New owners, a new name, and a new look inside and out herald the appearance of Ha’s Family Bi-Rite. For those who have been too busy to notice, the A&P at Delmar and DesPeres is no longer with us. Instead, the Ha family has taken ownership and joined with other independent owners operating under the Bi-Rite name.
The Has are Korean and Yung Ha, manager and spokesman, has had several years’ experience in operating grocery stores, including a year in Argentina, where he also learned to speak Spanish, five years in Los Angeles, and two years in St. Louis, operating a store on St. Louis Avenue. The other members of his family operating the store are his parents, two brothers, and a sister. visited the store to get some background information in preparation for writing this article. One thing is immediately evident upon entering the store – the cleanliness. (Those of us in the neighborhood who had occasion to visit BiRite’s predecessor were most often impressed by its lack of cleanliness.) Some other things which were also noticeable upon walking through the store were that the shelves seem to be well-stocked and the aisles somehow seem to be wider.
A much more important aspect, however, has to be the management—the people.
Mr. Ha’s concern that we have a neighborhood market is evident and he is attempting to provide the neighborhood with many services any resident might need. At present, in addition to a full line of groceries and toiletries, check cashing, money orders, and a notary public are available. In the future, Mr. Ha hopes to be able to provide bus passes, the payment of utility bills, and package liquor.
When asked what prompted the Ha family to acquire ownership at this location, especially considering the failure of the A&P in the same location, Mr. Ha indicated that he felt the neighborhood needed a supermarket and he hoped that his family would be able to fill this need. He is, however, not operating without the profit motive and hopes that filling the local need will also result in a profit for its owners.
When asked what he felt were the major concerns of operating in this location, he said that it was his understanding that the biggest problem in the past had been shoplifting. He pointed out that shoplifting is a problem for both owner and the residents. Losses suffered through shoplifting result in higher costs to the customer, because those losses are passed on in the form of higher prices. He feels that a store being operated by its owners will be less likely to suffer from extensive shoplifting because of their presence. He expressed a desire that any customer observing anyone shoplifting would notify the owners.
Mr. Ha’s other major concern is one that only the residents of Skinker-DeBaliviere can resolve—that concern is customers. A supermarket can only survive and be competitive is people use the market. The Ha’s are making every effort to overcome the image and reputation left them. Yung spoke enthusiastically about stocking the store with only USDA Choice meats, his willingness to stock requested items, and providing good service in pleasant surroundings—and his enthusiasm is evident in the new Ha’s Bi-Rite store.
Originally published in The Paper, October 1976.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Archival transcription note: Printed “competitive is people use” retained; “I visited” verified against page1 image.
Original source: SD_Times1976_10.pdf, printed page(s) 1, 8; PDF page(s) 1, 8.
