‘A nostalgic place’
Customers will miss the old school homey atmosphere of Sack N Save
WAILUKU — Another longstanding grocer known for its convenient location, friendly employees, ono food and good deals will close doors at the end of the month due to low sales.
Locally-owned Foodland Super Market Ltd., Hawaii’s oldest and largest grocery retailer, recently announced that it will shutter Sack N Save Wailuku on Nov. 28 after 27 years of servicing the community.
“The decision to leave a location that we have operated for many years was not an easy one, and we thought carefully about the impact the closure would have on customers and employees,” said Stacy Waiau-Omori, vice president of sales and operations at the Wailuku store. “Balancing changing customer shopping patterns, the costs of necessary repairs and the potential to increase sales, we have determined that continuing to operate this store is no longer sustainable.”
Sack N Save opened in 1994 and has since been an iconic pitstop for Maui shoppers. It was founded in 1948 by the late Maurice J. “Sully” Sullivan and was the first supermarket to open in Hawaii.
The company operates 32 stores and employs more than 3,400 employees at Foodland, Sack N Save and Foodland Farms stores on four islands, according to a news release.
There are currently 60 employees at Sack N Save Wailuku, who will all be offered positions at other Foodland stores on Maui, including Foodland Kaahumanu, Foodland Kehalani, Foodland Pukalani, Foodland Kihei, Foodland Lahaina and Foodland Farms Lahaina.
Wailuku resident Sandra Hapakuku Lono on Sunday said that she’ll miss how Sack N Save is conveniently located for the surrounding local communities — the store sits on 790 Eha Street at the busy corner of the Wailuku Industrial Park and Waiehu Beach Road.
Other residents that were going in and out of the supermarket told The Maui News that Sack N Save is “within walking distance” for their family or is their “go-to” for grocery shopping after work.
Renee Smith said that she drives from Upcountry to shop there because of its “old school kindness and pride of the employees.”
“Every store remodeled, changed, got bigger and lost their edge,”
Smith said on Sunday morning. “I loved how it felt so homey… The produce section was always stocked, tended to and fresh. I love the people there too. It’s just sad.”
Smith shops at Pukalani Superette too because “it’s basically a miniature Sack N Save” and will probably stop there more often after the Wailuku grocers close at the end of the month.
“It was just a nostalgic place and brought great memories and comfort,” she said.
Former Maui resident Michelle Soares Miyajima said via Facebook Messenger that “we will definitely miss Sack n Save.”
Whenever the family visits home from the Mainland, the first stop when they land is at the Wailuku mainstay, she said, to get “a few of our faves like the limu poke, shoyu poke, spicy edamame and of course boiled peanuts.”
“The supermarket employees have become “ohana to me through the years,” Stella Lau of Waiehu said.
“We have shared so much with each other about our families, through hard times and good,” said Lau, adding that some workers always help her to shop.
Lau goes to the store often for cornbread and umi rolls. On Sunday morning, she said that employees from the produce section “came out to see me.”
“I have so much aloha for each of them,” she said.
Although customers flooded the parking lot of Sack N Save and shopped on Halloween day, sales at the store overall
“have not met expectations and we can no longer justify the costs of keeping it open,” said Jenai S. Wall, Foodland chairman and CEO.
“We are grateful to our Sack N Save customers for faithfully shopping with us over the years,” Wall added. “We know our employees will miss serving this community at this store and hope customers will continue to shop with us at our other Foodland locations after we close on November 28.”
After the store officially closes, the space will be returned to the landlord on Dec. 28.
“While the closing of the store is very difficult for our company and is sure to be disappointing to our loyal customers, it is especially sad because it impacts the lives of our people — employees who have worked so hard to make our store a great place to shop and work,” Waiau-Omari said.