Hilo Grocery Prices.

[hikatz]

According to this analysis, we are no.2 in the nation for cost of groceries and no.1 in transportation costs!

http://www.k5thehometeam.com/story/37322...-groceries

http://bigislandnow.com/2018/01/23/study...in-nation/

[kalakoa]

Why, it's almost as if everything is

- imported
- subject to Jones Act requirements
- taxed heavily by the State (wharfage fees up again this year)
- powered with electricity generated by burning oil (which is itself imported)
- taxed again by the State (GET on your gross receipts for the "privilege")
- marketed through a limited number of retailers
- taxed again by County (property taxes, fuel taxes)
- only available in Hilo (so you have to drive there -- fuel tax again, vehicle tax)

Studies like this don't count the "discount" on things that can be grown in the yard, of which there are far more varieties than most places.

Just a matter of time before the populace invents an alternative commerce solution.

[bystander]

Well I just got back from Target and notice the prices on just about everything there have gone up. The prices were much lower when then first opened. The strategy must be to crush the local competition first, then raise prices.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Just a matter of time before... an alternative commerce solution.

Do you expect this will happen in conjunction with the Second Coming, or when The South's Gonna Rise Again?

Percentage change in the level of glyphosate, an herbicide, in Americans’ urine since 1993 : +1,200. Harper's Index

[PaulW]

You guys should get out more. Hawaii is cheap compared to most of the civilized world.

[terracore]

I'm really suspicious of where they got their figures. We've recently hosted two visitors from the mainland who couldn't stop talking about how affordable our groceries were and even the gasoline was only a few cents more.

I was recently on Maui and can attest their prices are much higher than ours- at least where I shopped.

[MarkP]

Having just returned from visiting Central New York I can report that CNY is cheap compared to Hawaii.

[punaticbychoice]

kalakoa @ 13:53:41 01/24/2018-
Could be worse- we could be in Barrow, AK.
Don't know what the politics are there,
but think it's nighttime for for a few more weeks.
But ya, you're right this is more than a tad crazy here.
And dysfunctional. I still like Blogoverchevsk though[]

[eigoya]

This sun is back in Barrow, but just barely. It is more expensive, but only 10-20% over Hawaii. There is no sales tax though. I moved there not long after a decade in Japan, so I always felt that it was "about" the same for food. Higher wages in both areas, generally.

[terracore]

When you were in Barrow, did you eat at Pepes before it burned down? You couldn't find a better Mexican restaurant at the 71st latitude anywhere on Earth!