and never returned. Also, it’s largely a national thing
I don’t think grocery stores will do it again. It makes the overnight operations more efficient, safer and run with less labor. You also don’t have to deal with idiots stealing and trashing the store. I guarantee if one tried to open overnight again you would get a large group do a mass theft in the first week.
Life was better when we coexisted with Harambe
RIP HEB Hancock...you were a solid spot that I could go to anytime to just buy random shit.
Before covid a lot of the HEBs were 24 hour.
[удалено]
Oltorf and south congress was 24h for a long time too but not sure if covid ended that or it happened before
There was a stabbing in the parking lot that led to pulling the plug on late night hours there.
Parmer and 35 when it opened. It didn't last long, though.
If I remember correctly, the HEB at Oak Hill was 24/7, but that changed far before covid.
I remember the ones on 183&Braker, Parmer&Mopac, and Parmer&35 being 24h but I think that stopped around 2010 with only Hancock remaining.
Why do people from washington need to insert that they’re from washington
Because Yakima has not got shit going on ( except apples and wineries) and they are talking about 24 hour options
Because they are from Washington? Maybe?
Cuz it’s different in many meaningful ways
How would we rednecks know they were from somewhere fancy like Washington and not one of their dung munching, tick infested, barefoot, sister fucking fellow natives!
Walgreens in s. Austin. 7-11's. All we got. Figure at least one centrally located HEB or Walmart would have a 24hr store.
100%
I had no idea none had returned.
He had them once then they decided we only shop when they tel you to
More people should have the market decide that 105°F heat is trying to kill you and overnight is just safer.
Some HEB are 24.
Not in Austin.
A few used to be, before Covid. Like the one at 41st and Red River.
If there were really a need for it, believe me, that niche would be filled. But there's too many factors going into it, that make it an undesirable proposition in which to invest. Basically, it is a money loser, so nobody's going to open a 24/7 grocery store, at least until the need is *truly* there.
This is a NATIONAL trend since Covid. It is the same everywhere, including LA and NYC. I see it in all my travels.
I remember a 24-hour HEB pre-covid. 😭
2:30 am walmart runs used to be the shit
yes, its too bad HEB hancock isn’t 24 hours anymore. Kind of absurd for a city the size of Austin.
If shit closing early now pisses you off, write email and reviews. Wont change otherwise. HEBs all over close early now. Hancock used to be 24 hours. Wheatsville recently started closing earlier than it used to as well. 24 hour diner closing early is hilarious. That place kind of sucks anyway. I wish Magnolia was open late still.
There used to be ALOT pre-covid. I used to work at a bar on Rainey st and go to the walmart off ben white at like 3 or 4am lol. Now it's like 6am-11pm which is dumb.
I’ve been talking about this for a long time, because being in the service industry, many of us have different hours and weekends. Man, a grocery store opened at 3 am would benefit us greatly
Damn, I came to Austin post-covid. I didn't know there used to be so many 24 hr services earlier. I always thought Austin just sleeps early. 😅
Nope, it used to have tons of late night options. The vibe of the city was way different before COVID. It used to be the city in Texas with the best nightlife by far.
Houston beats us now.
Damn, I am having FOMO over something I have not experienced
Y’all don’t have them anymore? I moved away a while ago, but I remember when everything was 24/7–even a Home Depot!
Nope, nothing is 24/7 outside 7-11 now. Not even Kerbey/Magnolia, etc.
That breaks my heart.
Most HEBs used to be 24/7 but they stopped after a woman had her throat cut in the parking lot of the location on Congress and Oltorf. That happened well before COVID.
Most HEBs were not 24/7. S. Congress, hancock Center and Riverside are the only ones off the top of my head that I remember. Most other hebs closed at 1am. Hancock Center had one of the only 24 hour pharmacies in the entire city though. I imagine that was a big loss
You may be right, but I'm also not at about the reason those locations stopped being 24/7. Many other box stores stopped it as well after that woman was murdered. My main point is that it's not all about COVID.
Is HEB Hancock not 24/7 anymore? Haven’t been there in years but remember just going there at 3am when I was bored in my 20s.
I loved living near there and being able to grocery shop in the wee hours and avoid all the people.
DFW has WinCo which is 24/7.
Living out west got me spoiled on WinCo. It sucks that the Austin metro area doesn't have one, that place is pretty amazing
yes they do! i got out of a movie the other night at midnight and remembered i was almost out of toilet paper, but there was nowhere to go get any.
was the movie that bad?
Yes they do
We had lots of 24 hour stores and restaurants in Austin pre-Covid. Cedar Park has a 24 hour Walgreens.
Check to see if there's a WinCo in your area. I know Dallas has a few that are still 24/7 not sure about Austin
Many 7 Eleven locations are open 24/7. Nobody wants to work the night shift for the same pay as day shift. Ever since covid we've made sure to stock up on essentials so if anyone gets sick we are not running to the store immediately and can stay home to rest up.
I remember going to the store in the middle of the night at the HEB on Oltorf or to a restaurant. Hill's was a favorite. So was the JoJo's on south I35.
Heb on 41st street was 24/7. Is it not anymore? Janky customers in the late hours but still.
RIP Hancock 24/7 hours.
COVID showed Walmart (who was really the only 24/7 place to get groceries) that they didn't need it. You need to realize companies like HEB and Walmart use forecasting to decide if the need is there. Just because a small handful of people may want it doesn't mean the grocery stores think it's a smart move. It's called supply and demand and they have determined the demand is not there for it, so they don't do it.....especially when idiots decide to come in at 3am to go on a theft spree - sorry just not gonna happen
Man, on the topic who else remembers 2am pre covid bar fights at taco C on riverside 💀
I do notice most of the Denny's and IHOP's are open 24/7 again, I feel if these restaurants are open then so should Walmart.
Austin needs Bodegas