Nearly six decades after first setting up shop on Bishop Street, Longs Drugs continues to meet the needs of the islands’ everyday folks at 50 convenient locations, including its newest store in Mililani Mauka
Lawrence Tabudlo photo
2 LONGS DRUGS COMMEMORATIVE • JULY 11, 2012
Special Message from Governor Neil Abercromb Neil Abercrombie
GOVERNOR
SPECIALMESSAGE
OF HAWAII
Special Message Governor Neil Infrom Recognition of Abercrombie
Longs Drugs 50th Hawai‘i Store Opening Special Message from Governor Neil Abercrombie JULY 11, 2012
On behalf of the people of the State of Hawai‘i, I congratulate Longs Drugs on the opening of its 50th Hawai‘i store. The company has earned its place as a part of local culture, and the new Mililani Mauka location represents a continuation of that proud legacy. Longs Drugs has played an important role in helping to establish and support business and island values in the islands since 1954. Hawai‘i was still a territory when Joe and Tom Long embarked on their first store venture, committed to establishing loyalty amongst customers. Since then, Longs Drugs has thrived even among the introduction of many other large store chains. The company continues to promote local products tailored to the unique tastes of the people of Hawai‘i. In many ways, Longs Drugs is much like a member of many island families, providing and helping to care for residents through its pharmacy services and resources. Today, owned and operated by CVS/pharmacy, Longs Drugs continues its commitment to local culture and high quality service, as made apparent in each and every one of its loyal customers. Mahalo nui loa (thank you very much) to Longs Drugs for being a valued community partner and member of our island family.
With warmest regards,
NEIL ABERCROMBIE
JULY 11, 2012 • LONGS DRUGS COMMEMORATIVE 3
Peter B. Carlisle
Message from Mayor Peter B. Carlisle JULY 11, 2012
MAYOR
SPECIALMESSAGE
OF CITY & COUNTY OF HONOLULU
Congratulations to the staff and management of CVS Caremark and CVS/pharmacy on the occasion of the grand opening of its 50th Hawaii store in the dynamic community of Mililani Mauka. With more than 40 stores throughout the state, Longs Drugs has become synonymous with valueadded service to the people of Hawaii since it opened its first store in downtown Honolulu on March 29, 1954. Offering products that appeal to the local community, Longs’ friendly staff, astute marketing practices and strong community presence continue to secure its place as Hawaii’s favorite place to shop and share “a part of your day.” On behalf of the people of the City and County of Honolulu, I commend you for your invaluable contributions to our community and extend best wishes for a memorable event.
Peter B. Carlisle
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Another Star Is Born.
Congratulations Longs Drugs Honolulu Star-Advertiser and MidWeek congratulates Longs Drugs on their 50th store in Hawai‘i.
The pulse of paradise. | www.staradvertiser.com
Everyone gets it. Everyone reads it. | www.midweek.com
JULY 11, 2012 • LONGS DRUGS COMMEMORATIVE 5
From Your Friends at RSM Hawaii 487-6455 • info@rsmhawaii.net • www.rsmhawaii.net
6 LONGS DRUGS COMMEMORATIVE • JULY 11, 2012
Holds aSpecial Place in
Hawaii’s Hearts Nearly six decades after opening its first store in Hawaii, Longs continues to meet the needs of the islands’ everyday folks BY KYLE GALDEIRA
The first Longs Drugs store in Hawaii opened in downtown Honolulu March 29, 1954. Photo courtesy of Longs
JULY 11, 2012 • LONGS DRUGS COMMEMORATIVE 7
Makes its Mark in the
Longs ushered in its first customers at Ala Moana Center Aug. 13, 1959 — eight days before Hawaii gained statehood. Photo courtesy of Longs
hether shopping for reasonably priced goods and local staples, filling prescriptions at the convenient pharmacies or simply waiting for and scouring the store’s weekly advertisement, local customers would be hard-pressed to imagine life in Hawaii without Longs Drugs Stores. Longs has called Hawaii home since 1954 — five years before statehood — when it opened the first local store at the bustling corner of Hotel and Bishop streets in downtown Honolulu. Like other drug stores of that era, Longs featured a pharmacy and soda fountain, as well as assorted health and beauty products. In the nearly 60 years since, the friendly customer service provided by Longs employees clad in their iconic aloha shirts, and the availability of locally made products and gift items in conjunction with traditional drugstore merchandise has allowed the business to grow at an impressive pace. Earlier this week, Longs opened its 50th
store in Hawaii at its new Mililani Mauka venue. According to the online site at CVS Caremark — Longs’ parent company since 2008 — more than 2,600 employees “live and work” at Hawaii’s previous 49 locations. Longs was founded by brothers Joe and Tom Long in 1938, and the duo believed in offering quality goods at the lowest possible price while treating customers like family. It’s a philosophy that continues to this day. The pair was inspired by their father who worked as a general storekeeper in Mendocino County, Calif. before his business folded as the Great Depression set in. Joe helped launch Longs with a $15,000 loan from his father-in-law, Safeway founder Marion Skaggs, and it would stand as the first and last bit of financial assistance needed by the company. While the aloha spirit may not have been the exact terminology used by the Long brothers nearly 75 years ago, Longs continues to carry on its mission that has allowed the company to flourish in the Islands.
