If it weren't for prejudice then Chinatown groceries might price for more profit. The customers are missing out too. Marketing can fix this.
For instance, it's summer in the northern hemisphere right now. You can't turn around without running into a ripe stonefruit (peach, plum, apricot).
Because the local trees are bearing right now, not only do you get high quality produce, but you get it for cheap because there's a glut of supply. But if you want an orange, you settle for an expensive, tasteless orange flown in from Chile, cause it's winter down there and that's when oranges become ripe.
If you tried increasing prices of produce in Chinatown, people would laugh in your face and move on down. The Chinese culture is very food aware and value conscious.
Literally from the start of the article. You and many others might not think like the author but there is a segment of the population who does.
See my comment above about how Chinese culture is food savvy and value conscious. Increasing prices won't increase profit, it will just decrease sales to very low levels, while people laugh and move on down to the next stall.
"That's incorrect. Cheaper produce is generally known to be the best produce.
For instance, it's summer in the northern hemisphere right now. You can't turn around without running into a ripe stonefruit (peach, plum, apricot). Because the local trees are bearing right now, not only do you get high quality produce, but you get it for cheap because there's a glut of supply. But if you want an orange, you settle for an expensive, tasteless orange flown in from Chile, cause it's winter down there and that's when oranges become ripe."
was a response to "People like the author believe produce is cheaper because of poor quality."
but okay whatever you say.
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_safety_incidents_in_China
I think snob effect is the main factor, as I listed it first. Assuming I jumped to xenophobia as the deciding factor is biased. Of course how we view Muslim immigrants and Chinese produce are orders of magnitude apart in impact.
I guess what I'm getting at is rushing to the conclusion that xenophobia is the only deciding factor here seems a bit premature, and that the problem itself is likely multifaceted.
Free market has its advantages.
I say this because I spent a dozen years living in southern Europe where, not only are all food prices lower, (eg a loaf of bread is often 1/10 what it is in the states and American brand boxed cereal and California wine is cheaper then in their paces of origin.) but also there are product differences that reduce prices but not quality (eg eggs and milk that don't require refrigeration, vastly less packaging, few advertisements)
So yes marketing would raise prices but by bringing in more naive consumers and raising their expenses.
Being aware of products on sale for cheaper does not help if they're on another continent. (Given that the EU is basically an agricultural-subsidy league, it's not surprising to see produce for cheaper, either, though it depends on local wages as well.)
But the real thing which drives down the prices isn't just savvy, it's that these customers care about the price and are wiling to go to additional efforts to pay less, whether by shopping at a less-traditional or inconvenient place, or by using coupons. Meanwhile the rich-white-single-programmer happily cruises down to a nearby Whole Foods because he really doesn't care about an extra few dollars on his grocery bill; he even buys the pre-sliced fresh fruit as a convenience.
With regards to milk, note that you can find boxed milk in the US (UHT milk, or even milk powder)... it's just not as common, and culturally is regarded as an inferior good. As for eggs, you'll have to blame the USDA for the mandate that they are washed before shipment (as opposed to by the customer).