Yee ha! Cooking up smiles for Costco patrons

To the youngsters who crowd round her, Eleanor Makio of Palolo Valley is the Pied Piper of sales pitches. They stand transfixed in her presence, present her with personal drawings and mimic her patented patter.

Hoaliku O‘Connell of Nanakuli peeks from behind a pillar and watches "Auntie Ella" prepare Smart Steaks for Waipi‘o Costco shoppers. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

She might break into song, recite a poem or utter an original slogan, such as the one she coined for a line of toilet paper she promotes:

"Treat your hindness with kindness!"

To grown-ups, colleagues and kids alike, she’s Auntie Ella, or The Yee Ha Lady, a bundle of spontaneous combustion with a resounding voice, perpetual effervescence and an unquenchable appetite for hawking household products.

Born on Oct. 22, 1941, at Queen’s Hospital, for the next half-century she remained typically obscure: a student, a wife, a mother of two, a cook at a local market.

Then, seven years ago, shortly after taking a job as a product demonstrator at Costco in Hawai‘i Kai, something happened that changed everything. While doing a food product demonstration, Makio let loose with a boisterous, "It’s soooo delicious, it makes you want to go ... YEE HA!"

With that, Makio has become a huckster phenomenon. Soon, she had imitators. Tiny tots could be heard calling "Yee Ha!" throughout the store. Folks began yelling "Yee Ha!" to her in the street, at shopping malls and in restaurants.

"When I’m at a stop light, I hear kids in the next car saying, ‘Mommy, mommy, it’s the Yee Ha Lady!’ And so I look over and go, ‘Yee Ha!’ because they’d be disappointed if I didn’t."

Last year she branched out to the Waipi‘o Costco store. Now, people are yelling "Yee Ha" there, too.

"She’s an attraction," said Ariel Mesina, an assistant manager at the Waipi‘o store. "People were calling up asking if The Yee Ha Lady was working here now, and what her hours are."

Added Orlando Guzman, manager at the Hawai‘i Kai Costco meat department, "Everybody misses her. They miss her mouth."

Eleanor Ching and Jocelyn Kitahara of Kaimuki, who normally shop at the Hawai‘i Kai Costco, were among those who traveled to see Auntie Ella at her new digs.

"Yep, we definitely miss her," said Kitahara.

As Makio was demonstrating the Tyson Teriyaki Glazed Chicken Breast Fillets, she told people:

"And the magic word today is, it’s microwavable! Yes! That’s my kind of cooking! And you can find it right there at Door 41 on the bottom shelf.

"It’s fully cooked, no MSG and it’s soooo delicious . . . It’ll make you wanna go Yee Ha!"

The key to successful demo presentation depends in belief in the product, Makio said.

But Makio’s boss, Leslie McGuire, a supervisor with Warehouse Demo Services, believes it’s Makio’s irrepressible spirit.

"She’s like a magnet," McGuire said. "She just comes up with those things all the time, and people always come running."

Being the Yee Ha Lady is the best thing that has ever happened to Makio.

"But you know something?" she added, glancing down at her toes in a rare moment of reflection. "There are some people who don’t like me at all. The kids always do. But some adults think I’m too noisy. I’ve had them make mean faces at me. Give me stink-eye.

"When that happens, though, I’ll tell you what I do: I think positive and smile."

It’s true that her act bothers some, although there are not many critics who will give their name for the record.

"Too loud — drives me crazy," said one.

"Obnoxious," added another.

But for every disapproving customer, there are legions of fans who love her. Makio’s bedroom is a virtual museum of photos, letters and drawings, mostly from kids.

Her most cherished possession is a bright red vest covered with more than 500 pins given to her by kids and Costco members. The vest is so pin-laden it nearly weighs down the 130-pound pitch lady.

"I went back to the Hawai‘i Kai Costco one time because I felt so sad," she said. "And as soon as I walked in the door, I started crying and the tears were rolling down my face and I gave all my friends a big hug. But, I love it here now. And lots of my friends come over here."

And how long does she plan on being the loudest demo lady around?

Too easy.

"Until I can no longer yell . . . YEE HA!" yelled Makio, flashing double-gloved shakas.

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