Goodbye 99 Ranch Market
Today was the much ballyhooed grand opening of the 99 Ranch Market in Houston. Ping and I went so we could check it out. We had the same reaction: there is no reason to ever shop at this store again. It will be interesting to see whether other people have the same reaction.
Ping and I felt like it was not an enjoyable shopping experience for many reason: The aisles are too narrow for comfortable shopping; the selection of fresh Chinese and other Asian vegetables was not good; the quality of the vegetables that were there was not good; the vegetables were already in plastic bags like shopping at Walmart, so there was no way to examine and select the vegetables that we really wanted to buy; the prices were higher than at our favorite Asian food markets in Houston; and the final blow was that they don't accept American Express.
There was another anomaly: they were valet parking cars, or at least trying to do that. I wasn't tempted, and my experience with Chinese people is that they aren't likely to be tempted to pay for valet parking to grocery shop either.
Maybe the store will make it, but for our money, it could leave town tomorrow and we would never miss it. Just a quarter mile or less away is a much better Asian Food market, in our opinion. I would be interested in what other people who live in Houston and read this story have to say about their experience after they shop there.
Ping and I felt like it was not an enjoyable shopping experience for many reason: The aisles are too narrow for comfortable shopping; the selection of fresh Chinese and other Asian vegetables was not good; the quality of the vegetables that were there was not good; the vegetables were already in plastic bags like shopping at Walmart, so there was no way to examine and select the vegetables that we really wanted to buy; the prices were higher than at our favorite Asian food markets in Houston; and the final blow was that they don't accept American Express.
There was another anomaly: they were valet parking cars, or at least trying to do that. I wasn't tempted, and my experience with Chinese people is that they aren't likely to be tempted to pay for valet parking to grocery shop either.
Maybe the store will make it, but for our money, it could leave town tomorrow and we would never miss it. Just a quarter mile or less away is a much better Asian Food market, in our opinion. I would be interested in what other people who live in Houston and read this story have to say about their experience after they shop there.
I would agree, they may make it on the Hispanic trade from spring branch but in no way will they compete with Welcome, Golden, or Hong Kong mall for the Asian's buying taste.
Reply to this
How about H-Mart just up the street on Blalock? Have you shopped there, Harry? We like shopping there, as well as in Welcome and Golden. We don't venture outside the beltway to Hong Kong mall for grocery shopping, but we have been there a few times to look around.
Reply to this
been there once, but I live ~1 mile from welcome & 1.25 mile from golden plus my wifes sister works for welcome & her neice works at golden so they get most of our business, additionally my wife is studying english at the Chinese community center each week day from 1-4 so we shop going or coming, in regard to todays post I have been vegetable gardening for years & the first time my wife to be came to my house & saw the garden she jumped in wanted to finish planting some starts I had, when the original plan was to teach me to cook fish, she has just about taken over all the gardening
Reply to this
I can't imagine valet service for a grocery store! Perhaps it's just for the opening.
Reply to this