HONOLULU -- The world's biggest Wal-Mart opened Wednesday in Honolulu.
The two-story, 317,000-square foot complex also includes a Sam's Club.
There are mixed feelings about the opening of a the new store. Hundreds of eager shoppers rushed past a handful of protesters who accuse the giant retailer of desecrating ancient gravesites.
Hundreds of shoppers poured into the store when doors opened at 9 a.m. Some people lined up as early as 5:30 a.m.
Some customers lined up hours ahead and then poured into the discount store after a traditional Hawaiian blessing and the untying of a lei at the main doors.
"It's really crowded, but it's very nice and big and clean," shopper Holley Frank said.
The long-awaited grand opening of the Honolulu Wal-Mart made for controlled chaos inside the store. The company designed wider aisles to accommodate what's expected to be a busy place.
"This is definitely going to be a lot more convenient than going all the way over out to the other one," shopper Brandon Barang said.
Not everyone was happy to see the store open. A group of Native Hawaiians protested the opening outside. Hawaiian groups have challenged the retail giant over its treatment of human remains found at the site during construction.
"How would you like it if I go the National Pacific Cemetery at Punchbowl and dig up those iwis and bones there," Native Hawaiian activist Paulette Kaleikini said.
Native Hawaiians tried to delay the opening so 44 sets of remains unearthed in construction could be re-buried on the site.
"When we found that out that they're still sitting, under the ramp no less, that was very disturbing to us. We find that grave desecration," Kaleikini said.
A Wal-Mart spokeswoman said the retailer is treating the remains with respect, placing them "in an air-conditioned, darkened trailer in a secure location on the site."
"We too would like to see remains reburied as soon as possible, but the timeline for reburial isn't ours to decide," Wal-Mart spokeswoman Cynthia Lin said.
Wal-Mart officials say a reburial is planned, but they're waiting for approval by the state.
About a dozen special duty police officers will help direct traffic around the store for the next two weeks. So the congestion wasn't as bad as some were predicting. Instead it's the jay walking pedestrians causing traffic problems, officials said.
Sam's Club opens on the second floor of Wal-Mart next week.
Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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