see PAGE 8
ISLANDS
While CVS Caremark’s home base in Woonsocket, R.I. may seem far removed from Hawaii’s isolated island chain, the company’s holdings in the 50th state are highly valued. CVS Caremark announced on Aug. 12, 2008 that it would purchase Longs Drug Stores Corp. in a deal worth $2.9 billion. At the time of the transaction, Longs operated 521 drugstores — 37 of which were in Hawaii, as well as locations in California, Arizona and Nevada. In a press release from the company announcing the deal, officials spoke highly of the store’s existence in the Islands, saying: “The transaction also offers CVS Caremark immediate market leadership in the highly attractive Hawaiian market, where it currently does not have a presence…” Longs roots run so deep in the Islands that CVS Caremark chose to keep the familiar look and feel of the Longs brand alive, from the store name to its unique touches such as employee aloha shirts. “Sometimes there are challenges with the changes that we’ve had to deal with, but overall, it’s been a smooth transition,” says Judy Gonzalez, a Longs employee for the last 45 years. In its latest quarterly earnings report released May 2, the company said that as of March 31, it operates “7,428 locations, including 7,352 retail drugstores, 29 onsite pharmacies, 31 retail specialty pharmacy stores, 12 specialty mail order pharmacies and four mail order pharmacies in 44 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico,” and bills itself as “the largest integrated pharmacy company in the United States.” Additionally, as a pharmacy benefit manager, CVS Caremark serves more than 60 million plan members — roughly 6 percent of the nation’s population. Thanks in part to the Longs acquisition, CVS Caremark currently has its largest presence in California with 836 locations, but continues to value Hawaii’s potential for growth with the addition of its Mililani Mauka store this week. Photo by Nathalie Walker
8 LONGS DRUGS COMMEMORATIVE • JULY 11, 2012
The Pali store once included a snack bar for customers. Photo courtesy of Longs
from PAGE 7
All in the Family Judy Gonzalez has worked as a member of the Longs ohana for 45 years, and represents one of the company’s loyal employees who have grown with the business. Gonzalez has climbed the company ladder while also stopping at a host of the chain’s locations along the way. She began her Longs journey at the Ala Moana store, and then relocated to Maui before stints in California at both Santa Rosa and Sonoma. Gonzalez then
see PAGE 18
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JULY 11, 2012 • LONGS DRUGS COMMEMORATIVE 9
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10 LONGS DRUGS COMMEMORATIVE • JULY 11, 2012
More Than Just A Store Longs has always been “a meeting place for old friends, working partners and reunions” By Kyle Galdeira hen veteran newspaper columnist fiction writer, you always look for a character’s need, and and lauded fiction writer Lee what drives them. I tried to think about where people Cataluna was looking for inspira- go when they have these deep needs, and it was Longs. tion many years ago, she took her There are things you need, and then there are the pen and notepad along while deeper needs, and Longs serves that emotional need. “You see people connect in those aisles. They’re shopping at Longs Drugs Stores. The people she encountered and anecdotes she there for aspirin, but really they’re there for some sort wrote down encapsulated the Longs experience, and of social connection, some kind of compassion, unshowed that the iconic locale serves as more than derstanding or friendship. Someone you stand next just a drugstore. Cataluna chronicled connections be- to in line may say, ‘Whoa, how’s your head? My leg tween shoppers and what they were buying, as well stay sore too!’ Longs is just so full of that human enas how store clerks and customers interacted like ergy every day, so that’s why I wanted to set all my characters there.” family members. When asked to pinpoint her initial In 2005, the Honolulu Advertiser and now Honolulu Star-Advertiser colummotivation for compiling the set of stories, Cataluna recalled a memory she nist published Folks You Meet in Longs, drew from an experience at the Kahuand Other Stories. The 144-page book lui, Maui Longs location. was based on Cataluna’s play by the “I watched this old man come in, same name that premiered in August and he had pikake from his yard that 2003 at Kumu Kahua Theatre, and caphe had gathered up, so he had these tured the human bonds and emotions sprigs of pikake in a plastic bag,” forged through years of shopping and Cataluna recalls. “He just went down interacting at the store. The show was the line and gave each one of the so popular that it was performed 11 cashiers flowers, then he went in the months later, and again