Costco on the East side

[kalakoa]

Conventional big-box economics do not apply in places like this.

Case in point: shipping is slow/expensive enough that Home Despot stocks trees from local PlantItHawaii, as mentioned above.

Freedom of "choice" is still available to those who can afford it.

[csgray]

Why do people always assume that anyone who disagrees with them must have opposite politics, no matter what the topic? This is not just a left or right obsession, I see it from both sides, but it really degrades the quality of the discourse. Not everyone who wants to see small local businesses thrive are left, and not all people who want big box stores are on the right, why can't people just stick to the issue being discussed, instead of automatically tossing out partisan rhetoric?

Carol

[Bullwinkle]

I always wonder whether the folks pontificating on island issues - actually live here or in places like So. Fl. - grin

At time it reads like the majority of the really vocal users are off island or sock puppets.

wikipedia: "A sockpuppet is an online identity used for purposes of deception. The term—a reference to the manipulation of a simple hand puppet made from a sock—originally referred to a false identity assumed by a member of an internet community who spoke to, or about, himself while pretending to be another person.[1] The term now includes other misleading uses of online identities, such as those created to praise, defend or support a person or organization,[2] or to circumvent a suspension or ban from a website. A significant difference between the use of a pseudonym[3] and the creation of a sockpuppet is that the sockpuppet poses as an independent third-party unaffiliated with the puppeteer. Many online communities attempt to block sockpuppets"

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

In five years (according to IBM) this discussion may be a moot point. Big Blue just released their 5 in 5 list, 5 things they predict will happen within 5 years. One forecast says that buying local at a bricks & mortar store will beat online purchasing, and by extension the one-size-fits-all big box stores. The small Mom & Pop stores will regain the advantage thanks to technology:

"But over the next five years, local stores and shops will flip the javascript by giving us an immersive, mixed real and virtual experience. And being local will become increasingly important as shoppers demand the instant gratification of their purchases. Two day shipping will feel like snail mail when a local store can offer customers a variety of fast pick-up or delivery options, wherever they are."

http://www.research.ibm.com/cognitive-co...p1_zd_YGSY

[Seeb]

don't think i would rely on IBM's ability to predict the future

[terracore]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Seeb

don't think i would rely on IBM's ability to predict the future

---

I guess Amazon chose Oracle for their cloud instead of an IBM product.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

IBM's predictions are based on existing and imminent software, hardware, and technologies. Whether they are right or wrong has more to do with people implementing the use of these technologies, rather than a good or a bad guess on the part of IBM.

With all of the discussion on this board recently about how difficult it is to compete with big box corporate stores, and the need for jobs in Puna, it might be worth a few minutes of someone's time to see if IBM's prediction can apply to businesses in Puna. And if it does, both businesses and jobs would be created.

[terracore]

Here's an article on how Amazon started Sunday delivery to lure in the customers who didn't want to wait 3 days for their deliveries:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/...s/3479055/

They are also expanding same-day delivery.

I can't find the link right now, but I recently read an article about 3-d printers. They seem to be in the news lately because they have become sophisticated enough that consumer models can 3-d print a gun at home that actually shoot real bullets but the reality is that in the near future 3-d printers will be able to make just about anything. You'll go to a web site like amazon and with your subscription scroll through pages of different radios, make your selection, and then click "3-d print" and hours later you'll have a radio. In our lifetimes there will always be some things that will be too complex to print at home but the reality is that business models are always changing and always adapting.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

quote:

---

Originally posted by terracore

the reality is that in the near future 3-d printers will be able to make just about anything.

---

Exactly!
Can you imagine a medium scale industrial shop in Pahoa that could print replacement parts for weed wackers, cars, trucks, washing machines....

Or a bike/skate shop with a small commercial 3-D printer to make accessories customized by design and color? Kids could have a basic model bike or skate board made to their individual specs.

It would be a deterrent to theft as well, as stolen property would be easy to identify by the owner.

[Bullwinkle]

That day is here the printers pretty inexpensive ... seen them as low as 500

It is the 3d scanners to make the files for the printer to work with that are still pricey ... last I check 2500 would do it ...... almost rationalized it - weed whacker line alone - grin

one thing for sure - electronics and technology keeps dropping in price ...technology for work that was out of the question a few years ago - now within reach .... 3 d printers and more home grown solutions to replace ment parts here today at the Hilo Makery as well......