Wea Do You Shop?
By Braddah Lance
With all the options and stores for anything and everything out there,
Wea do you shop?
Now I know Uncle Rodney (MidLife Crisis blogger and now Vegas, baby! blogger too *he's also in print on Sundays*) could go on for days on dis but I'm talking from everyday shopping to dining to.... everything!
Obviously we are creatures of habit so doing our shopping in relation to wea we live is key but do you also go out of your way to hit a particular store? How's about if your "in da area" do you "HAVE" to go oddahwise was waste? Wat's your first choice of store for a particular anything?
I'm just curious to see wea everybody is at and maybe, just maybe, find a place interesting to check out dat I may not have been.
Those who read regularly know dat I live in Pearl City (1300 Waimano Home Rd) so I'm at da Pearl City Shopping Center a lot - 95% of da time at Foodland or Daiei.... oops, sorry, Don Quijote.
Of course, Pearl City Sam's Club but funny, we no go to any of da oddah stores in dat complex. Pearl City Home Depot for well, home stuff but I'll go to Lowe's Waikele if there's a really good sale which of course I nevah get cause by da time I get there stay all gone.....
Wassap Wit Dat!
Then of course if we evah at Waikele, "gotta" go check out at least ONE store oddahwise stay waste yeah? So normally it's a quick jaunt to either Old Navy or K-Mart..... or malasadas. 
But da winnahs always is, imho, Oahu's flagship mall Ala Moana Shopping Center. I know I know, Pearlridge Shopping Center is waaaay closer to wea we live but Da Wife and I will head down there cause either she needs something "only" Ala Moana has or, ahem, I need something. 
But we always cruz there for at least a couple of hours and I gotta do a "quick walk through" at Oakley, Sears and Footlocker. I take a "quick look" at Apple (even though I don't have one - go figgah), T&C and HIC if we stay on "dat side".
Pearlridge Shopping Center is a quick hit stop for us meaning dat we know wat we want/getting and done deal. Walk in, walk out, pau. We sometimes hang around a little but not like how we do at Ala Moana. It's also our "choice" wen we don't feel like driving into town.
Basically, it's either Pearl City or Ala Moana for us.
Wat about you?
Wassup Wit Dat!
April 29th, 2010 at 8:51 am
Ho brah, now you talking!
Oh. FIRST!
April 29th, 2010 at 8:58 am
Like you - Ala Mo's is the place to go. Paula likes it because that Macy's has the widest selection - and sometimes you can find ridiculous bargains there.
Except for the Men's department. WWD!
The men's have to share half a floor with the kids while the women get 2 whole floors dedicated to their stuff. Not fair.
They probably know that women shop and men buy - so the place bargains around for the women - and leave it retail for the men (with a few bargains here and there if you hunt).
But I haven't bought something from Ala Mo's for over a month now - even though we're there every weekend. (you know, job situation).
April 29th, 2010 at 9:08 am
As for close to home - Costco Iwilei. I don't know why I torture myself and go there, but sometimes I just have to suck it up and attack. Battle for a parking space, time the cross traffic coming out of the store with your wagon trying to get to the entrance, then worrying about someone whacking your ankles with the front of their cart.
You always have to look ahead for the obstacles - the folks having one family reunion right in the center of the aisle or the lolos who leave their wagon right in the way, then walk someplace else to grab something.
Ho, sorry BL. Just like I writing one blog entry...
Home Depot - that's close to home. But a little too close to Costco. Other than that - not many places close to home for shop.
April 29th, 2010 at 9:20 am
Can I just say that I love Long's? There's no place on the Mainland where I can buy lei, kamaboko, shirts, and kleenex all da same place. I guesttimate that at least half of the omiyage I take back with me comes from Long's.
I only went to Arakawa's once, but I miss it. That was a great store.
April 29th, 2010 at 9:29 am
Good topic! I live in PC too and I like going to Tamura's. They got good pupus and different kinds of spirits! I used to have to got to Kaimuki a lot, thankfully they opened up in Aiea/PC!
I like to go to Ward Center as well. They got cute boutique stores, restaurants and pet supplies, all in one. Ala's is good too but I like different things.
April 29th, 2010 at 9:34 am
Howzit BL!
We shop at Hawaii Kai Costco, Kaimuki Longs, Kahala Mall, Diamond Head Farmers Market, Chinatown, Ala Moana, Foodland, Safeway and where the sales are.
