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August 1, 1999
By Dru Shockley
 The
marketing wisdom doesn't stop at imports. Asian Super Market did
its research before opening, surveying operations in American
cities with major Asian populations and learning from their successes
and failures. In addition to the vast ethnic selections, Vu aims
to attract shoppers also by offering four aisles of general merchandise
Americans are accustomed to finding in supermarkets.
And everything is offered at a competitive value within the same
"zone" as common grocery stores.
 However,
to the chagrin of the Vu family (right) and the roaming patronage,
nothing could be purchased the first day. Unforeseen computer
memory problems, most notably, kept the shelves from being labeled
with identification and prices.
The
next day, overnight efforts should have remedied the problem so
the store could collect sales and begin its regular hours-9 a.m.
to 8 p.m., "365 days a year." All labeling will be in English,
Vu said.
Such
around-the-clock sweating is not new to the Vu family. The adventure
began in February and accelerated in recent weeks with Vu sleeping
at the store to get things ready for the opening.
Now
Asia Super Market employs 22 people of varying nationalities.
Vu said training had to be conducted in four different languages.
He is still looking for hard workers, especially those who speak
Mandarin Chinese.
 Due
to the weather the second team of performers was unable to perform.
Coming
the end of August, the market introduces to Denver a unique concept.
On certain evenings, Asian Super Market will host cooking classes
from the area's favorite seasoned chefs, teaching how to prepare
a full Asian menu. For a $30-$40 fee, participants will leave
with not only knew knowledge but also all the exact ingredients
to prepare and present the menu again at home.
For
more information regarding the classes or employment, call Vu
at 303 922-7174, extension 10, or Cuc at extension 12.
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