Essay

In front of the entrance, I saw many fruits were selling. Then I walked into it, I saw many Chinese were buying vegetables, meat and fruits here. Also, I saw many Temple students from China were in this supermarket. There are two floors in this supermarket; one is in the basement. The first floor mainly sells some Chinese vegetables, meat and some food ingredients. The vegetables there are cheap, fresh and high quality. A bun of spinach just shows $1.5, it is much cheaper than American markets. The space in this supermarket is not enough, it is crowded. The aisles are narrow, four cashiers standing at the end of aisles. For the basement, I found many drinks, snacks and seasoning from China, Japan and Korean. The price of these is a bit higher than these in China. I think because these products were imported and the distance from East Asian to the US is far. At the corner, there are also some American products, for instance, cheese, oatmeal and kinds of sauced. However, just a few customers bought them. Maybe they prefer buying these American products in an American market.

Furthermore, I noticed that there are some differences between Chinese supermarkets in China and in the US. The products are less category and less organized. I found it is enjoyable to buy things in Chinatown, because I had more interaction with employees, maybe it is warm to interact with compatriots in a foreign country.

When a cashier had a rest, I talked with her. She came from Guangdong province and has been here for eight years. She said she enjoys working here just like working in China because she talked with customers in Chinese. She told me that Heng Fa is really a good market because it has reasonable price and you can buy daily necessities from China. It is very convenient for Chinese immigrants to buy what they want. In addition, she said the reason why this supermarket is so popular because it has contemporary business ideas and new business models that replace old ideas and models. Now, Heng Fa supermarket is in a leading position in Chinatown, the competition between Chinese supermarket in Chinatown is fierce, and it makes the supermarket industry more and more healthy, allowing consumers to enjoy more and more benefits.

When I was in this supermarket, I just felt like buying things in China, the language and products were familiar, which makes me comfortable. In my opinion, Chinese supermarkets are vital in Chinatown because it can help American get to know Chinese culture more and they make the residents in Chinatown feel more comfortable in the US.