Mainland Chains vs. Island Culture

[beaker]

Re: Mainland Chains vs. Island Culture

The bottom line is...different people, different needs.

Better choices can reduce your "needs", and increase your happiness.

[tikiyaki]

Re: Mainland Chains vs. Island Culture

Better choices can reduce your "needs", and increase your happiness.

Very true...I for one have "chosen" not to have kids, so that's why I don't "need" to go to Costco and buy 75 lb bags of weiners. But someone else, does...and it's not my place or anyone else's to tell them otherwise.
I totally respect Beaker's minimalist ways. It's great. I'm trying to scale down myself, but I am pretty minimal compared to alot of folks. For those folks, there are the Big Boxes, for me, a standard Non warehouse supermarket, mom and pop restaurant, and the occasional Big Boxes like Target suffice...

[beaker]

Re: Mainland Chains vs. Island Culture

I do think even the parental types can choose to live smaller, though. (providing they don't have 3+) You can choose to purchase bulk grains and vegetables instead of cans of soup and plastic bags of frozen vegetables. (and the healthiest food is the fastest and easiest to prepare) You can choose to go for a hike instead of park yourself in front of a Playstation. You can choose to bike or walk instead of drive. My mother has kids again, and it blows my mind the amount of unnecessary waste they generate - it was nothing like that when I was a kid. Anyhow, this is all meandering OT...

[dick]

Re: Mainland Chains vs. Island Culture

I remember a simpler, gentler time... back in the '70s... rural Maui. Upcountry. The "big thing" was to go "downtown." To Kahului. Pile in the puke orange Volkswagen Squareback and head down the hill. We shopped at Ah Fook's in Kahului Shopping Center. It always smelled like fresh fish in there. Like Maalaea Harbor. Underneath Buzz's at the fishing club when there was a tournament and we all went down to see what the dads had caught.

Toda's was right next by. If we needed something along the lines of clothes, etc., there was Penny's right next by. Of course there was Kress up in Wailuku. Had ono jello at the restaurant. I always ate the "red one."

But for the everyday stuff, we shopped at Pukalani Superette. It was that, or Morihara Store. And everyone knew everyone. And we all said 'Hi." And the ladies at the cash registers knew us, and I called them "the Pukalani Ladies."

Had Cordiero Chevron on the corner. We had "an account." Is there even such a thing anymore? You scrawl your name on some register thing everytime you buy gas, and at the end of the month you pay. Or whenever.

We used to do our laundry at the place at Maui Mall. I would beg for Guri-Guri since it was right next by. Or look at the puppies in the window at The Pet Shop. Sir Wilfred's always smelled so good. The pipes always proved fascinating. We also sometimes went to the place behind Kahului Library. I remember Cupie's. I pronounced it "cuppees" as a kid.

Nothing was open past 7 or 8. Sundays were for yardwork or maybe my friends came over and we'd play in the yard. Then watch "Let's Go Fishing" at 5. Bruce Carter ruled.

Who the hell would wanna live on Maui, much less upcountry? Nothing there... they laughed at my parents when they bought a house near Crater Road in the late '60s. They lived in Keawekapu before that.... And now Oprah lives up the road.

Strange times, indeed. But the writing was on the wall since 1959. Remember the construction crane as "state bird?"

We can wax moody and retrospective, or we can embrace what's actually happening here... and try and steer it in the right direction.

My family has been in Hawaii for too long for me to give up now... I'll stick around and see what happens...

[MadAzza]

Re: Mainland Chains vs. Island Culture

Seeing the freak circus in front of WalMart reminds me of how fortunate I am to have such a quiet uncluttered life. While these poor people freight table saws and crates of diapers back to the Punaburbs, I'm doing sane things like riding my bike and birdwatching.

Oh, wow, you are, like, SO superior! Thank you for coming down to the gutter to grace us with your presence. Otherwise we would never know what's best for us.

[AbsolutChaos]

Re: Mainland Chains vs. Island Culture

Dunno, the (very) few times I've been to WalMart, Sam's Club, Costco and the like I didn't find much I'd consider a "necessity". Don't need 10-peice plastic patio furniture sets, 48-roll bathroom tissue, 75-packs of weiners or 10 pound bags of carmel corn. A small basket of fruits, veggies, grains, cheese, a nice bottle of wine and I'm fed for the week. What more do you really NEED? Seeing the freak circus in front of WalMart reminds me of how fortunate I am to have such a quiet uncluttered life. While these poor people freight table saws and crates of diapers back to the Punaburbs, I'm doing sane things like riding my bike and birdwatching.

I definitely consider it a necessity to buy bulk toilet paper and other bulk items from Costco, even though there's only one of me. I HATE taking time out to go shopping every week when I could be doing things like hiking or attending various events around the island. Buying in bulk is cheaper and reduces the amount of time I have to spend shopping for items like that. One ten minute trip to the grocery store every week, and I can carry small food items, and I can WALK instead of using my car, other than that trip to Costco every two months.

