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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, November 2, 2007

Walgreens opens its first Hawaii store

Photo galleryPhoto gallery: Hawaii's first Walgreens store opens its doors

By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Honolulu resident Lani Butler received a lei yesterday for being among the first shoppers at the grand opening of Walgreens across from Ala Moana Center.

Photos by RICHARD AMBO | The Honolulu Advertiser

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Merchandise is displayed almost from floor to ceiling at the new Walgreens — the first of 25 to 30 planned for Hawai'i.

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Walgreens opened its first Hawai'i drugstore yesterday across from Ala Moana Center with some bargains and a big crowd of folks who received orchid lei, gift bags and T-shirts for being the first to shop.

The store is near the corner of Kapi'olani Boulevard and Ke'eaumoku Street at the site of the old Tower Records store, which means it's centrally located for people who live, work or shop nearby but is short on parking. It's smaller than the chain's usual stores at 9,000 square feet compared to the usual 11,000 and up.

Ilima Hirahara, of Papakolea, brought along a granddaughter to check out the best deals. She came armed with coupons sent out in a newspaper advertisement and sees Walgreens as another option while comparison shopping.

"Good for competition," was her overall assessment — but not a replacement for Longs Drugs or Wal-Mart or any other store where she has been shopping.

She said she likes the convenience of having the store open 24 hours. Other than that, Hirahara said didn't see anything remarkable in her visit.

"I think it's the same to me," Hirahara said.

Michelle Abalos, of Kalihi, runs her own party-planning business. She dropped off the kids at school and headed for the new store. The low prices in the ad got her interested. "It's much cheaper," she said.

If the prices hold, Abalos said she could see herself becoming a regular shopper at the Walgreens planned for the old Kam Bowl site in Kalihi. The chain also plans to open a Kane'ohe store at the old Star Market site. Both locations are near to longtime Island fixture Longs Drugs. A fourth store is planned on Maui.

Big Island native Lani Butler, 45, just moved back to the Islands from Atlanta and plans to do all her drugstore shopping at the new store. She lives nearby and walked to the store.

Living in Georgia sold her on Walgreens. "They have their own products and you save a lot."

The Rev. William Kaina offered the blessing at the maile lei untying. While he brought many good wishes, Kaina also offered his own thoughts on chain store pitfalls.

On a recent Mainland trip, Kaina said he and other customers waited in line to pay at a store he did not name while all the clerks stood around talking with each other. He cautioned the new employees against such complacency in customer service.

Walgreens' District Manager for Hawai'i, Dana Psomas, who has worked for the Illinois-based chain for 17 years, said the store is considered a downtown location that relies on people coming in who are already in the area. But she admits that the store's shortage of parking — 11 spaces, plus some metered street parking — presents a challenge.

Walgreens chairman and CEO Jeffrey Rein flew in for the grand opening ceremony and presented a $5,000 donation to the Hawai'i division of the American Diabetes Association.

When he joked to Gov. Linda Lingle that his company would be able to save money by using her welcoming remarks as a TV ad, she shot back that he could afford a bigger donation. Within a few minutes, Rein doubled the donation to $10,000.

"Competition just got tougher," Lingle announced, which she sees as good news for consumers. "No one can take us for granted."

Clark Fujihara, a Nu'uanu native, moved to California to go to pharmacy school and stayed there until five years ago when he returned to the Islands to help care for his aging parents.

While on the Mainland, he had run his own pharmacy, worked for Walgreens and has since worked for another chain here. When Walgreens made plans to open here, he got a call.

Fujihara said he was happy to return to work there. "Even though they're a big company, it's very personal," he said.

Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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