April 29th, 2010 at 10:05 am
Online in the comforts of my home.
Yet shopping online is not so private anymore.
April 29th, 2010 at 10:18 am
Good Morning.
Foodland usually for the regular grocery items.
Tamuras for my produce and meats.
Costco for gas, (milk, & bread sometimes).
A MUST when in Waipahu around lunch time...Tanioka's for the okazu stuffs.
Longs is getting far and few between. The ads not as good as before, imho.
Cat food, O/C meds, tshirts from Walmart.
Mililani Farmers Market on the weekend.
April 29th, 2010 at 10:20 am
You neva ask, but where I DO NOT shop.
Home Depot.
I believe I already vented on one of the triad blogs on that incident. Have not been there in over a year. Which is a long time for me and a home improvement store.
April 29th, 2010 at 10:22 am
BTW - before someone gets funny.....
O/C not OCD
O/C=over the counter
April 29th, 2010 at 10:41 am
I'm a townie so I shop at Manoa Safeway and Manoa Longs. You can add in Ala Moana and Kahala Mall.
April 29th, 2010 at 11:03 am
I don't like crowds so for me it's "get in, get out"
Ala Moana Center is pretty cool though with all the upgrades and new shops.
I've only been to Best Buy once but whoa! Talk about paradise.
April 29th, 2010 at 11:08 am
For me I live in Ewa, so I go to daiei in waipahu. For clothes and other things it all depends on how i feel. Like I would go out of my way just to check out a new store (*ahem VICTORIA SECRET!) I swear when that store opened I was there every weekend! (so sorry hunny use your whole pay check lmfao). Then there's BEBE, juicy (OMG I'm so getting that itch right now lol). But I think it all depends on the store too. Like I notice say for example walmart. Since the PC one opened up the kunia one has jack Sh**. Then get Longs in salt lake as better selection then the waipahu longs. But I always make mento note which store is the cheapest on house stuff. Then I go there. For the kids too it all depends on how i'm feeling. If i'm way to lazy and want to go far I make the husband drive, if he's not home then I'll go to the closet place lol. I guess my favorite right now to visit is target! I think they have better selection on the clothes for the kids.
April 29th, 2010 at 11:10 am
For produce, I drive to Kalihi and shop the C&C People's Open Market, Mahiku Farmer's Market, St. Clements Parish Open Market, and the Farm Bureau Open Market when I can on Wed at Blaisdell. If in Kalihi, and I need eggs, I stop at KaLei, which is near Libby's Manapua.
For clothes, it's Savers, Goodwill, or some other thrift store. With fashions changing so often, and my buget, it's nice to find stuff there that I can modify or add to the mix. Found some good deals at rummage and white elephant sales too.
I like to look for discontinued items in Safeway, Times, or Foodland. Whether that means it's discontinued from their buyers not bringing it in anymore, or the manufacturer not producing it anymore, got some good deals for things that I needed. Marked down meats too, if you go home to cook it that day; why pay retail?
Costco in the ghetto of Iwilei for gasoline, and a Fruit & Nut mix.
I've become disciplined to not buy things just because they're on sale. Oh, and I sign up for "clubs" like Ryan's and Kincaid's Restaurants, Big City Diner, etc. Get to know some deals for meals, where I can treat myself to eating out every now and again.
April 29th, 2010 at 11:16 am
Good Morning...still morning.
For us: Kahala Mall, Costco Hawaii Kai, Times Kahala or Foodland Aina Haina. Ala Moana Ctr for things that can't find at Kahala Mall.
April 29th, 2010 at 11:22 am
up here, it's farmer's market, TJ's, Safeway for food (in order of preference). for clothes...who am I kidding, i don't really shop for clothes. if I need jeans or something, I'll go to kohls or sears, but that's about it.
the only stores i can stand to browse around in are sports authority, borders, barnes and noble, whole paycheck and that's about it.
at home, I do groceries at either times temple valley, safeway or foodland in kaneohe. for omiyage, it's windward mall.
April 29th, 2010 at 11:45 am
Ala Moana, Kahala Mall, Ward Warehouse once in a great while...Ward has a really cool store, Novel T World. I get all my father-in-law's Father's Day presents over there. They have decals to iron on that say stuff like "World's Best Grandfather" or "Dad is Great but Grandpa is Better" or something like that. My f-i-l lives in Hilo and he said everybody always asks where he got the shirt.
Longs Moiliili is the best, but I'll go to Manoa or Kaimuki if I can't go to Moiliili.