[Whitepoint3rchum]

Re: Mainland Chains vs. Island Culture

Dunno, the (very) few times I've been to WalMart, Sam's Club, Costco and the like I didn't find much I'd consider a "necessity". Don't need 10-peice plastic patio furniture sets, 48-roll bathroom tissue, 75-packs of weiners or 10 pound bags of carmel corn. A small basket of fruits, veggies, grains, cheese, a nice bottle of wine and I'm fed for the week. What more do you really NEED? Seeing the freak circus in front of WalMart reminds me of how fortunate I am to have such a quiet uncluttered life. While these poor people freight table saws and crates of diapers back to the Punaburbs, I'm doing sane things like riding my bike and birdwatching.

I absolutely have no business posting this as I haven't read any of the posts completely on this page but---wee lads need less than big folk.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Mainland Chains vs. Island Culture

When I want bulk consumer items like books

Considering the simpler lifestyle aspects you've mentioned, I was surprised to see you include this item, rather than encouraging visits to independent booksellers who struggle to survive in the face of the massive buying power of big chains.
I will pay a higher (full) price on a book, to help keep an independent business alive, rather than getting it discounted 10-20% at a chain store. In the long run, saving a business that cares about my interests and intimately knows the products it sells, ranks higher to me than saving a couple bucks in the short term.

[Miulang]

Re: Mainland Chains vs. Island Culture

I remember a simpler, gentler time... back in the '70s... rural Maui. Upcountry. The "big thing" was to go "downtown." To Kahului. Pile in the puke orange Volkswagen Squareback and head down the hill. We shopped at Ah Fook's in Kahului Shopping Center. It always smelled like fresh fish in there. Like Maalaea Harbor. Underneath Buzz's at the fishing club when there was a tournament and we all went down to see what the dads had caught.

Toda's was right next by. If we needed something along the lines of clothes, etc., there was Penny's right next by. Of course there was Kress up in Wailuku. Had ono jello at the restaurant. I always ate the "red one."

But for the everyday stuff, we shopped at Pukalani Superette. It was that, or Morihara Store. And everyone knew everyone. And we all said 'Hi." And the ladies at the cash registers knew us, and I called them "the Pukalani Ladies."

Had Cordiero Chevron on the corner. We had "an account." Is there even such a thing anymore? You scrawl your name on some register thing everytime you buy gas, and at the end of the month you pay. Or whenever.

We used to do our laundry at the place at Maui Mall. I would beg for Guri-Guri since it was right next by. Or look at the puppies in the window at The Pet Shop. Sir Wilfred's always smelled so good. The pipes always proved fascinating. We also sometimes went to the place behind Kahului Library. I remember Cupie's. I pronounced it "cuppees" as a kid.

Nothing was open past 7 or 8. Sundays were for yardwork or maybe my friends came over and we'd play in the yard. Then watch "Let's Go Fishing" at 5. Bruce Carter ruled.

Who the hell would wanna live on Maui, much less upcountry? Nothing there... they laughed at my parents when they bought a house near Crater Road in the late '60s. They lived in Keawekapu before that.... And now Oprah lives up the road.

Strange times, indeed. But the writing was on the wall since 1959. Remember the construction crane as "state bird?"

We can wax moody and retrospective, or we can embrace what's actually happening here... and try and steer it in the right direction.

My family has been in Hawaii for too long for me to give up now... I'll stick around and see what happens...

Thanks for the memories, Dick. Yes, that was a wonderful time to live on Maui. Today? No Ah Fook, no Peggy and Johnny's, no Toda's, no Noda Market, no Kress Store, no National Dollar, no Ooka, no Maala'ea Store...BUT Buzz is still there, and so is Morihara Store (although the neighbors are protesting a proposed expansion), Tasaka Guri Guri is still there, and so is the Pet Shop. Sam Sato moved from Happy Valley but it's still chugging along, Azeka's just finally closed up its food stand so no more Azeka ribs. Some of what has replaced it is good, but mostly it's just been a transplantation of Mainland stuff, which is sad.

Miulang

[Bard]

Re: Mainland Chains vs. Island Culture

Buying in bulk is cheaper and reduces the amount of time I have to spend shopping for items like that.

I'd also like to point out that buying bulk often reduces the trash associated with consumer items. One big gallon jar of something, where you can often reuse the jar because it's usefully big, or recycle it if not.. vs 3-4 little jars which must separately be disposed of or used.

[blueyecicle]

Re: Mainland Chains vs. Island Culture

Bulk is a necessity in my house with 3 little boys and one grown man! Do you know how many little tubs of applesauce I would go through in one sitting versus 1 jar for 3 sittings? MUCH less trash!

