Wal-Mart Super Center In Hilo

[Genxor]

Well, I for one, cannot afford to live on Maui nor be in Puerto Vallarta for three months so WALMART is great for me.

Perhaps when one resides and contributes to Puna than he or she can explain all the evil of WALMART.

I did see the doc. on WALMART months ago.

I agree Cat , WALMART doesnt always have the lowest price , as they claim . ( by the way, we do want to meet with you in a couple of weeks )
And agree Hotcatz, WALMART brand clothing for example is usually junk, I have purchased it in the past for working doing installs , and it is junk.
But , on the other end, if people on a tight budget need clothing, or do not want to spend the extra $$ on the name brand , it is great for them.

Greg

[Beachboy]

It's well documented that Walmart doesn't treat it's employees good. But ask any folk who work at the Hilo Walmart if someone twisted their arms and made them work there? Sure Safeway is a store that has union ties. Teamsters for shipping and receiving end of it,and a "Retail clerks union' for the cashiers. Yes I'd imagine it's a better place to work than Walmart. But some folks just don't have a choice in the matter of where they work. Bills are mounting and the chances are better you're gonna get hired at Walmart rather than Safeway just because of the size of Walmart requires more employees.

It's like someone else wrote in this thread, if you don't like Walmart's labor practices boycott the place. Personally with two growing boys, I go to Walmart for their milk, it's a lot cheaper than the price of milk at KTA.Besides, bringing in a full grocery store like Sam's Club just might make KTA lower their skyhigh prices. I just can't worry about the effect Sam's Club has on KTA, because KTA doesn't worry about us when they are reeming us with their nifty prices. I'll admit, KTA has some nice cuts of meat, but the place smells like a urinal when I walk in it. Wussup with that?

[Beachboy]

quote:

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Well, I for one, cannot afford to live on Maui nor be in Puerto Vallarta for three months so WALMART is great for me.

Greg

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Funny, I grew up on Maui, in Lahaina. Iknow it's expensive there. I also lived in Puerto Vallharta while working there several years back. I had this misconception about Mexico, I thought it would be cheap, but boy was I wrong! Produce could be had cheaper in California than Mexico...with the exception of canned Tuna which was 50 cents in Mexico. What I thought was especially odd was seeing people smoking cigarettes in the stores there in PV!

[Genxor]

Beach
Your exactly right about Mexico . . off topic , but, we met this older gentlemen selling his home in Orchidland last year ( was going to be a fixer-upper for us) and he said he was going to be moving to Mexico, but obviously did not really seem to have the means to do so. Felt sorry for the nice man , he seemed to think too that it would be an inexpensive place...

[Carolann R]

Aloha Francesca...hey where is that Loves' breadstore?

Carrie

[aprild]

Aloha, Greg,

I'm sure Beachboy can back me up when I say that not everybody who lives on Maui is rich--not by a long shot. And, yes, it is expensive. That's why I don't live there full time. I have to make a living and Maui no ka oi, but no pay good money either, brah.

And before you get too envious visualizing me sitting under a palapa drinking margaritas: I'm here to work, trying to get some money together for retirement and maybe, just maybe live on Maui where I have most of my friends. But if that doesn't happen, I hope to be on Big Island where I own property.

You guys are right--Mexico is no longer the bargain it used to be. But if you live like a Mexican, eat at the restaurants that cater to the locals and stay away from tourist spots like this one--I've really never cared for northern Mexico--you can live a lot cheaper than in the U.S. still.

In the past I have found it to be easy to live more inexpensively on the Big Island. I tend to eat what the farmers grow or what drops from the trees or what I can grow and I stay away from most of the processed, packaged food that is so expensive. I don't know if this has changed, but I do commiserate with you and the sticker shock of the food stores. I like to shop health food stores and yeow! that can be pretty shocking. Mo bettah go on diet.

Here in Mexico I also stick to eating like the locals--muy barrato para tortillas, fish, tomatoes, chilis, onions, avos and fruit juice. Milk is the same price, but tastes so much better here.

Just think of the people who are really poor and how hard it is for them. A construction worker makes $25/day here.

A hui hou,
April

p.s. Beachboy--I certainly never said that a worker only get a Union job--I know they may have the only job they could get and are trying to feed a family. It isn't the workers who bear the responsibility for the company's bad practices. Although they could organize--WalMart is so vicious they would probably just fire everyone.






april

[Beachboy]

while living in PV after my production work was finished I decided to stay awhile there. While in production I stayed at the Fiesta Americana Hotel, but when I decided to stay it was off to a barrio"Colonia Alta Vista". Then after time I needed a job. I found it a "Laplaya Los Murtos", at an Asian Eatary called "Archie's Wok". Good thing I was a cook during my early surf days on Maui!

[John S. Rabi]

April is correct. Just look at the exodus of people to Central America, Southeast Asia and Fiji. I know several people who live a pretty comfortable life on their limited income in those locations and they would struggle in the US. Not to mention the upside potential of the international real estate.

Aloha,
John S. Rabi, ABR,CM,CRB,FHS,PB
http://www.JohnRabi.com
Typically Tropical Properties
75-5870 Walua Road, Suite 101
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
(808)327-3185

[JerryCarr]

Beachboy, that odor you detected in KTA seems to always be there to one degree or another, and it seems to emanate from the seafood counter. It can be quite nasty at times, but I suppose that they pass their health inspections. (Don't they?) On another note, I have acquaintances who work at KTA, and they report that the entry level wages are similar to WalMart. One guy in the meat department even told me that he would be the first to apply if WalMart opens a Supercenter. (He says the management there is more obsessed than most about squeezing every penny our of the customers and employees.) Bear and I go to KTA every week, but generally only buy specials. We find that their regular prices are not great except for a few items. The consensus among my friends and neighbors is that KTA will lose the most business to a Supercenter. We'll see how they respond.

As far as the socio-economic-political consequences of shopping at WalMart go, I will just say that boycotting them is a luxury that my household and many others cannot afford. I agree that some of their policies are not entirely to my liking, but they do not seem to have trouble finding sufficient employees or suppliers. People of good will and intelligence can argue about the detrimental consequences, but free market forces have proven again and again to be the great equalizer. I will buy the things that I need from them if they have the best price, and I am sure that not everything will be least expensive there. So we will still be visiting three or more outlets for groceries every week. More options is usually better.

Cheers,
Jerry

[Carey]

Carrie, the Loves Bakery Thrift store is at 500 Manono St, just up from Freddie's. Phone 935-3191. they normally have good deals on Miltons, Hawaii's Hearth & some other brands. Get a frequent shopper card, if you can pay with exact change & don't need a bag, they give you extra points on your card (they are often out of cards, but will sign your receipt), after 1 card is filled you get a loaf for $.25, 2 cards = 2 loaves for $.25 & so on. so keep those filled up cards too.
Aloha, Carey