Northgate Gonzalez Markets Ripping Off Eco-Minded Mexicans
I can never hate Northgate Gonzalez Markets. Its story is one of the great Orange County immigrant success tales, its aisles the first one I remember walking, the hometown of its founders--Jalostotitlán, Jalisco--always fighting for Mexican supremacy in Anaheim against Arandas, Jalisco and my El Cargadero, Jerez, Zacatecas. My mom still does a lot of her shopping there, although no longer for the best bargains--the honor for that is Super King Market in Anaheim, where she shops amongst women in hijabs for most of her Mexican produce and Middle Eastern-derived snacks. And that leads to the purpose of this post.I went to the Northgate off Fourth Street in SanTana this past weekend, the one that was the sight of a gentrification battle over a decade ago--but that's not the purpose of this post, either. Needed eggs, and was pleasantly surprised to find they stock organic eggs (those produced by chickens fed an all-organic diet). Mexicans, of course, are the original organic foodies in Southern California, but it was nice to know that capitalists think they can make a quick buck off Mexicans in the current health-food craze.
Then I saw the price: $5.29 for a dozen large brown eggs. And that's when I realized that Northgate is ripping its prized clientele off--big time.
Compare Northgate Gonzalez's prices with the similar offer at Fresh & Easy--$3.78. Even at the newish Mother's Market in SanTana, which itself rips off unsuspecting gabachos too scared to go into Northgate Gonzalez or other Mexi-marts and is a pretty expensive place, the priciest dozen organic Grade A brown eggs go for $3.89--and the extra-large brown eggs still sit cheaper than Northgate's eggs at $5.19.
So, Northgate Gonzalez: ¿qué chingado pasa? Your stores make hundreds of millions of dollars in profits every year from the Reconquista--you do have an obligation to help out wabs, especially in the matters of pricing, and especially in the matter of making our obesity-prone raza eat healthier. I'll still love your tiendas, but por favor don't become like that other icon of O.C. Mexican eating entrepeneurship, Taqueria de Anda, and become a big a failed disgrace as Don Papi Pulido.
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