Shopping at Giant Foods: Chinese American Supermarkets in Northern California

An excellent contribution to the local history of Northern California and a remarkable insight into the nature of Chinese integration into American society and business, written by an author with personal knowledge of the retail food industry and the scholarly qualifications to do the in-depth research necessary for the book. The author traces the rise and decline of Chinese-owned grocery stores in Northern California - not ethnic grocery stores aimed at the Asian market, but general-purpose stores and supermarkets advertised for everyone. In the 1920's and 30's Chinese entrepreneurs began with local markets in Sacramento, Yuba City, and the Bay Area, then in the 50's and 60's developed these stores into heavily advertised chains such as the Giant Foods of the title, Farmers Markets, Famous Foods, and Bel Air Markets (which still exist under non-Chinese ownership). Using low-cost labor, primarily family members and recent immigrants, these markets were able to undercut their competitors' prices. But the owners' reluctance to modernize and to build for the long term caused these markets, with some exceptions, to lose their competitive status and to eventually be sold to non-Chinese rivals. The author also includes valuable information on the California grocery workers union and on the current state of the retail food industry. Highly recommended for anyone interested in Northern California history.