The Supermarket Dream

Picking up groceries at the supermarket has become second nature to many people, but how did this phenomena start in Hong Kong?

Supermarket /ˈsuː.pɚˌmɑːr.kɪt/ 

a large shop which sells most types of food and other goods needed in the home

The bell rings when you walk into the store. The storekeeper greets you with a smile in his white and blue apron. You order your usual groceries: a pound of rice, three heads of broccoli, and a hundred grams of chicken. He turns around and begins fetching your order from the stacked shelves behind him. He then carefully measures each portion and wraps it with a long piece of twine. 

That is what grocery shopping looked like in the late 1800s to early 1900s. 

This personalised shopping experience was not only labour-intensive, but also very expensive given the inefficient time it took to serve each customer. As a result, Clarence Saunders decided to open the first ever self-service supermarket in Tennessee during 1916.

His innovation would change the way consumers grocery shop from here on out. Staff members would stack shelves with dry goods and products overnight, and then customers would serve themselves and bring the goods to the cashiers lined up in rows. 

Not only did this self-serve method reduce labour costs, but also increased production value given that the personalised practice was gone. Though many shopkeepers feared the risk of shoplifting, the economic gain still outweighed the cost.

“師傅，前面有落! Driver, getting off at the next stop!”

The familiar words that Yip Dick Hoi heard everyday as a Hong Kong minibus driver in the 1960s. The hours were long. The heat was unbearable. But he still got behind the wheel everyday to raise his family of four including his wife and two young sons. Yip didn’t mind the monotonous drives, but the countless parking tickets from lunch stops and bathroom breaks drove him crazy. A day’s work couldn’t even cover the costs of the deadly white slip. He decided it was time for a change. A job that didn’t require commuting and parking.

THE SUPERMARKET DREAM

During the 1970s, the government began its plan to urbanise the Sai Wan (西灣) area, now known as Chai Wan (柴灣). It was going to be the new residential district, so the government allocated certain spaces for essential businesses to take place, such as a pharmacy, a library, and a supermarket. 

Spaces for these businesses have already been chosen, but it was up to the public to place bids for the right to run them. Seeing the opportunity arise, Yip, alongside his two minibus driver friends Lai Bing Him and Cheng Hin Cheung, decided to submit a $400,000 bid in hopes of running their own supermarket. 

The four units that would become Chai Wan Supermarket (Source: family photos)

The trio came second in the bidding race, but a criminal record found on the winner’s file turned their dream into a reality. In 1979, they won the lease and opened Chai Wan Supermarket (柴灣超級市場) – the first-ever Chinese-run supermarket business in Chai Wan. The team was small: three bosses, four cashiers, and four stock clerks. None of them had experience in running a supermarket. Stocking. Ordering. Pricing. Tracking. They had to learn on the job. 

Being the first in this specialised retail sector, the three thought they hit a jackpot, but business was slow. Businesses were set up, but people have not moved into the newly-built apartments yet. Rows of dry goods and household products filled the shelves, but rarely any left them. They feared that the supermarket would leave them in deficit. There was still a monthly $50,000 rent to pay. Employees to feed. Suppliers to imburse. Yip would often stand outside the market entrance, hoping to see ladies with a trolley step inside.   

Yip Dick Hoi managed the logistics for the supermarket (Source: family photos)

After two years of deficit and waiting, their luck turned around when the residential district finally lived up to its name. As more and more people moved in, their business began to soar. Products were emptying shelves faster than they could restock. The days where they feared they couldn’t pay suppliers back were coming to an end. Instead, suppliers were now begging Yip for the best shelf spot in the hottest supermarket on the eastern side of Hong Kong Island.

Competition was tough for local supermarkets, especially when the famous ParknShop and Wellcome chains began to expand. The only way they could come out on top was to open when others didn’t. If ParknShop and Wellcome opened until 6 p.m. every night, Chai Wan Supermarket would stay open till dawn. Making profit was essential to them. Yip and his partners had all sent their children to Canada for schooling because everyone wanted the American Dream. But that dream came with a hefty price. So without children to care for at home, the bosses and their wives would take turns running the shop after their employees left. Every night. Every holiday. Chai Wan Supermarket would be open. By running the store on their own after hours, they were able to save more on labour costs. 

Yip Dick Hoi, his wife Cheung So Chun, and their two sons, Johnny and Lawrence say goodbye to Hong Kong (Source: family photos)

As their business grew with experience, Yip’s wife Cheung So Chun focused more on marketing and branding. Corporations would host competitions for local supermarkets to see who could better promote their products, and of course make the most revenue. Unfortunately, social media and television commercials didn’t make the cut back then. Supermarkets relied on flashy display cases. Soda cans stacked in large pyramids. Cardboard cutouts with lights. 

Chai Wan Supermarket suddenly wasn’t just a place for your household needs, but also a free television program. The once minibus driver was now abandoning his oversized t-shirts for suits and ties. Winning various promotional competitions from Vitasoy to Remy Martin, Chai Wan Supermarket finally had its mark on the map.   

In 1983, they decided to open a second supermarket a few streets down from the main. But history was repeating itself once again. Residents had not filled up that side of Chai Wan yet, so the store was very quiet. Afraid that a second store would be burdensome to their finances, they decided to rent it out to ParknShop and focus on their main store.

The grand opening of Chai Wan Supermarket’s second store (Source: family photos)

Instead of hearing “Getting off at the next light!” everyday, Yip was now accustomed to hearing “Good morning, boss” and “What’s the new promotion?” This job was hard work, but he loved the smiles and friendships he made with the Chai Wan residents. This was his second home.

But after running a supermarket for 20 years, Yip felt it was time to say goodbye. He loved his supermarket, but he loved his family more. He wanted to immigrate to Canada to be with his sons. He ended the lease in 1998, and the Vanguard supermarket chain immediately took its place. Now, in 2023, a USelect has taken its place, continuing the supermarket legacy. 

Yip was known as one of Hong Kong’s supermarket founders, but to me, he was a loving grandfather. I am so grateful I got to experience his legacy. Sitting inside the shopping baskets. Making music on the cash register. The supermarket was my Disneyland. Even though the store left his ownership when I was a toddler, I will never forget the number of ice cream cones and Sprite soda pops I “shoplifted” from him. It took a few years for me to learn that I could not just take as I pleased whenever I walked into a supermarket. To this day, Sprite is still my favourite pop.    

Yip Dick Hoi treats his granddaughter Hailey Yip to her first soda (Source: family photos)