I've begun making regular trips to Lion and FoodMaxx in Newark
and Clement Street in San Francisco to buy groceries. It's
just incredible how much cheaper the Asian markets are compared
to Safeway and Albertsons, and even FoodMaxx manages to charge
half as much without using any stupid "discount" cards or asking
me if I found everything okay (it's too late if I didn't, I'm
already at the register).

Assuming building rent is one factor in a store's prices, why
does the FoodMaxx in Newark charge half as much as the Albertsons
less than a mile away, and the Lion near both charges even less?
And I found the most incredible selection of imported groceries
at various small markets on Clement Street, all with prices
comparable to Lion; since San Francisco has some of the highest
rents in the country, how are stores located there able to offer
such low prices? If anything, one would assume their sales
volume to be lower and thus their operating costs per unit higher
than huge chains like Safeway with national supply and distribution
networks.

What does Foodmaxx pay their employees and what are their average
rents? There are no unionized asian food markets around here. In one
location that I used to love, the fixtures were not replaced or in some
senses, cleaned in 10 years, except for the addition of the credit card
reader. They were operating on low profit and the facility really
looked worse for wear.

Don

I have to agree with you there. FoodMaxx in Oakland on Durant has a
great fresh veg section and crazy cheap prices. It's not a store to
find lots of whole wheat better-for-you stuff, or seafood, or expensive
cuts of meat (nearly all the meat are cheaper cuts, which means tastier
as well, if you cook it right). And the bread is awful.

Foodnet is an Asian market in San Leandro; it's like a small 99 ranch
with great veggies and prices and terrific seafood, fresh and frozen.

wrote...
> What does Foodmaxx pay their employees and what are their average
> rents? There are no unionized asian food markets around here. In one
> location that I used to love, the fixtures were not replaced or in some
> senses, cleaned in 10 years, except for the addition of the credit card
> reader. They were operating on low profit and the facility really
> looked worse for wear.

And Mexican markets also charge so much less. I was visiting Las Vegas
a few years ago from Texas and couldn't believe how much more the major
supermarkets charged than the virtual HEB monopoly in South Texas. So
I went to one of the numerous carnicerías and bought nice pork chops for
about a third of what the supermarkets charged.

Lion seems very clean, bigger aisles would be nice but if that's what
keeps prices down then so be it. But someone mentioned Mexicans, and
I do see them at the Asian markets and yeah they are probably illegal.

>>>I do see them at the Asian markets and yeah they are probably illegal.<<<

Hmm......
Today it is "undocumented".
Gotto keep it straight now, you hear......

In article >,
Eddie > wrote:
>Lower wages?

Probably less reliance on "loss-leader" concept means they don't have
to jack up prices on non-sale items.

Louis Cohen wrote:
> I have to agree with you there. FoodMaxx in Oakland on Durant has a
> great fresh veg section and crazy cheap prices. It'

Never heard of this place, and I don't know where Durant in Oakland is
(I know Durant in Berkeley).

What gives? fill us in?

I notice that the local mom-n-pop Asian produce markets have much
cheaper prices than Albertsons/Safeway. The quality is more uneven -
better highs, more inconsistency and lows. Albertsons and Safeway
produce is so perfect and plastic looking that it doesn't look like
real food.

Farmer Joe's in the Laurel is a mom-n-pop place that's morphing into a
Berkeley Bowl knock-off. THey just added a giant new meat counter, with
a butcher whose brother is at Berkeley Bowl's meat department; they're
cutting a lot of the meat in house now, so for instance the Niman Ranch
stew beef is suddenly $2 a pound cheaper. The chicken went up in price
quite a bit, because it's Happy Dan now and not some no-name Sonoma
brand.

And Farmer Joe's long awaited new space is supposed to open in March
(on Fruitvale below Macarthur, above the freeway, in the old
Lucky's/Albertsons). They've had retrofit problems of some sort, I
gather. This is what will make them more in BB's league (although of
course they can't quite get there overnight).

Anyway, the quality of produce at FJ's is much better and cheaper than
Safeway. Some of my friends bitch about the quality but I don't see the
problem. However I only buy produce that's in season. When the satsumas
start to look tired, I quit buying them, because Big Jim oranges have
come in and they're terrific - for instance. The rule of thumb is that
the organic item at Farmer Joe's (i.e. lettuce, kale, apples) costs
what the regular item does up the hill at Safeway.

Furthermore, Farmer Joe's produce is significantly better and more
varied than Trader Joe's. My parents live a block from TJ's Alameda and
still drive up to Farmer Joe's for tabbouli fixings. And they drive to
Oakland Chinatown to some market on 7th Street for cheapest produce -
the selection is not great there, however, and they don't have certain
things my parents want.

I highly doubt if any of the employees at Farmer Joe's get even health
benefits. Forget union.

Leila