LIHU‘E — Glenn Hayakawa did not need three minutes, Saturday.
Hayakawa, employed with Esaki’s Produce, was the lucky recipient of the $500 shopping spree at the Lihu‘e Big Save awarded by the Contractors Association of Kaua‘i during the 2010 CAK home show last week.
Saturday, Hayakawa and two other finalists showed up at the Lihu‘e Big Save to see who would “win” the spree, each of the prizes placed in a recyclable shopping bag and each of the finalists drawing a slip.
Sandra Henmi won a $50 Big Save gift card and Rochelle Parras walked off with a $100 Big Save gift card, leaving Hayakawa with a few minutes to plan his shopping.
“Goteborg, daddy, goteborg!” chirped Alicia, 8, one of Hayakawa’s two daughters.
“Don’t forget the shrimp,” Susan, Hayakawa’s wife, piped in.
With the store cleared, Hayakawa made his way to the meat department and began loading up.
“If you drop something, don’t stop to pick it up,” Susan chirped from across the store, returning to her phone conversation with relatives to give them a play-by-play account.
With hunks of meat anchoring, Hayakawa loaded up on Alicia’s goteborg before making his way to the register.
“Get the shrimp,” Susan said between her cell phone conversation.
More hunks of meat and boxes of shrimp came to the register.
“You’re over,” the cashier said. “You’ve got more than $600.”
Less than two minutes had elapsed from the signal to start.
Hayakawa pondered and then looked over his collection of meats, waiting out the three minutes before putting back items which surpassed the $500 ceiling.
Alicia’s heart sank as the final item going back was a roll of goteborg, the 8-year-old doing the honors of handing the sausage back to the cashier.
“It’s her favorite,” Hayakawa, who earned the spree by attending the home show with his brother-in-law who is remodeling their home and went to see what is new in the industry.
With the winnings, Hayakawa said Prince Kuhio Day was on their family.
“We’ll have dinner, Sunday with relatives,” Hayakawa said. “Prime rib, shrimp on the barbi, and goteborg appetizers. We got it all.”
Susan was especially pleased with the results, but even more pleased because she said Glenn was doing all the cooking.
Gary Furugen of Big Save said after this weekend’s Easter Egg Hunt, the other big shopping spree will come with the Visitor Industry Charity Walk.
“That one is a bit more challenging because everyone shops and whoever is closest without going over is the winner,” Furugen said.
Big Save hosts its annual Easter Egg Hunt at both the lawn of the historic County Building in Lihu‘e and the Waimea Canyon Park on the Westside. Both hunts start at 9 a.m. and is free to the public.
Refreshments are donated by various vendors to the Big Save stores.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