in July of last year Lee Cataluna back to the pharmacy and gave some as a fundraiser for Kumu Kahua’s 2011- Photo courtesy Lee Cataluna to them too. (The employees) were so 2012 season while also producing runs at both the Maui Talk Story Theatre and the University thrilled to see him, and somebody went in the back of Hawaii-Hilo Theatre. to get him coffee, and I could just tell that it was a “It can’t be said any better than the title of a book and regular thing. I witnessed this while shopping, and play of a few years ago, ‘Folks You Meet at Longs,’ ” says clearly they were expecting him, and he was an old Denis Akimoto, director of Hawaii operations for Longs man — it took effort for him to get to the store and Drugs-CVS Caremark. “Longs has been and still is a meet- get around, but it meant something to him. “I ended up writing about it, and the guy’s daughter ing place for old friends, working partners and reunions.” So what is it about Longs that inspired Cataluna to recognized him, and she wrote to me and confirmed conjure up such a vast collection of quirky characters that ‘Yeah, that’s my dad and he’s been doing this for and anecdotes that run the gamut of emotions — years. He gets mad when his pikake bushes aren’t from side-splittingly hilarious to intensely sobering? blooming, and he goes to check on the avocados to Cataluna explains that a lifetime of shopping at Longs see if he can bring that instead!’ He ended up passing allowed her to develop characters based on people away a few years ago, but that was just part of his roushe observed fulfilling basic needs, whether they were tine. He went to Longs, whether he needed to buy something or not, because they were his friends, they seeking conversation or material goods. “I’m going to be 46, so Longs has been around my understood him and accepted him. He looked forward whole life,” Cataluna says. “It’s been a place that you go to it, and they treated him like family. “It was clearly beyond a store for him.” to for the essentials of life. As a writer, especially as a
W
truly a
Longs part of our world I By Lee Cataluna
have this theory that I’m working on about Longs. It goes something like this: Sooner or later, the whole world walks into Longs. I have slight variations on the theory, but the bottom line is: Longs is a great cultural hotbed of material for a writer. Longs is life. Life is Longs. People walk in with their needs pasted on their faces like shopping lists. You can see the ones in pain making their way through the aisles to get to the Advil shelf, the corn pad section, the truss collection. You can see the hunger in their eyes as they reach for the SlimFast. You can hear the shame in their voice as they have to describe their prescription by ailment (“Uh, it’s a little round pill for, uh, my, my da kine”). Look up from the amazing array of kaki mochi and watch a high school reunion right there in the aisle. Stand in the express “nine-item or less” lane and witness someone with a whole cart full of stuff get chewed out in 15 different languages. Listen in on the teenaged conversation in the nail polish aisle and feel old. Listen in on the old folks’ conversation and feel young. Listen in on the conversations at the pharmacy counter and feel blessed that your life isn’t so complicated. Every Longs has its favorite, its mascot, its patron saint. In Kahului, it’s Richard. Richard is a retiree, a small little guy who walks with a shuffle and squints to keep his glasses on his nose. Every day, or more correctly, every day he’s not in Vegas, Richard gets up early to gather plumeria and thread them onto flat toothpicks in the old tita-girl May Day style. Then he heads to Longs to make the drop. The ladies wait anxiously. The day is not the same if Richard doesn’t come by. The pharmacists in the back of the store spot him as soon as he walks in the door. They scurry to get a cup of coffee for him and fix it just the way he likes it. There’s ample time to do this because it takes him a while to make his way to the back of the store. Richard takes a clutch of plumeria out of his plastic bag for every female worker in the store. He doesn’t just hand them over, though. Not Richard. He puts the flowers in each lady’s hair. And, yes, he scores a kiss. Every time. But for every Richard, there’s the anti-Richard, the one who comes in, grumps around, asks too many questions and makes a general nuisance of himself. You know him. You’ve stood behind him in line. He bummed your trip. And there are more, an infinite array of characters, a cornucopia of story lines, a wealth of dramatic tension and comic relief. Every age, race, affiliation and affliction, they all come into Longs. The weak and the mighty, the proud and the humbled, the quick and the damned. We all need toothpaste, and even better if “get sale.” Lee Cataluna’s column appeared in the Honolulu Advertiser Nov. 17, 2000