[Andy]

Re: Mainland Chains vs. Island Culture

Craig, I'm sorry to hear the Big Island has a landfill problem. I guess every landfill is a problem. But thanks for proving my point.

I concede that wages are generally a bit better than minimun in the service industries. Costco just started running their Help Wanted ad on Kauai and they start at $10.50 (up to $17.50), more for skilled labor such as meat cutters. And yes, the big chains offer decent benefits. But there are still issues with wages. Craig, does your son share his tips with the kitchen staff who rush his pizzas to him, and is he paid for mileage/wear/insurance on his car? The big boxes are in effect outbidding the tight labor market and taking employees from the existing businesses (because you sure can't have people move here for those wages). That's good for the employees, but not for the small businesses that made up the island culture.

And I'm not waxing nostalgic about the "old" days, I'm just saying that stories like Dick's are reasons I came to Hawaii, seeking something not mainstream that I thought would be easier to find off the mainland. Now that I'm here, I see that some of the local culture is evolving towards the mainstream, which is why I wanted to talk about it here.

Regarding shopping habits, we only have one baby for now, and we still tend towards the simplistic and the staples. We manage with one trip to a farmer's market and one grocery trip to hit the sales almost every week. We buy in volume of the sales items which last us weeks or months, so that we have every necessity cheaply stocked at home (acts as a hurricane stash, too). Sure, I could probably shop at Costco if it were as close as the groceries to me, but will they have long rice, canned bamboo shoots, green tea ice cream, teething tablets for the baby, and Keoki's beer? Eating the basics (with a few luxuries) with seasonal fruits and veggies and cooking a bit ourselves saves money and is much healthier than all the processed foods.

Buying in "bulk" (large containers) is good, it *usually* means less packaging. But people often buy those flats of individually wrapped chips, etc. intended for businesses. However, the problem with large size containers is people see more food and eat more of it (and they weren't starving in the first place--again, this is the psychological aspect of the whole thread), for example 12oz of soda just doesn't seem like enough anymore. For real purchases in bulk, we take our own containers to the bins of grain, cereal, pasta, flour, etc at the natural foods store.

And my impression of everything else at Costco was lack of choice. You get whatever mower or stereo or furniture set they are trying to unload that week (OK, maybe they have 2 or 3). Sure they carry cheap books/movies and lots of them, but they're all the heavily advertized items, Disney and TV characters for the kids and blockbusters for the adults. If you don't let your local bookstore make a bit of money when you buy bestsellers from them, they won't be around to sell books by local authors, or anything else outside the mainstream.

I'll be silent for a week now, but only because I'm going on vacation to the Big Island. I promise to ask about their landfill problem. But thanks for all your stories so far, I'm glad to see that people are talking and perhaps doing something about the loss of local culture. As a recent transplant, I wasn't sure if or how longtime residents were reacting to the changes.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: Mainland Chains vs. Island Culture

not all of us buy in bulk. Some of us don't even have a costco membership card *raises hand*. Some like me depend on the local farmer's market and religiously shop there to get produce for days at a time. And buy beef and pork from the local meat house to stock up the freezer. When I do go into WalMart (rarely) I will stock up on paper goods and soaps. I love my local supermarket dearly. And hate having canned food rot in my cupboards for months at a time...not to mention hating canned food period.

This is also thrifty living.

[Bard]

Re: Mainland Chains vs. Island Culture

Buying in "bulk" (large containers) is good, it *usually* means less packaging. But people often buy those flats of individually wrapped chips, etc. intended for businesses.

Yes, indeed, like .. say .. flats of bottled water It's a sad situation everywhere that things have sooo much packaging these days. Worse there, where there's not really anywhere to put it, but it's going to bite us all sooner or later. They sell packs of lunch meat at the store here now in its own Gladware container! We got one once because we wanted the container anyway, but I can imagine people using the container for the meat and then chunking it. We've mostly moved to refusing to buy things whose packaging is not obviously reusable or biodegradable.

However, the problem with large size containers is people see more food and eat more of it (and they weren't starving in the first place--again, this is the psychological aspect of the whole thread), for example 12oz of soda just doesn't seem like enough anymore.

A 12oz can of soda looks like a poised to strike python of an amount to me now.. trying to lose weight

Anyway, peace Andy, enjoy your BI trip!

[Pomai]

Re: Mainland Chains vs. Island Culture

Yes, indeed, like .. say .. flats of bottled water It's a sad situation everywhere that things have sooo much packaging these days. Worse there, where there's not really anywhere to put it, but it's going to bite us all sooner or later.

Micro electronics packaged for big box retail are the worst when it comes to this. In an effort to grab attention and prevent theft, the likes of SD cards, iPod accessories, batteries and even gift cards are placed in super-oversized vacuum-formed plastic clam shells.

Those things are a son-of-gun to get open too. I almost cut my hands several times just trying to take the product out. That plastic isn't biodegradable either. Recyclable maybe, but who's gonna' do that?