“HEB is passing that expense on to all it’s customers.”
You can always shop at Randall’s or Whole Foods.
I don't want to drive two hours to get to a Randall's or Whole Foods. HEB is the only game in our town.
HEB seems to have almost a monopoly here for some reason. Except for Wal-Mart, you have to look far and wide to find alternatives, and those are either small or trendy/over-priced.