JULY 11, 2012 • LONGS DRUGS COMMEMORATIVE 11
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12 LONGS DRUGS COMMEMORATIVE • JULY 11, 2012
Mililani Mauka Welcomes By Kyle Galdeira
Location
In opening its newest store, Longs Drugs reaffirms its mission “To help people on their path to better health”
T
hat path to health and well-being now runs through Mililani Mauka as Longs opens the door to its 50th store in Hawaii this week. “For our 50th store opening in Mililani Mauka, we are excited and expect the store to be a big success in providing convenient, accessible retail pharmacy products and services to the community,” says Harold Morse, CVS Caremark Longs Hawaii regional manager. “Our store is located at the gateway to the Mauka subdivision, and we will provide a high level of convenience to the community.” In accordance with company tradition when opening a new Longs location, the grand opening has a store-specific special advertisement, along with prizes and giveaways for customers. According to Morse, the Denis Akimoto, CVS new location will Caremark Longs Hawaii director of operations also feature innoShannan Okinishi photo vative enhancements to the shopping experience, including an expanded grocery section, assorted fresh produce, wider aisles and fixtures designed to improve ease of shopping. “This will be our third store in the Mililani community, making it accessible for all to be able to shop and fill prescriptions at their favorite Longs Drugs location, minutes from
Kahu Sherman Thompson joins company representatives Russell Uemura, Mililani store manager; Harold Morse, CVS Caremark Longs Hawaii regional manager; and Darrell Ito, district manager, at the grand opening celebration of the company’s 50th store in Mililani Mauka, held July 9. Nathalie Walker photo
their home,” Morse says. According to Denis Akimoto, CVS Caremark Longs Hawaii director of operations, customers at the new store will enjoy the same great customer service and product variety that have helped make Longs a kamaaina favorite. “Coupled with our goal of servicing our customers with true ‘aloha spirit,’ Longs has evolved into a one-destination shopping experience in the state of Hawaii,” Akimoto says. “Our 50 stores and many years of operation have translated into (numerous)
family connections in all walks of life and occupations. Longs is a household name, and our iconic Sunday ads and Value Books are always mentioned as one of the first things Sunday newspaper readers look for.” Longs has developed an efficient merchandising system that starts at the company’s Hawaii Regional Business Office in Kapolei, where a team selects and procures merchandise for its various ad programs and also introduces new items. The local team monitors data and mixes in local products and mainland offerings into the stores’
JULY 11, 2012 • 50TH STORE OPENING • LONGS DRUGS 13
Health and Beauty departments. “Our teams consist of many individuals who have worked in various stores, in multiple departments and locations,� Akimoto says. “Their experience and expertise on what our customers want goes a long way into the decisions we make. Our store colleagues also have the ability to buy and display a wide variety of local items that cater to their customers’ needs and wants.� As customers in Mililani Mauka get acquainted with the new store, shoppers will find a variety of goods selected by Longs’ merchandising teams, including local favorites and specialty items. “Of course, there are items that are staples in Hawaii, and you can always count on Longs to have them on a continual basis, such as Libby’s Vienna Sausage, Spam, rice and packaged snacks,� says Akimoto. “You can also find our high-quality, affordable CVS/pharmacy Brand items, along with our local proprietary selections only found at Longs, such as Ilio Pet Products, Is-
land Accents, Rely and Hawaiian Traditions items.� “Our mission statement and purpose is to help people on their path to better health by providing the most accessible and personalized expertise,� Morse adds. “We
are foremost a pharmacy, with newly integrated systems to help expedite all of our customers’ pharmaceutical needs. Our friendly pharmacy teams interact with our customers to help them stay adherent to their medications.�
Longs employees exit the store prior to the blessing of the company’s newest location in Mililani Mauka. Nathalie Walker photo
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14 LONGS DRUGS COMMEMORATIVE • JULY 11, 2012
JULY 11, 2012 • LONGS DRUGS COMMEMORATIVE 15
Congratulations Longs and their customers have been a valuable partner to Rubbermaid. Congratulations on your 50th store!
SUNCARE PRODUCTS
Thank you Longs for your partnership in helping us “POWER” Hawaii’s consumers Congratulations on your 50th Store!
