As a loyal H-E-B customer for nearly two decades, today was the first time I have ever experienced such rude and unacceptable customer service.
On 12/18/25, my mother and I went to H-E-B to pick up her prescription from the pharmacy. This is normally a smooth process, but this visit was completely different. The pharmacy employee assisting us, Saira, came to the counter and asked for the required information to retrieve my mother’s medication. She then walked away and returned with six different prescription bags.
My mother immediately stated that she did not understand why it was so many different prescriptions, when she only came to pick up 2 prescriptions. There was clear confusion regarding how many prescriptions were being filled. My mother began asking questions because she wanted to make sure she was not receiving the wrong medication or dosage and did not want to purchase anything she did not need. Also, there was a slight mistake with the pricing. She was simply trying to understand the mix-up.
Instead of explaining or attempting to resolve the confusion, Saira became visibly frustrated and short-tempered, acting as if she just wanted my mother to choose one of the bags and move on. Yes, there were two people in line behind us, but at no point did Saira try to slow down, explain, or reassure my mother. She began rushing her and showed little to no patience.
As my mother continued to ask questions, Saira interrupted her and said, “Just pick whichever one and we’ll move forward.” Her tone was rude, dismissive, and completely unprofessional, especially given that this involved prescription medication.
Standing next to my mother, I spoke up and said, “She’s only asking you a question and trying to understand, and you’re being rude for no reason.” At that point, Saira turned around, walked away without saying a word, and brought another employee to the counter.
The second employee, Kaitlyn, immediately apologized for Saira’s behavior and asked what the issue was. She listened, took the time to understand the situation, and resolved the confusion within a few minutes. Kaitlyn was patient, professional, and extremely helpful — a complete contrast to the earlier interaction.
While Kaitlyn was assisting us, another employee wearing a white coat — whose name I believe is Kim (possibly Karen), walked over to the counter even though she was NOT assisting us at all. During this time, I was quietly speaking to my mother and making a private inside comment in an effort to calm her down, as she was still upset about how Saira had treated her.
Kim (or Karen) suddenly inserted herself into our private conversation and said, “I’m sorry, what did you say?” I responded, respectfully, “Nothing to you.” She then said, “Well, you made a general statement, so I spoke up.” I replied, “A general statement? I’m literally talking to my mother.”
Kim then continued by saying she wanted to make sure I was not saying anything offensive or inappropriate. It was very clear that she overheard me say the phrase “Black people” and immediately became defensive, despite the fact that the conversation was private, directed at my mother, and had absolutely NOTHING to do with her.
I then said, “No, you heard me say the phrase ‘Black people’ and immediately got defensive for no reason.” She threw her hands up in the air and said “Okay, sir,” and walked away. Instead of helping resolve what was holding up the line or supporting her coworkers professionally, she chose to confront a private conversation, which only escalated the situation unnecessarily.
The behavior displayed by Saira and Kim was rude, dismissive, and unprofessional and sadly, a bit racist by Kim. This entire interaction was upsetting, unnecessary, and unacceptable. I sincerely hope pharmacy management or HEB store managers reviews this incident and addresses both employees’ conduct, as this experience does not reflect the standard of service H-E-B is known for or that my family has come to expect.