Used to go to Star, but now shop at Safeway, Foodland and Times, wherever is closest or has the best stuff on sale.
April 29th, 2010 at 12:17 pm
for everyday kine stuffs, we go Times,Marukai,Long's, Walmart, sam's.
like you guys, pearlridge is fo go wen know wat we going get. Ala Mo is fo go fo cruise around and check um out.
we like fo go whole foods sometimes, they get ono kine stuffs ova dea.
April 29th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
Walmart is walking distance so we go there, and Longs. Like Michael, I shop online, especially Amazon, buy clothes from REI and jeans from GAP online. We also go to the Mililani Farmer's Market at the high school gym, so I must have seen you there, Kage. You da handsome middle age Japanese guy hanging out at the bread sample table, right? We usually go to the Vietnamese farmers, Bale for bread and Dean's Greens for their Romaine, baby swiss chard and Okinawan spinach.
April 29th, 2010 at 12:49 pm
@TwoFish - I like to look at the discontinued items wherever I go too. I have not found anything I wanted to buy in a long time though. I think you got there before me.
Goodwill is a great place to look for old furniture that might just need a bit of cleaning. Couple siblings of mine refuse to have used furniture in their house. Not that it may not be clean, but more of otherworldly attachments.
April 29th, 2010 at 12:59 pm
@hema - I am the big hapa guy that looks disgusted at the long line in the one produce tent. Once in a while I am grazing at Bale. I mostly go for my eggplant and papaya fixes.
April 29th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
I live Salt Lake so I'm at Long's, Marukai, Foodland, Times, Target and Costco for the everyday stuff. If I want to head to a mall, Pearlridge is close and air-conditioned. But Ala Moana has a lot more variety and better people watching. Ward get good food. Waikele get the deals for clothes. And Amazon.com is the bomb for everything else.
April 29th, 2010 at 1:29 pm
Costco is king for the Seawalkers. Since time is probably the most precious thing for most of us, we end up doing our grocery shopping there each week.
In fact, sometimes we have lunch at Costco too. No, no, not outside at the snack bar. We go around in circles and up and down the aisles looking for the free samples. There's the acai samples, cheese, potato chips, multiple frozen entrees, etc., etc.
You can even use the toothpick they give you to clean your teeth afterwards!
Sometimes, things are cheaper at Wal-Mart, Don Quixote, Long's or Safeway if you wait for the sales. But the challenge is finding the time to go to all these places to stretch your dollars.
And @Rod, as an inconvenience for being at Costco, you just put up with these bugaongs talking in the middle of the aisle. Just pretend you don't see them and rap 'em with your cart!
Mrs. Seawalker always makes it a point to tell everyone she married someone poor. She checks things out at Ross and even buys from Chinatown. We frequent the malls because the kids enjoy the fishes at Ala Modes and the fountain at Kahala Mall.
Eh, BL, I still have friends at 1300 Waimano Home Road. In fact, that was my former hood too until I was released! Nah, just kidding.
April 29th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
I scored some unreal deals on Craiglist.
April 29th, 2010 at 2:32 pm
fuud & whatevas = Beretania Fuudland and Times. Kapalama & Makaloa Palama Markets. Koreamoku Sam's Club & Walmart. Pali & King St. Longs.
clothes & apparel = mostly AMC shops.
techno cr@p = Best Buy, Sears, Radio Shack, online.
April 29th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
I shop anyplace dat get beea and poke
NKHEA.....das all he need
April 29th, 2010 at 3:24 pm
For fun stuff I go to Best Buy, MechaHawaii, Collector Maniacs, Gecko Comics, 8FatFat8. For food and households, Times, Foodland, Costco and Longs. I also buy a lot of the fun stuff I want online.
April 29th, 2010 at 3:47 pm
8FatFat8, is the buggah Sai (the owner) still there?
April 29th, 2010 at 4:01 pm
Ho, I thought Rod was going Post Hoar.
Me? no mo' money so shopping is a rare occasion. Some of you saw my empty freezer pic on FB, I still didn't go shopping. But when I do....
Sam's gives me best bang for my buck, gotta separate everything and freeze 'um. Run me broke but no need go back for lonnnng time.
Safeway Kapahulu 3 blocks away... milk is cheap ($3.99, oh, wait, went up to $4.49 now) and I only buy what is on super duper sale like now got avocados for 89 cents I can put in my salads. Sometimes BOGO eggs, and most of all, my Lucerne Fat Free French Vanilla Creamer beeg bottle for $3.49.
