Wal-Mart abruptly cancels Supercenter

[Greg]

If you really want to help the economy of Hawaii, buy locally produced food.

Wally's container shipped food may seem like a good deal, but when you factor in chemicals used to increase "shelf life", and oil burned to get it here, it's not such a great deal.

Buy local! Homegrown food is more healthy and fresh. Food dollars stay here.

[PunaLover]

I just hope it's not going to change again.
Seriously that would be such the perfect place foe a "growers" market. No wholesalers. No imported produce. If it was all organic we'd be in dreamland.

Please if you can't think outside the box? ASK there are a few people in here I have met that have climbed out. Just cause you move a container, (your possessions) from the mainland and import your life/style into a different culture. Step out side the "big box" mentaity, think, produce, but, trade LOCALLY.

KEEP PUNA RURAL

[Kahunascott]

We shop at Makuu every Sunday for our fruits and vegetables so don’t get me wrong.
And, we do buy Hawaiian when we can. But the over all need in our lives is to live on a budget as many of us are forced to do. Life would be great if you could afford to farm enough acreage to support your family but it’s not possible in most of our lives. Therefore, we shop for bargains where and when we can no matter if it’s at Makuu or Wal-Mart’s. Principals are great, but budgets are necessary to survive.
As far as pollutants in your “Local” grown produce, you don’t have a clue; there is no control or standards. It could say “Organic” on the label but who know what’s in that soil? It’s so bad in Keaau that they can’t even put up a hotel in the middle of town. Imagine what’s up on the hill where your tomatoes are grown? The farmer may have grown in it organically but arsenic and DDT have poisoned most of the farming soils on this rock during the time of sugar.



"Many dreams come true and some have silver linings, I look for my dreams and a pocket full of gold" Led Zeppelin

[janet]

Makuu FARMERS' market my Aunt Fanny. This past Sunday, for the third time and from the third vendor (over the past year), I had to scrub the residue of grocery-store labels off some of the produce.

I asked one of the vendors about it. He gets his produce from a "distributor". Maybe some of it comes from local farmers - and maybe some of the vendors there are actual farmers presenting their products, but I'm having trouble finding them.

[mella l]

Kahunascott you wrote the following and I am wondering what is the reason that the hotel cannot be build? Curious thanks.

"As far as pollutants in your “Local” grown produce, you don’t have a clue; there is no control or standards. It could say “Organic” on the label but who know what’s in that soil? It’s so bad in Keaau that they can’t even put up a hotel in the middle of town".


mella l

[Carolann R]

I wholeheartedly agree with Scott. We don't buy "organic" usually. And we have a friend who's always telling me how healthy it is and how much better...well we can't afford it when things are so expensive, so we buy where we can get the cheapest something good. Usually at Maku'u we will ask if it's locally grown - that's important to us.

Frankly, the thing about people from the mainland and their containers, etc...that's getting OLD. We paid our dues. We pay our taxes. (If it weren't for THIS FORUM we would not be here now.) When we do suffer through a shopping trip to Wally World (yes, suffer LOL) we mainly see LOCAL dyed-in-the-wool families there enmass! They need and love WalMart 'cause it means they can have more clothes that aren't tattered, more shoes on their keikis feet, pharmaceuticals they can't normally buy in Longs, etc. You get the picture. Stop blaming it all on Mainlanders (especially if you ARE one). We didn't come here to change ANYTHING. We came here to be a part of it. It's so easy to complain...whatcha gonna do to make it better?

Carrie

http://www.carrierojo.etsy.com


If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. ~Dalai Lama

[Bill]

Thanks Kahunascott and Carolann R,

I couldn't agree more. Grocery stores provide much more than just "produce", and we are all hurt by less competition. It is always amazing to me how enterprises that are supposedly bad for our rural community can keep so busy and full. For those that don't support these enterprises, just stay home. Thats the free market system.



Edited by - Bill on 11/23/2007 10:02:54

[missydog1]

I agree with Carolann's point ... go and observe what you're complaining about. Most of the folks shopping at Hilo Walmart are local families. A smattering are tourists buying gifts to take home such as Macnuts and Kona coffee, and some of the shoppers are transplanted mainlanders who, if like me, reluctantly tackle the horrors of the parking and the crowded aisles.

I myself only go there for stuff that other stores don't bother to stock. The groceries are pretty bad, only non-perishables and minimal selection.

How many of those local families go home with JUNK FOOD because the store doesn't have a real grocery department?

I'm neither upset nor elated that the store canceled, but the fact is that it's not the Punaweb minority that keeps Walmart in business. It's low income local families and seniors ...

There's a reason all-in-one stores appeal to parents and working people. People simply don't have the time or energy to go to five stores filling their shopping list. People are harried. They want to go to ONE store and go home. While I'm not a fan of these stores, I understand that appeal.

It would be interesting to see how many local small business owners go to the big stores for their own shopping. Probably a lot are not THAT committed to only buying from merchants like themselves, and of those who do shop small retailer, probably a lot grew up shopping at certain local stores and find them comfortable. In other words, they shop at small stores for familiarity, not principles.

I'm for having principles, but in some cases they call for making personal "rules" that don't work for people who are just getting by and have kids to take care of.

ed. for typos and to applaud Hotzcatz for reminding everyone that "loose" and "looser" are not interchangeable with lose and loser. That one bugs me too. ;-)

Edited by - KathyH on 11/23/2007 10:23:33

[PunaLover]

Clear to see who is sold on the "cheap" and who is concerned enough to, yes "gonna change and make it better", at least those of us who feel how you live is as much as what you consume.

I just zipped into town, dumps, CostUless, KTA, dot. dot. dot and home within an hour.
Maybe because I know my way around this little town.
But I'm curious WHAT exactly does Walmart have that you can't get from another store in this town??? We need more
shopping vinues??? I think somepeople are BUY happy. Carry huge CC Debit.

As a child I'd rather have one good quality gift then 10-20 pieces of junk that will end up being in the landfill before next xmas. Guess I was a head of my time, ( still am unfortunately).

I know local families love all the cheap junk, but it's not their fault. Reminds me, " for bringing shinny trinkets to trade with the natives," poo!
And the garbage they sell all dead packaged feed lot stuffing, for people. Stereotypical sight was the girl I saw squeezing between her steering wheel in the Walmart parking lot. Before she closed the car door, she had da bag of chips on her lap for eat while cruzing. Huge!
Junk Food, Junk Products, be honest, how many times you wait in the return line?

Yes, let's make it better by learning from the mistakes made else where and, hey! try not to do it here. take off those mainland blinders.

What's BEST usually isn't CHEAP.

KEEP PUNA RURAL

[malolo]

Mmmm.
Yes I agree.

Forgive me for posting this a second time (I know I provided a link back in September when we were going 'round and 'round here about the big box ban), but hey, much like the shopoholics among us, I simply cannot help myself!

http://www.jibjab.com/originals/big_box_mart