Costco vs K-Mart in Maui
 

Three families, 14 total, are travelling to Maui in August staying in condos. Plan to stop at Costco and K-Mart upon arrival. What types of groceries are available at K-Mart and are the prices better than Costco?
Any other big stores in that area good for groceries? We're staying 10 days in Kaanapali and plan to have many meals in the condos. Thanks in advance!

We were in Maui last month - didn't visit either store but shopped at Safeway for groceries. If you do so, take 2 minutes at the register to fill out the safeway card application and it will definitely save you some $ - about $5 to $10 each time we shopped. Prices seemed fine. We found beer/wine prices comparable, maybe even a little cheaper, at the ABC stores, which are everywhere, but they don't sell groceries.

Definitely stop at Costco, and skip K-Mart.

We picked Kmart based on the recommendation in Maui Revealed (and also to buy reef shoes). It was, in a word, a bust. Very little in the way of groceries, and no reef shoes in a selection of sizes.

There appears to be a brand new Walmart in the same area. Costco is great but does have a supersize problem.

Thanks for the info on K-mart. I wondered if it was a Super K-mart and obviously its not. Costco does have its size issues and that's why I was looking for another option. Does anyone know if the Walmart has a food section?

Not so much at the Wal*Mart. Costco is great for fresh fish, and large quantities, but not much else in my opinion. I don't find their prices to be so much better, especially if you have to factor in waste and the aggravation of shopping there. Seriously, I do my everyday shopping at Long's. They will have reef shoes and slippers too. You can buy local-grown beef from `Ulapalakua Ranch at Longs and local grown produce as well. They have the best prices on beer, wine and liquor. A twelve pack of Corona at Longs is $11.49. You won't find that price anyplace else. You can find fair deals on wine at Safeway and Costco has a fair selction, about the same as you will find at mainland Costcos. But I always end up at Longs.

I maybe do a Costco run once a month, but it's for TP and laundry soap and such. For basics, e.g. bread, peanut butter, salad dressing, breakfast cereal, etc, I shop at Longs. Be sure to try to upcountry salad green mix they sell at Longs. It is wonderfully fresh and a bargain compared to the bagged lettuce at the other stores. It is $4.99 for a bag, but we get 6 or more salads out of one bag, compared to three salad for $6 from the mainland-packed lettuce mix.

I have found that Safeway sells mainland beef and produce and the prices will be much higher than you pay for the locally grown items at Longs, and the quality is not as great because, well, its been shipped from the mainland. But if you want deli meats and cheeses you will have to go to Safeway, or buy them prepackaged in bulk at Costco.

Since there are three families, you might want to stop at Costco to buy some items in bulk, but there is a Longs and a Safeway both at the Lahaina Cannery Mall, convenient to Ka`anapali. Between them you should be able to find the supplies you need for the week without breaking the bank.

Thank you here_today_gone2Maui for all the info. I will certainly check out Longs in Lahaina. Mahalo!

Costco is a better choice for groceries and other things, such as books related to Hawaii. I brought back books as gifts and folks were very pleased.

My sister was on Maui for seven weeks this past winter, and she bought the huge rotissiered chickens at Costco, which she considered a real deal for the price. Also bought a large package of the best filet mignons there, and put them in individual packs for the freezer. (You could buy those big packs of meat if you were splitting between three families over 10 days.) She bought Hawaiian shirts there, to bring home as gifts, also books, music, etc. She said that Costco, combined with a Safeway card, saved her an enormous amount. She also shopped at Longs and ABC stores, considers them to be very well-priced.