GE is a proud partner of Longs. Thanks for all the great years of service!
14 LONGS DRUGS COMMEMORATIVE • JULY 11, 2012
JULY 11, 2012 • LONGS DRUGS COMMEMORATIVE 15
Congratulations Longs and their customers have been a valuable partner to Rubbermaid. Congratulations on your 50th store!
SUNCARE PRODUCTS
Thank you Longs for your partnership in helping us “POWER” Hawaii’s consumers Congratulations on your 50th Store!
GE is a proud partner of Longs. Thanks for all the great years of service!
16 LONGS DRUGS COMMEMORATIVE • JULY 11, 2012
You’ve Come A LongsWay, Baby Several longtime employees recall the reasons they came to work for the company years ago, and why they’ve been loving life ever since By Joanne Romero is a rare thing these days to come across someone who loves his job. It’s even rarer to find someone who has been at the same company for more than 30 years. But the employees at Longs are another story. We picked four of many employees who have enjoyed incredibly extensive tenures at Longs. These workers, who have been with the company for a combined 128 years, talked to us about what it is that makes Longs so special. Brian Hattori, now a buyer and clerk for Longs at Kamehameha Shopping Center, started working at Longs 43 years ago as a part-time courtesy clerk, making money to help pay his tuition. What was meant to be a short stay at a part-time job soon grew into a lifelong career. “After a while, I just loved the job,” Hattori says. “I stayed with Longs forever. I just love it.” What Hattori loved so much were the people he grew to know. “At least six of my closest friends I met through working at Longs,” he says. “They keep me going. When I come to work, it’s like family here to me.” Iris Tokioka, office manager at Longs Waipahu, agrees. Tokioka planned on working at Longs for only one year, but the people she met and her all-around positive experience led her to stay with the company for what has now been nearly 34 years. “We all get along really well, and we help each other out,” she says. “It’s not every man for himself.” Tokioka recalls fond memories of “League of Their Own” style sport functions she and her fellow friends and employees used to have with other stores. “We would go out together as a group, a bunch of friends — not just a bunch of employees,” she says. Lindy Tratchel, an office manager/bookkeeper for the Lahaina location, says her 14
Longtime Longs’ employees (clockwise from top left) Ed Ah Toong, Brian Hattori, Iris Tokioka and Lindy Tratchel. Photos courtesy of Longs Drugs except for Brian Hattori (Leah Friel photo) and Iris Tokioka (Nathalie Walker photo)
years working with the company have helped her to meet “at least a dozen” of her close friends. “It’s like a family,” Tratchel says. “Everybody tries to take care of one another.” Ed Ah Toong, store manager for the Downtown Hilo location and a Longs employee for 37 years, often has a hand in hiring the people the Longs family has grown to love. “I look for somebody that is friendly, cheerful, willing to speak and willing to help,” he says. All qualities most people look for in friends, this may help to explain why the employees at Longs have been able to create such lasting relationships. “If you enjoy working with people, this is a good place to start,” Ah Toong says.“I’ve made a lot of really good, lifelong friends here.” And it’s not just employees that you get to know. Known for its neighborhood-store appeal, Longs garners a remarkable following of regular customers.
“You run into them outside of the store, and you’re able to speak with them,” Ah Toong says. “You consider them friends as well.” Beyond the people, the nurturing environment that Longs fosters creates a setting that allows its team members to grow. While there is the customer service side of things, employees may also learn other functions, such as buying and management. Tratchel worked in almost every area of the store as she prepared for her bookkeeping position. “The best way for me to understand the inventory is to have experience working in the receiving department,” she says. “It is excellent training.” Watching people mature has been fulfilling for Ah Toong. “One of my favorite parts of the job is developing people who have the potential,” he says. “If I see someone that has the potential to move forward, and we help them, and they succeed, I take a lot of pride in that.” The variety of the job keeps everyone engaged. “It’s still fun. I’m at the point now that it’s just like recreation for me. I love to come to work. I love the company,” Hattori says. “Every day is something different, and you learn new things every day.” Perhaps that’s why, even after all these years, these four employees continue to take pleasure in their time at Longs. “I still enjoy it,” Ah Toong says. “I enjoy the other employees, and there is just something about the job. It’s hard to say. It’s just something that appeals to me.” That something has resonated with Tokioka as well. “I like my job,” she says. “I hope I’m here until I retire.” Tratchel adds, “Longs has always been an institution in Hawaii. I believe in that institution, and all of us are committed to it.” Hattori agrees. “I’m at the age that I can retire, but I still love it. It’s just like family. It’s hard to think about ever leaving. It’s been a good trip from day one to right now.”
