The premiums are all the more surprising given that other retailers are able to hold the line on isle prices, charging close to or the same as what they do at their West Coast stores, especially for nonfood items. A Star-Bulletin survey of 30 national and regional retailers in Hawaii found that several had no or nominal paradise premiums, and two even had slightly lower prices compared with their West Coast outlets. Critics who question the high paradise premiums say consumers are being taken for a ride. Many consumers feel used Many consumers, in turn, feel used and abused. Every single one of us is aware of what the stores are doing.
Retailers deny any overcharging.
Their prices, they say, simply reflect the high cost of doing business in Hawaii, where the vast majority of goods and supplies must be shipped from elsewhere. The debate has raged in the islands for years. They're reminded of it when they hear that companies have made extraordinary profits in Hawaii while charging local consumers some of the highest prices in the nation, as has been the case with gasoline suppliers and auto insurers in recent years. They're reminded of it when local auto dealers routinely add thousands of dollars to the manufacturers' suggested retail prices of cars, even though the suggested prices already include cushions for dealer overhead and profit. They're reminded of it when Hawaii's major banks easily charge the highest interest rates in the country for new and used car loans.