Shoppers at an H-E-B store in Burleson, Texas, got an unexpected holiday surprise just days before Christmas when a computer problem brought checkout lanes to a halt — and the store responded by comping groceries for customers already in line.
As first reported by Fox 4 KDFW, a system-wide computer glitch stopped transactions on Monday morning, Dec. 22. With registers down and lines growing, it became clear the system wasn’t coming back online anytime soon.
One customer, Shelley Browder, recorded the moment a store representative addressed the crowd. In the video, the employee — identified as Destanie — thanked shoppers for their patience and explained that the computers wouldn’t be back up right away.
At first, the announcement was met with a few frustrated reactions. But the mood flipped instantly when Destanie followed up with news no one expected: customers with full baskets already waiting to check out would be taken care of.
“Today, everything that you have, we are going to back you up,” she said, before wishing everyone a “very Merry Christmas.” The store erupted into applause and cheers as shoppers realized their groceries were being covered.
According to the outlet, the offer applied to everyone who was already lined up with full carts at the time of the outage — turning what could have been an aggravating delay into a memorable holiday moment.
H-E-B later confirmed the details in a statement, saying that during the temporary register outage at the Burleson location, the store decided to give customers in line their groceries for free. The company added that customer experience is central to its mission, especially during the holidays.
Browder called the moment an early Christmas gift for everyone shopping that morning, celebrating the store’s decision as the crowd reacted.
Another shopper, David Davidson, said he had been picking up food for Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day lunch when he saw the checkout lines building. When the announcement came, he said he felt grateful — and noted that seeing some shoppers with especially full carts made the gesture feel even more meaningful.
