In a column last week, Advertiser columnist Lee Cataluna praised Amazon.com and its selection of local foods, which she describes as ready for those care packages to the mainland.
At www.Amazon.com, which has done a solid job of living up to the goal of being a one-stop super retailer, you can buy Hawaiian Sun guava juice, two six-packs for $8.99, and have it shipped just about anywhere.
Not quite “anywhere”. Amazon still won’t ship most of the items she mentions to any of us here in Hawaii.
After reading this column, I thought perhaps things had changed in Amazon’s world. So I did a spot check and tried to order a couple of things on her list of “available” local items.
The message comes up in red: “We’re sorry. This item can’t be shipped to your selected destination.” Meaning, no, Amazon stlll won’t ship food or grocery items to us in Hawaii.
Perhaps Lee could help by using the public platform her column provides to scold Amazon for this discriminatory policy.
Both the Advertiser and Star-Bulletin followed up this morning on the tip posted here yesterday about the pending request for a fast-track exemption for the ferry environmental assessment. But, of course, you read it here first.
And I notice that Mayor Hannemann now says he won’t move the Magic Island trees for the convenience of a festival promoter and that the idea was never seriously considered by his administration. I’m glad to hear it.
Here’s a story about some interesting survey results on the use of media and technology by people of different age groups. There are clues here about the still developing future of news.
I usually don’t check out Malia Zimmerman’s latest over at Hawaii Reporter, but a reader referred me over to her story on farm labor conditions at Aloun Farms. She’s got a handle on a big and hidden story that the mainstream should have been digging into. I’m told this and other farms have also used Micronesians brought in by labor contractors who lived under conditions similar to those described by Zimmerman. She’s done an excellent reporting job and deserves the credit.
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Amazon’s packing is the worst I have ever seen over decades of ordering books and things to be shipped to me (starting when we lived in Japan and had to order English-language books from Blackwell’s in Oxford). Several shipments have been just thrown into a flimsy box with some air pocket packing thrown loosely on top. Yup, on top.
I’ve used Ship to Hawaii successfully, but Amazon is a challenge. The last shipment came squashed because of the flimsy box material. Inside, crackers and other items were smashed because of lack of any internal packing except the token bubble thingie on top. It turns out that Swiffers are cheaper from Amazon so I ordered some to fill out the shipment. They were not packed internally at all, and one of them went through the cover of another, with the result that liquid spilled all over everything and leaked out of the package. No token bubble packing or anything for these.
I did complain and Amazon offered to replace the damaged goods — in two months.
I doubt they will change their packing philosophy since I think the cheap or free shipping depends on it.
I’m surprised others (not in Hawaii) have not encountered problems with Amazon shipments due to poor packing. In the past, DVD cases I’ve ordered have arrived shattered and other items dented. I can’t be the only one experiencing this.
I saw the HR article on Aloun Farms – seems to be thorough reporting of a very disturbing story.
As for Amazon, they are totally inconsistent. I’ve had an upright vacuum cleaner shipped for free as well as a six-pack case of a cleaning compound which was/is classed under “Home and Garden” instead of “Grocery,” like similar products *from the same company.*
Maybe it’s time to start Halls of Fame & Shame lists of companies who rip off Hawai`i customers.
Do you guys realize how expensive it is to ship stuff to Hawaii? You can’t really blame Amazon for not wanting to ship low margin grocery items to Hawaii.
Of course we an blame Amazon. They won’t ship even if we pay the cost of shipping.
Cost isn’t the issue. I’m not sure what is.