JULY 11, 2012 • LONGS DRUGS COMMEMORATIVE 17
Congratulates and its employees on the opening of their 50th store
18 LONGS DRUGS COMMEMORATIVE • JULY 11, 2012
returned to the Islands, working at the Kailua and Kahala branches before settling in at the Kamehameha Shopping Center store in Kalihi — her home store for more than 20 years. “Ever since I started with Longs, I’ve never regretted it,” Gonzalez says. “I’ve had great managers and I really enjoy my job. It’s a learning from PAGE 8 process and I just appreciate what they do for me and what I can do for them as a supervisor.” After spending a brief period as a cashier, Gonzalez transitioned to the receiving side of the operation. She currently serves as the receiving supervisor, managing shipments and organizing products that come in while also coordinating those products with that week’s familiar Longs newspaper advertisement. “All the years I worked for Longs, it was maybe one month out of the whole 40-something years that I spent as a cashier and the rest of the time I’ve spent in receiving,” Gonzalez says. “Whatever comes in to the store, I need to make sure that all the merchandise is in for the ad. It’s just a
Congratulations to Longs Drugs on the opening of their 50th store in Hawaii.
Although the store design has changed much over the years — from the Moiliili store of today, right, to the Bishop Street location, circa 1970 — the iconic logo “Longs Drugs,” which greets customers at each entryway, has remained the same. Photos courtesy of Longs
matter of organizing everything and checking in the merchandise.” Gonzalez takes pride in her work, gladly telling people about her Longs connection when asked what she does for a living. She stands behind the company that provided her a fruitful career and takes care of its employees, and creates a positive atmosphere in which to work — something that ultimately leads to customer satisfaction. “The benefits are great,” Gonzalez says. “The 401(k) has been a great help; if it wasn’t for that I
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JULY 11, 2012 • LONGS DRUGS COMMEMORATIVE 19
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20 LONGS DRUGS COMMEMORATIVE • JULY 11, 2012
Why People Love Making Longs APart Of Their Day By Joanne Romero / Photos by Eugene Hopkins
Y
ou’ve probably experienced it before. You walk into Longs Drugs in search of a specific product. You ask an associate for help, and they happily guide you to the right place, accompanied by a contagious smile. An institution in Hawaii for more than half a century, Longs has become a part of everyday life for people throughout the state. Many people grew up visiting Longs with their mothers and tutus. They trust the quality, the pricing and the people they see when they walk through the door. Ask just about any customer what it is they love about Longs and they’ll likely cite the store’s convenience. Longs Drugs has locations
throughout the state, which means no matter where you go, you’re usually never too far away from one of its 50 stores. And with ample parking, Longs Drugs is always a convenient and quick after-work stop for Hawaii’s kamaaina. Once inside, the aisles contain a strategically placed, incredibly expansive product line — where you’re sure to find everything from motor oil and plumbing supplies to cosmetics and groceries. Both kamaaina and tourists enjoy the local merchandise, such as slippers and candy, and the competitive pricing often beats the competition. Here’s what 12 Longs customers had to say after we asked them:
“Why do you shop at Longs?” and “What do you buy when you’re here?”
POMAIKA‘I AKIONA “It’s convenient and they usually have sales … I like the scented balls for the car or the house. I don’t know if they even sell them at other stores. I haven’t seen them there, but I know they’re (at Longs). Their makeup is usually on sale, too.”
RAY YAMANE “Because of the cheap discounts and coupons and the daily savings … I buy school supplies and candy for the kids … The convenience and the multiple locations. It’s right down the street from where I live.”
JULY 11, 201 LONGS DRUGS DRUGS COMMEMORATIVE 21 JULY 11, 2012 • LONGS
STEVE KOOPMAN “It’s local and you can get good prices on beer. Plus, it’s cold. Longs is here and it’s right around the corner from my house. We like shopping local.”
SHARI TANAKA “It’s close to where I live and usually it has a lot of the stuff I need (like) school supplies. I’m a teacher.”
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ANTHONY CHIARA “It has a lot of wonderful, convenient things. It’s easy to shop … I come and get candies, cookies, chips — stuff like that. I just prefer coming here. You can come in, and you can get whatever you need.”
JACK & FEI YUP “We’re from the Mainland and we have prescriptions that we needed to fill. Our doctors asked us, “Which pharmacy?” and we chose CVS/Longs. We love the Maui Onion chips. It’s one of our favorite snacks!”
