Introducing Customer Substitution Preferences

Save time and shop smarter with our newest app feature

When an item on your customer’s shopping list is out of stock, don’t stress — just substitute it with some help from the Runner app!

Our latest updates take the guesswork out of grocery substitutions to make H-E-B Express Delivery Favors even easier (and more efficient).

What’s new?

Before placing an order, customers can now add Substitution Preferences and Shopping Notes to help you quickly finish shopping if a requested item is unavailable. This information is displayed in the Runner app once you arrive at the store and can also be found at the top of the Items Checklist.

Substitution Preferences

Substitution preferences include Call to Confirm Substitutions, Text to Confirm Substitutions, and Runner’s Best Choice.

If the customer has selected Call to Confirm Substitutions or Text to Confirm Substitutions, it’s important to contact them before purchasing a replacement item or removing the unavailable item from the order.

If the customer does not answer immediately, you can continue shopping and try again in a few minutes. If you can’t reach the customer after additional attempts, you do not need to purchase a substitute. When this happens, we suggest letting the customer know why a substitution was not included in the order.

Runner’s Best Choice means you can use your best judgment to choose a replacement — but it’s still a good idea to communicate with the customer if you have questions or an appropriate substitution is unavailable.

Shopping Notes

Some customers may be price or brand sensitive, have dietary restrictions — or simply prefer no substitutions if a requested item is out of stock. If the customer chooses to provide additional information, it can be found in the Shopping Notes section under Favor Details and at the top of the Items Checklist.