The 99 Ranch Market is a well-known Asian supermarket located all throughout the United States. They sell a variety of groceries, such as delicious vegetables, fresh seafood, and hard-to-find Asian products. The sixth location in the San Gabriel Valley area has rooted itself at The Shops at Santa Anita, in place of what used to be the lower level of Forever 21. It featured a ribbon cutting on the morning of Sept. 30, along with a lion dance and the cutting of a fresh bluefin tuna later in the afternoon.

Freshman Charlene Lei witnessed the grand opening from a distance away. 

“From what I saw outside, [the store] looked nice. They were also giving out these giant inflatable Pocky sticks,” she said.

In 1984, Robert Chen, a Taiwanese immigrant, founded the first 99 Ranch Market in Westminster, California. He started this supermarket chain, which became the largest Asian chain in the U.S. Its name derived from the number “99” meaning “long life” and “ranch” for “freshness” in Mandarin.

The benefits of having a supermarket at the mall are evident. After a long day of shopping, you can easily pick up a few components for dinner on your way home. Senior Melody Chen expressed the convenience of having the 99 Ranch Market at the mall, but also recognized the downsides of this new store.

“With the already crowded parking lot of regular mall-shoppers, the addition of people going to the supermarket causes even more issues in parking [and it] becomes an inconvenience,” said Chen. She added, “The shopping cart stations added into the parking lot take up a [lot of] space… [and] stray carts could also become a large issue.”

Many people also feel that this new addition to the mall doesn’t blend in with the atmosphere of a classy shopping center. 

Freshman Scarlely Chiu said, “I don’t think it should be in the mall because it causes a big inconvenience for people. There’s [already] a lot of traffic there… The mall is for shopping [for things] like clothes and accessories, not groceries.” She feels that having a supermarket at the Santa Anita Mall weakens the entire shopping experience.

Nevertheless, the 99 Ranch Market is an exciting new addition to The Shops at Santa Anita. This authentic store is definitely the place to go for your favorite Asian produce. Don’t forget to check it out!