TEATHER VIERRA “I live right down the road and I’ve always shopped at Longs … Local food — Spam and abalone — things like that. Usually the prices are better here when they’re on sale.”
EMILY WONG “I usually look for things on sale … some makeup stuff. Their bread is actually sometimes cheaper (than the grocery store). Also, I come to pick up my parents’ medication.”
JOE NAKAI JANICE FERGUSON “It’s convenient. It’s near where I live, and I always come here (for) snacks, toilet paper, essentials. I like the prices, and the walking distance.”
“Convenience, mostly. Besides that, it’s just habit. I’ve been going here a lot since I was a kid, so it’s why I decided to come back … I usually get stuff for hair and bath products, and regular, everyday use for home stuff.”
JULY 11, 2012 • LONGS DRUGS COMMEMORATIVE 23
IRIS KANESHIRO “I like the convenience. I like the atmosphere of the store. It’s air-conditioned. The people are nice … There is a variety of household things that I can use.
PAUL WEAKLIEM
“We had a coupon so we are getting some new slippers … We like to pick up some of the Hawaii stuff that we don’t get back in California. Slippers aren’t so easy to come by … and the Hawaiian chocolates and things like that. Gifts for people at work and that kind of stuff … My wife is local, so we always come back to Longs when we’re in town.”
24 LONGS DRUGS COMMEMORATIVE • JULY 11, 2012
Charity begins at Longs By Christina O’Connor
L Longs Drugs employees demonstrate there’s strength in numbers as more than 40 employees showed up for a recent check presentation that benefits the March of Dimes Hawaii. Workers and customers worked hand in hand to raise nearly $155,000 for the organization. Eugene Hopkins photo
ongs Drugs has been an integral part of the Islands since it opened its first Hawaii store in 1954. While Hawaii residents continue to turn to Longs for its wide selection of goods and its reliable pharmacy, there is another important way in which the company has been serving the community: through its charitable contributions. Longs has a long and vibrant history of philanthropic work designed to help build healthier communities and make a difference in the lives of children and their families. “During Longs Drugs’ 60-year history, we have worked hard to serve Hawaii shoppers with quality products and enhanced customer service,” says Longs Drugs/CVS Caremark director of Hawaii operations Denis Akimoto. “At the same time, we want to support organizations that are helping children and families in the communities where our customers and colleagues live and work. “Since the first Long Drugs store opened
in Hawaii, it has been part of our culture to give back to the communities we serve,” Akimoto says. This tradition is one that continued when Longs Drugs became part of CVS Caremark in 2008. “We have been pleased to continue supporting our long-standing partners and develop new partnerships to have a greater impact across the state.” In its charitable work, Longs Drugs has supported a number of organizations that provide a variety of critical services in the Islands. Its two main areas of focus have been to improve access to health care services and to serve children with disabilities and their families. Some of the groups that Longs Drugs works with are March of Dimes, Easter Seals Hawaii, Special Olympics Hawaii, Waikiki Health Center and Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific. “Our philanthropic mission is to give back to the communities in which we live by helping people on their path to better health
through impactful community engagement and support,” Akimoto says. The company supports its partner organizations in a number of ways. Last year alone, CVS Caremark donated nearly $50 million in funding, in-kind donations and colleague volunteerism. In keeping with its mission of helping children and their families, two of Longs Drugs’ main charitable efforts include funding college scholarships and supporting the March of Dimes. Longs Drugs provides $1,000 college scholarships to deserving high school seniors. The scholarship program has been in place for about 10 years, and in that time, Longs Drugs has awarded more than $300,000 to students throughout the state. “We are pleased to have helped these young people realize their dream of obtaining a college education,” Akimoto says. “Once again this year, we will award scholarships to promising students, and we wish them well at the college or university they attend.” Another primary charitable effort is providing volunteers and support for the March of Dimes Hawaii. The March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies, and Longs Drugs employees on Oahu, the Big Island, Kauai and Maui have participated in their local March of Dimes walks. This year, Longs Drugs employees and customers raised nearly $155,000 to benefit the organization. “This is a great opportunity for our employees to be involved in an effort that not only supports a great organization, but also gives them an opportunity to engage with their neighbors to support a worthwhile cause,” Akimoto says. As Longs Drugs celebrates the opening of its 50th store in Mililani Mauka this week, it is a time for the company to look forward to bigger things to come regarding the continuation and expansion of its charitable efforts. “As we open our 50th store, we celebrate our continued commitment to Hawaii communities and our long tradition of giving back to those who need it most,” says Harold Morse, Longs Hawaii regional manager. “We look forward to partnering with best-in-class organizations in Hawaii that provide services for children and families and help underserved populations for many years to come.”