I still go to Longs too.
WalMart and Sam's is in between home and work so I'll go there for quick stuff. My latest treat is Kings Bakery Sweet Bread Rolls. Bag of 24 for $4 something.
Clothes is mostly from Ross, some from Goodwill and SA if I can find guud stuff. Usually still got tags on 'em.
Then always gotta check Craigslist for super bargains and garage sales!
Where you think I got my PanAm bags?
See? I don't post hoar, I just say everything till you tired of reading.
ha!
April 29th, 2010 at 6:10 pm
I spent about $300 a month at Tamuras in Kaimuki the last few years!
My liver and bank account are now regretting that
April 29th, 2010 at 6:37 pm
oh, forgot to mention that I'm growing more and more of my own veggies. da boss put the foot down on a flock of chickens, though. I wanted my own eggs, but no deal.
April 29th, 2010 at 7:27 pm
Shopping Victory! I went to Macy's tonight with a Friends and Family card in hand. Bought 5 pairs of pants and a top for $41. 70% off reg $$$ then 20% more if you use a Macy card then 25% more with the F/F card.
Chee Hoo!
April 30th, 2010 at 6:56 am
Favorite shopping stops:
Costco
Wallmart
Costco
Ross's
Costco
Sams Club
Yep Costco maybe 3 times a month.
I remember when the Salt Lake Costco was open I would go there maybe twice a week just to buy milk at @2.99. Since I live close by I would get there around 8:00 just before closing -- not as crowded. The problem was 2 gallons of milk cost me ave of $75 after the chimichungas, pancake mix ,ice cream, and hot pockets. Several times I had to get out of the check out line and put things back after mentally calculating the cost.
I save money since they moved to Waikele ---- Now only I go only once a week!
April 30th, 2010 at 7:50 am
I'd figgah your eyeballs be popping out.
Quote Of Da Day.....
I don't shop because I need something, I just shop for shopping's sake.
Cat Deeley
Tell me about it!
Waaaaaat? Ovah a month? Going through withdrawls or wat?
Yeah, dat place is a madhouse and then you get some of da ovahspill from Home Depot too and dat's a "perfect storm".
Well maybe I'd get more posts?
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E Komo Mai to WWD! 420! Hopefully there'll be more 'good topics' for you to drop in on and share.
Dat location for Tamura's will be a test though cause every business dat was there hasn't lasted more than a few years.
True dat. We like to "visit" Ward and check out da stores dat da oddah "malls" no more.
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Is dat da same as da KCC Farmer's Market?
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Online shopping is such da bomb now cause can find things dat you probably can't find hea but you're right, wit all da "tracking" they do and cyber-punks, you just hope your computah is doing wat it can to "protect" you.
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You get your system down yeah?
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Manoa in da house!
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Get out! Only once?! Are you living in a cave? It bettah be a man cave.
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Rogah dat! Da Wife and I, wen choosing which store, always try and choose da store wit more "selection".
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Wow! Fresh foodie huh? And local vendors - cool.
I don't like to.
Nice tip!
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East side in da house!
April 30th, 2010 at 8:24 am
TJ's - Trader Joe's for those who wondering. I tink I'd go crazy if TJ's evah came down hea but it cause da prices would be jacked up, I'd probably end up not going.
Anoddah East Side in da house!
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Sale or closest first?
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Sounds about right.
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Wat is REI? And yeah, I gotta start buying my jeans online too so can buy my "size".
Farmer Market's are so cool.
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It's all about if you can handle "used" - some people no can.
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You pretty much covered everything.
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Lunch? Das pupu's.
Rogah dat!
So dat was you making all dat "back splash"?
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Oh yeah.... but it's buyer beware so be careful. *knocking on wood* So far, besides da flakes, I've been pretty lucky.
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Waaaaat? I thought it was K-town all da way?
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Well..... gotta have GOOD poke.
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MechaHawaii? Wat dat? So you one comic collector?
And of course..... 8FatFat8. 
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I not stopping him.
Rogah dat!
I know! Milk prices has crept up.
Who says you are? You like me go lick 'em?
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No chickens? Lose money.
Da Wife was doing da same trying to start small wit green onions and chili peppahs. Now she wants a "whole garden".
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Ooooooooh! You suckah! You wen really score! Good for you! I stay all J now.
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Das all?
So they "helped" you then.