I have first hand experience with an Asian-owned grocery store in Queens, and Cecil is absolutely right, but he’s putting it mildly.
Do you have any idea the blatant theft, threats, and drunkards that these people have to put up with when they open stores in less than desirable neighborhoods? People will walk in off the street, pick up anything they can carry, and run out. Sometimes the owners are physically assaulted. The police usually do very little.
The owners are constantly being yelled at and threatened over petty things. Leave your grate open and somebody will “accidentally” trip over it and threaten to sue unless you pay them off. Refuse to make change and you’re called all kinds of racial epithets (and banks in New York charge businesses for making change, so it’s not just the owners being difficult).
Why are prices so high? These stores do not get volume discounts from wholesalers. Rent and utilities in the city are expensive, not to mention high taxes in places like New York. Theft and repairs for vandalized property cost the owners lots of money. Insurance is prohibitively expensive (and frequently unowned because of it – think about this the next time you see stores looted by self-righteous, greedy rioters).
The worst part about the whole thing is that these stores cater to clientelle that large chains won’t serve because of the risks involved. The people who whine and complain about high prices and bad attitudes don’t realize that these family-owned businesses are the only access they have to convenient goods and services, and the owners get no respect for it, no security, and no guarantees. They take the risk because they recognize the opportunity to better themselves through hard work.