COSTCO in Hilo

[Peter Easterling]

Wishin' and a-hopin' (and praying to Billy K) just might not be enough. Possibly Costco management has looked at Hilo and deemed it not feasible. Or maybe we could have one in Hawi, one in Naalehu, a mini Costco 2 or 3 blocks away....merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.

[ericlp]

quote:

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Originally posted by flyingsurfer

I don't know how true this is. But I have heard that our Mayor is against it.

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He is... well, he and his goons, like the ones that own foodland, kta, etc...etc... DO NOT WANT costco nor do they want a SUPER walmart or any other type "big box" establishment.

WHY?

Because KTA would have to work REALLY hard to keep people shopping there. Billy knows it and he's with "THEM" not with "US"... So...Welcome to the status quo in Puna.

Maybe instead of building a 3X bigger malama marker in Puna, we should build a Costco? It would just have to be a bit bigger.

As for more shipping containers coming in and only a few leaving. Get use to it! It's just a drop in the bucket compared to what Oahu gets. People are gonna buy and go travel 200 miles to get it if they want to. People are gonna do what they are gonna do.... So your argument on that is invalid.

I agree, put the source closer so that people don't have to drive 200 miles round trip to get a good deal. You know something is wrong with the east side when people are willing to drive that far "TO SAVE SOME MONEY..." It really is a monopoly. Just another reason why many have to substitute food stamps with a job just to make it here.

[terracore]

The bread and butter of small box stores is EBT. KTA, Foodland, Target, etc will do just fine with a Costco here. Of course Costco accepts EBT but most EBT buyers buy a larger variety of things in smaller quantities. And with the money they can save at Costco buying diapers etc at bulk prices might leave them with a higher quality of life. Many of these people can't afford the gas for a 200 mile Costco trip.

I don't understand the container argument. It would be the same number of containers, only the miles driven on the roads would change. I guess in theory if consumers were saving enough money by paying less for essentials they might buy more non-essential items, but on the other hand they could use the saved money to pay down debt, hire a tutor for their kid, or go to the dentist. It doesn't necessarily mean they will buy more non consumables.

[Anxious Messiah]

If the numbers were there, you can bet your last dollars that Costco would be here. But I wouldn't hold my breath for one on this side in the next 10 years.

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Don't speak unless you can improve on the silence.

[mermaid53]

I was told by someone in Costco's mgmt, face to face conversation, that the clientele on the Hilo side wouldn't warrant building a Costco there. They've tallied the numbers of the east side members and that's their conclusion. I replied, build it and they will come.

I gave up my Costco membership shortly after I moved to the BI. I rarely go to that side of the island and wouldn't drive there just to go to Costco. I felt the $ for gas, the time spent to get there and back, although it's a nice drive, and the annual membership fee, didn't justify the "savings".

Someone told me that she was told Costco would close down if they didn't get the clientele from the east side, and that's why they wouldn't build on the east side. I don't know how true this is...but among my friends and acquaintances, most do that drive to Costco.

[DTisme]

quote:

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People who work multiple jobs and can't take a day off to drive over there, or who don't have a vehicle that can handle the drive, or who can't afford the gas for the drive, do not "drive to Kona anyways." I've been over to Kona once in the last 3 years, and that was for a Dr.'s appointment, I know lots of people who rarely if ever make it over there, but who would shop at Costco if there was one here.

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I'm one of them. I can't physically drive that far. In the 7 years I've lived here, I've been to Kona maybe once a year. The only time I've ever been to Costco (3x now) has been as a passenger in someone else's car. And every time I go, I'm like, "Man, if we had a Costco in Hilo. I'd go every week."

Edited to fix quote format.

[Tink]

If you,think it is crowded now, if a Costco came over it will definitely be gridlock city with the influx of newbies having the infrastructure they are used to. It will be bad enough with the new marketplace being put in. JMO

Community begins with Aloha

[Midnight Rambler]

quote:

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Originally posted by bluesboy

i've officially decided that anyone in Hilo complaining about not having a costco just needs to shut up. go find something real to complain about. or move.

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Seriously. Cost-U-Less serves just fine as a warehouse store. I'm living on Oahu right now and go to Costco all the time, and TBH it's not that exciting. The best thing about it is that it has better-quality packaged food to make up for the fact that fresh food is harder to find and/or more expensive here than in Hilo. Oh, and they have cheap gas.

But I'd give both of those up in a second (the former especially) to have KTA and the Hilo farmers' market. The "farmers markets" on Oahu mostly sell imported produce, prepared food, and trinkets, with a very limited selection of actual local produce. I haven't had papayas in ages because they cost $2.50 each.

[Jeremy Lutes]

Uhm, okay.

Apparently it's easier to fixate on the likelihood that there wouldn't be an actual doubling of shipping containers inbound for two Costcos than to address the point of my rant, which was to counter Terracore's assertion that somehow having a 2nd Costco would magically be better for the environment.

Stated more plainly here for the reading-comprehension challenged: Creating easier access to even more cheap consumer goods, and all the attendant waste, would in no way benefit the environment. As several others suggested, and quite rightly in my opinion, a second Costco would likely result in an increase in overall consumption.

(btw, nothing personal against Terracore, don't even know 'em)

[terracore]

"Cost-U-Less serves just fine as a warehouse store."

The irony in that statement is much of their inventory is stuff they fetched from Costco and marked up.