After living in a dense urban area like San Francisco, I get excited when I hear a new delivery service has opened.  This week, Instacart began Oahu deliveries.  Included in their delivery group, are stores such as CVS, Safeway, Foodland, Times, Petco and even Costco.

The delivery price seems reasonable.  It starts at $5.99 and has a minimum purchase amount of $35.  There is, however, a markup on goods.  At first glance, the markup didn't seem particularly steep to me.  For instance, although you normally pay $4.99 for a Costco rotisserie chicken, $6.09 didn't seem that exorbitant.  Add to that, you don't need a Costco membership.

On second glance, however, I realized how quickly these upcharges add up.  Here's a breakdown of five items:

Instacart will apply coupons from Costco's coupon book, so pricewise, that awash.  Delivery times vary widely: If you're hoping to eat rotisserie chicken in the next hour, you're probably out of luck.  Delivery windows are one hour long, and strangely, slot availability is staggered even at this early phase of launch.

Selection also varies.  Toiletries are largely unavailable, ditto for electronics -- even something as mundane as an SD card.  A couple of products listed I've never seen at the Hawaii Kai store.  For instance, mainland Kirkland eggs sold in a 24-pack.  Makes me wonder if that can be delivered at all.

My take:  if you don't have a car this is a fabulous service.  Not only can you get Costco goods (and largely split the difference in savings between Instacart and yourself -- prices are still lower than your standard grocery), you also don't need a membership.  If you happen to live five minutes from Hawaii Kai Costco (which is usually not crowded, except on weekends) and have a car, I think your money and time are better spent shopping in person.

10/12/2017 - A water main break in the early hours of 10/12 affected Mariner's Ridge residents.  The road was partially blocked while Board of Water Supply employees fixed the leak, and a water wagon was provided for affected homes. [KHON]

10/9/2017 - Instacart begins offering grocery delivery service for the East Oahu area this week.  Deliveries start at $5.99 each, and the first one is free.  There are also three express options that promise expedited deliveries from any of the available stores for an annual fee. For 3 deliveries a month the express option cost is $79/year.  For 4 deliveries a month, $99/year.  For unlimited deliveries, the cost is $149/year.  There is a minimum delivery of $35 but multiple stores can be selected.  Instacart will deliver goods from Safeway, Costco, CVS, Petco and Times.  Pricing practices vary among outlets, but CVS indicates it charges the in-store price, and Costco does not indicate a markup but that prices may vary from the local store. [Instacart]

Time flies!  Once again the plant exchange is right around the corner.  Here are the details:

Kaiser High School parking lot
4-7pm, October 3, 2017
Bring a plant, take a plant

Here's a short list of plants we expect:

Sep 26 - The battle over beach access in the Portlock community may soon come to an end after the city took its first step in resolving the conflict .  Honolulu City Council voted to condemn the property and buy it from the landowner.  The City is in the process of having the area appraised and must now identify funds for the right-of-way. [HNN]

Sep 25 - Jimmy Pflueger, auto dealer, controversial landowner, Hawaii Kai resident dies at 91 [HNN]

Sep 24 - Hunter Long, the only Hawaii resident to compete in the X-games, is setting her sights on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.  Long has her roots here on Oahu: the Hawaii Kai skate-park is where it all started for this skateboarder twelve years ago. [HNN]

Sep 23 - Businesses are Koko Marina are seeking solutions after a car crashed into Paina Cafe, injuring seven.  This is among a string of similar incidents in Hawaii Kai: in one incident, a car crashed into Bank of Hawaii Koko Marina, and in two more separate incidents, cars crashed into the Hawaii Kai Post Office. [KHON]

KHON reports that Costco Iwilei gas station will be closed from Sept 28, 2017 through Nov 2, 2017 and reopen on Nov 3.