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from PAGE 18 probably wouldn’t be saving anything. And the people themselves are really nice! I’ve never had a problem with anyone while working with Longs. Customers think so highly of Longs as far as the pricing and friendliness. I just think it’s a great place to work.” She holds Longs in such high regard, in fact, that Gonzalez encouraged her daughter, Anissa, to work there as well. According to Judy, her daughter has been with the company for roughly 25 years now, and holds the similar title of receiving supervisor at Longs Drugs the Windward City represents a virtual Shopping Center loone-stop shop for many of its cation in Kaneohe. customers — be “It’s been in the they kamaaina or family, and she does tourists. a lot for that store,” Photo courtesy of Longs says the proud mother. “She’s
Congratulations, Longs Drugs! from SMP Enterprises, Inc. and our manufacturers Thank you for being You keep going, and our valued partner! going, and going.
doing really well, and I always wanted her to work for Longs. When I started in 1967, I was pregnant with her, so she’s been around just about as long as I’ve been with the company. But, I think she works harder than me. She’s a real go-getter; she’s on top of it.” When asked to reflect on Longs’ impact on her career and ultimately her life, Judy was quick to praise the company for its efforts. “I have no regrets. I really appreciate what they’ve done for me and I think highly of the company,” Gonzalez says.
Lifelong Customers Remain Loyal Shoppers For Hatsumi Kadotani, one of her Sunday morning rituals involves picking up the Sunday newspaper.
26 LONGS DRUGS COMMEMORATIVE • JULY 11, 2012
Sure, the stories and features are interesting, Shoppers have but there’s one item always found within the paper that althe Longs’ aisles ways draws Kadotani’s ateasy to navigate and chock-full tention: the iconic yellow of valuable Longs ad, chock-full of products. deals and savings that she Photo courtesy takes advantage of at the of Longs Lahaina store near her Maui home. “At least three times a week, I’m there,” says Kadotani, a former Lahaina Public Library worker for more than 30 years, with a chuckle. “We’re not young anymore, so we don’t drive around too much.” The 85-year-old Kadotani has lived on Maui all her life, and she and her 89-year-old husband, Sam, a retired supervisor at the Kaiser Permanente Clinic in Lahaina, rely on Longs for their everyday needs, and make the drugstore a one-stop shopping destination up to three times a week.
“We’re so glad Longs came to Lahaina because they were only in Kahului before,” Kadotani recalls. “I buy everything there — my eggs, milk, cream and lots of other things I need — vegetables, too. I come home with two or three bags every time!” While the Kadotanis choose Longs for its wide variety of quality products, the customer service they receive from the store’s friendly employees completes the couple’s experience. “They give me really good service. I like all of them,” says Kadotani. “They may not all know my name, but they know my face. The other day, the girl said, ‘Hey, I haven’t seen you for a while!’ And whenever I need help finding something, they’re always there to show me what aisle it’s in.” As Longs opens the doors to its 50th location in Hawaii at its Mililani Mauka site, new generations will continue receiving the same friendly service and bountiful selection that the Kadotanis have come to know.
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Avian & Small Animal Feed
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The Cleaning Tools Houseware Products
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JULY 11, 2012 • LONGS DRUGS COMMEMORATIVE 27
Congratulates Longs Drugs on their 50th Store Opening. C&S, the Largest Wholesale Grocery Supply Company in the US, is Proud to be a Supplier to Longs Drugs Stores in Hawaii.
91-315 Hanua Street, Kapolei (808) 682-7300 Supplying Hawaii’s Families with quality products.
50 STORES!
G N I T A R B E L E C
CONGRATULATIONS, LONGS!
28 LONGS DRUGS COMMEMORATIVE • JULY 11, 2012
CONGRATULATIONS
Aloha, Congratulations on the opening of the 50th Longs Drugs store in our great 50th state. As a Longs Drugs partner for over 45 years, we are honored to celebrate this milestone with you. Longs Drugs has been a provider of life's necessities and contributor to the unique fabric of culture that is Hawaii since 1954. Best wishes to the management and staff of Longs Drugs.We hope your customers continue to make Longs a part of their day. Aloha,
Greg Gomes President Advantage Webco Hawaii