Island Naturals - Rant

[shockwave rider]

What co-ops? There is nothing even close to a real food co-op on the island, and the population in Puna that shops at Island Naturals the most is far too transient to ever organize a co-op.

[faroutsider]

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The barter section of craigslist would be considered something close to a real food coop. Anytime two cooperate and share, something close to a coop is formed. It happens all over everyday.

Your last sentence, you have it backwards. The shoppers at SAFEWAY are less inclined to cooperate and form coops. For instance Safeway shoppers can't grow at home most of the #%€* Safeway sells. Wake up.

[shockwave rider]

quote:

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Originally posted by faroutsider


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The barter section of craigslist would be considered something close to a real food coop. Anytime two cooperate and share, something close to a coop is formed. It happens all over everyday.

Your last sentence, you have it backwards. The shoppers at SAFEWAY are less inclined to cooperate and form coops. For instance Safeway shoppers can't grow at home most of the #%€* Safeway sells. Wake up.

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You did not catch my meaning, so maybe read a little more carefully before you bring out the snark and accuse me of being asleep.

Island Naturals in Pahoa has a very transient customer base, largely made up of people here who are relatively short termers without the deep roots and personal connections needed to create a food co-op or grown their own, especially in the winter, mixed with long term residents. People who are living out of backpacks are not in a position to grow their own food, and people who are already growing their own probably don't need one. Safeway shoppers are not even on the radar as far as a co-op goes, but my post was a response to someone accusing Island Naturals of preventing a co-op from happening by essentially "bribing" suppliers to not work with a co-op.

I've participated in food co-ops and helped start one that is still going strong decades later, it is a lot of work and requires a base of people with a long term commitment to the enterprise. Puna has had a fairly big "alternative" community for a long time, and still does not have a food co-op. I don't think that is because of nefarious plotting by Island Naturals so much as a reflection of the community, which is a mix of young transient visitors passing through and self sufficient long term residents who supply themselves and just supplement their pantry from Island Naturals.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

A local businessman says that Russell has an agreement with health food distributors to purchases X amount of product a month if they do not sell to co-op's in the area. I wonder if that is true?

1) Who would have told this to the local businessman? Russel? Probably not. The distributor? Probably not. Then who?

2) What would Russell do with the excess inventory (if he had to purchase X and doesn't need it)? A business cannot function for long with the loss of extra product it can't sell.

[Punatic007]

Maybe they are the sale items? Once upon a time there were co-op's in most every neighborhood, and one with a storefront in Pahoa. I don't know of any currently. We would all place our orders and take turns doing the distribution from our garages. Everyone had to show up that day if they had refrigerated items.

[JohnDW]

In the last thirty years or so large supermarkets have come to stock quite a bit of so-called health food, which conforms, by the way, to the same regulations as food specifically marketed to the alternative community. Who says the hipper-than-thou set has a corner on that action? And that's a good thing, because it demonstrates that public consciousness is a little more elevated then back in Wonder Bread and 7up days. From what I've seen many health food stores are clubby little attractions and mutual admiration venues. We shop for health food where ever healthy food is sold. Because we earn very little in our professional capacities we also spend our money carefully. All that cultivated ambiance costs extra, and that's great, if you can afford it.

Un Mojado Sin Licencia

[KiminPL]

So many times I have gone into Island Naturals looking for a fresh ingredient and come out empty-handed. The fresh foods are quite limited there. Malama Market had more selection. Some of the prices were fine, others breathtaking. I am still learning to cook with local produce, my mediterranean recipes assimilating haphazardly to the island. Old dog learning new tricks, and fortunate enough to be able to shop here and there, pick and choose, KTA, Safeway, Target, "farmers" markets.
Bagging groceries -- why anyone would refuse to be helpful, especially when asked politely, is incomprehensible. Bad attitude, which unfortunately reflects on the entire business.
Breakfast at 7-11? I would guess the main contributing factor is ignorance.

[KiminPL]

Is it true Long's is reopening? I appreciated the convenience for prescriptions and the occasional purchases of chocolate and wine -- my own version of health food.

[JohnDW]

Wonder if they'll stock any more of that teriyaki spam? I'm down to my last dozen tins. According to Kieth Richards it's the best antidote there is for acute food neurosis.

Un Mojado Sin Licencia

[dmbwest]

I put my hand on one of those the other day and and my little guy jumped to life saying " No daddy, don't buy it, get the original one." "We'll trick it out later."

Edit to add ... I asked him, so you don't like these ? NO !!! He said emphatically.
Must've had a bad experience at school.

Starting early.
aloha,
pog