Foodland Keaau Opens Today

[macuu222]

It will be interesting to see if the Keaau foodland prices will be the same as those advertised in the weekly islandwide newspaper ads for Hilo, Kona and Waimea! Or will they produce their own weekly flyer like Puna Fresh did and Malama does.... with much higher prices. If the later is the case...I will continue to shop in Hilo as 12 miles roundtrip is less than 1 gallon of gas for me.

[kani-lehua]

the weekly advertised items should be the same. they will likely NOT produce their own ads. Puna (not so) Fresh Foods was NOT an entity within the Sullivan Family of Companies. although malama market is part of the SFOC, it is an entirely separate entity. each store does offer "specials" that could be different from their sister stores.


"a great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices."

w. james

[macuu222]

So basically Malama Market is 10 miles from Keaau, has limited variety, and charges more for its food items (even thought it has occasional specials)....Whereas Foodland Keaau will have a much greater variety of products and will honor islandwide weekly sale prices that are currently only offered in Hilo, Kona and Waimea. It's a no brainer for me!

[Blakeyboy1]

Where is this in relation to HPP? Last time we were there we were driving to KTA in Hilo but once went to a grocery store we didn't care for a lot in Keaau not far off 130. We will be out there in a few weeks again and would like to try this store.

-Blake
http://www.theboysgreatescape.blogspot.com/

[TomK]

Blake - this is the grocery store in the Keaau shopping center, sounds like it's the one you're talking about except it's much better now. This is the shopping center just off 130 about a half a mile or so after the Keaau bypass meets H11 if you're driving from Hilo.

Tom

[Kelena]

http://keaaushoppingcenter.com/map.php

[Blakeyboy1]

Thanks Tom that is good to know. It certainly saves some time from driving to Hilo (especially as we are forgetful and have to go back sometimes). We'll check it out for sure. Has anyone noticed if they stock local or area items. We are big fans of sourcing locally when we can.

-Blake
http://www.theboysgreatescape.blogspot.com/

[Beachboy]

my impression of the new Foodland was this. First thing you notice is it's a lot cleaner than before when 'Puna fresh Foods' had the place. More variety of course. Plus more shppers there now than I've ever seen when 'Puna Fresh Foods' was there.

Yes, I noticed a few hold overs from the old store now employed by 'Foodland'. I just hope the person who did the purchasing for 'Puna Fresh Foods' wasn't retained by 'Foodland'? I think whoever that person was,helped bring down 'Puna Fresh Foods'in my opinion. So many items on shelf were outdated. That was also true in the deli. A lot of their sale items were just items ready to be outdated. Those are items that should be advertised as reduced price, not a sale item!

My one and only complaint with the new 'Foodland' in Keaau. The checkout lines moved about as fast a snail on a Sunday cruise. I'm sure in time that will be resolved too! All in all, we need this in Puna. So welcome to the community 'Foodland'!

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Let's get together and over grow the government!!!!

[kani-lehua]

most, if not all, of the refrigeration is brand spanking new so that should help with the "freshness" of the merchandise. if one finds an item that has expired, it should be brought to an employee's attention (same thing should happen at any other store).

after the "holding period", some items (hot/cold) are marked down or red-tagged, but not all. others are completely removed from the shelves. always look for expiration dates/times. the new deli and bakery are scheduled to open in early 2010.

with the stress of the holiday season, new system and employees, they are trying to work out the "kinks." they do try to have as many registers open as possible. please be patient.



"a great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices."

w. james

[PaulW]

Blake, at the Keaau shopping area (where Foodland now is) there is also an Ace Hardware store. Across from Ace is a small open-air area (I forget the name) where you can find many of the same people who sell fruit and veg and the Makuu market on Sunday. We usually go there as part of our visit to Foodland/Puna Fresh.