Multi-generational, single-store grocers have nearly vanished across Arizona, but Save Money Market defies the odds. Owned and operated by the third generation of the Hing family, the business has been an integral part of the community for more than 100 years.
“We’re fortunate to be here in Superior where there is no other major competition,” said Richard Hing, CEO and co-owner of the hometown market.
Friendly service is also key to their success. The family business has survived the Great Depression, mine closure, global pandemic and a rush of corporate consolidation, with no signs of slowing.
“We try to provide things that people want, and keep our prices down,” Hing said. “We stay competitive with meats and fresh produce.”
Still, a majority of residents do go out of town to shop. What customers they get locally “seems to support us,” he said. “Plus a lot of out-of-towners come in for our specials. Popular items inclue: Grab and Go Meat Boxes. Longhorn cheese. House-made chorizo. Hatch Green Chiles. Social media has helped. Save Money Market has more than 10K followers on Facebook.
“I used to know my customers,” Hing said, laughing. “Now there are so many new faces coming in that I don’t know if they are newcomers that live in town or (if) they’re from Globe or Queen Valley.”
Three Generations
Hing started working at his family’s store at the age of 10. He helped out at the building next door after school, selling gas, beer, wine, liquor, and candies. His grandfather, O.C. Hing, established the family’s original grocery (Spring Garden Market) at 125 Pinal Avenue in 1920. He expanded the business during the Great Depression, opening the first Save Money Market at 97 Main Street in 1932, followed by a third location at 161 Main Street in 1935. In the 1950s, the heyday of mom and pop grocery stores, the family expanded the business with a mercantile store in Coolidge. The current location, 420 W Main St, Superior, is the sole store remaining and was built after the Pinal Avenue store burned down in 1967.
Hing and all six of his siblings worked part-time for the family business during their high school years. The youngest of four brothers, Hing received most of the duties. By age 20, just two years into his business studies at the University of Arizona, his father, Ally Hing, asked him to come home and run the business.
“He trained me for six months and then left for New York,” Hing said, “and stayed there through the ‘80s.”
By the 1980s, family-owned groceries experienced a sharp decline due to the rise of large supermarkets. The local competitors - Wings Cut-Rate, Sawaya's Store, and Leo's Market - all eventually closed.
“When it was payday at the mine, folks went down to the Valley to shop – at Smitty’s,” Hing recalled. “When there was less money, they stayed home and shopped.”
The closing of the Magma Mine in ‘82 affected their business for a while, Hing said, but they were able to keep going because people received more in food stamps or got jobs elsewhere and commuted. His father retired in 1998, and Richard and his brother, Michael Hing, became co-owners of the Superior store.
The business grew during COVID. After COVID was over, sales remained up. The actual count of independent operators in Arizona declined further, marked by the sale in late 2021 of Arizona's Bashas' (along with Food City and AJ's Fine Foods) to California-based Raley's Holding Co.
“We gained a lot of new customers in COVID time,” Hing said, “because we were well-stocked and treated the people right.”
Today, all four brothers, both parents (in their late 90s), and one sister live in Superior. Richard and Leo run the office and the business administration. Michael orders meat and produce and runs the store. Ansen does stocking, pricing, and maintenance. It’s Hatch green chile season, so this month you’ll find him in the parking lot, roasting Hatch chiles the family has been getting from a New Mexico farmer for 30-some years.
Until recently, Hing worked seven days a week and hasn’t taken his family on a vacation since his daughter was born. He now takes Sunday off, but retirement is not on the horizon. His daughter, Queenie, valedictorian of Superior High School, class of 2002, has started her studies in optometry, and he plans to support her through it.
Finding good employees is not a problem, Hing said. Most have been with them for five-10 years. Maria, working the cash register as a steady stream of customers comes through on a Monday morning, loves everything about the store.
“The people are great,” she said. “I really love the people.”
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