Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Maui Costco Membership (2024)

Maui Costco Membership - is it worth it?

I am trying to figure out if we recover the $45 membership fee at Costco through savings compared to the local grocery stores. There is a Costco about 20 miles from our home, a lot further than the BJ’s, that we currently belong to.

There are seven of us heading over to Ka’anapali in a couple weeks for a Sunday to Sunday stay.

We are staying in a condo with a full kitchen and I plan on doing all of the cooking.

Looking for mainly meat [steaks, burgers, pork tenderloins – figure about 3 pounds of meat per day], snacks and pop for the kids, and maybe some fresh vegetables. I want to go to the farmers market in the West Maui area but that is not until Tuesday [I believe], so I may not want to buy veggies in bulk if I can get them from a ‘better’ source.

We don’t need a ton of paper products and I plan on picking up just what we need at a local grocery store.

So the question is, is it worth it to spend $45 on a membership?

Thanks for your thoughts on this…

Stash

If you only plan to use the Costco during the 1 week trip to Maui, then I would say no, it isn't worth it.

3 pounds of meat per day (yikes!) times 7 days is 21 pounds of meat. So if you can save just $2 per pound on that one item, you've covered the membership fee. Costco's unit prices are also much lower than supermarkets' on eggs, bakery items, beverages, snacks, etc. A week of food for 7 people can really add up, so saving just 10 - 20% would be quite a few $$.

I live equidistant from Costco and BJs (on the mainland) and find Costco to be preferable, so you might even get some use out of it when you get back home. They have wonderful bargains on all sorts of things -- not just the warehouse stuff but everything from tires to travel to mortgages!

I don't think Costco is all that great for most things unless you need a 12 gallon jar of mayonaisse. The prices on things like soft drinks beer are higher than if you bought them at the market, and you have to buy them by the case. The meat prices can be higher than you'll find at the market too, especially since the grocery will have things on sale--Costco never has a special of the week. I buy TP, PT and bottled water at Costco. The one thing that the Kahului Costco does have is good, fresh, local caught fish. I normally buy my fish at Eskimo Candy, a local fish market in Kihei, but if I need a big old piece of fish on the weekends, when Eskimo Candy is closed, I'll make the trip to Costco. Not sure if it would be worth either the $45 or the time you'll spend in that zoo of a place, especially on a Sunday.

You can save money on spirits at Long's Drugs. Long's sells local produce and local-grown beef (grass and pineapple-fed, no hormones or anti-biotics). Star Market has been competitive with wine price lately, but for the most part they are high priced and I worry about the freshness of their fish. Safeway will be your best one-stop bet. There is a Long's and a Safeway both at the Lahaina Cannery Mall.

There is a Farmer's market on Lower Honoapi`ilani Road in Honokawai on Monday. Get there early (7 am) for the best selection and the beat the crowds. There is a fish market in Honokowai where you can get fresh pokes. Safeway has a larger selection of pokes, but beware--they do make poke from previously frozen fish--read the tag in the case and ask the guy at the counter. Poke needs to be made from fresh fish, not frozen.

Wow - great post here_today... , and everyone else.

Couple more questions;

Do you think the market will be open on July 4th? our dates are the #rd to the 10th.

How is the Mahi Mahi this time of year? I plan on grilling it with a lime and tomato marinade.

Last - what is poke?

Stash

For me vacationing in Hawaii I'd prefer to shop at a combination of the Safeway, Longs, local markets, bakeries, small shops. I know it's a purely personal preference but spending time beatin' thru the crowds and schlepping bulk groceries doesn't jive with my carefree island mood.

Could you manage to save the $45 to break even with 7 people in a couple weeks time, probably so.

Also I always try to support independent local businesses when possible, like the fish store mentioned above or a farmers open air market where you can buy direct from a grower.

The Costco in Maui had madadamia nuts and chocolate-covered macadamias near the front of the store when we were there last June. They made great souveneirs and great gifts! They were a good price and were very tasty.

We go to Costco in San Diego and found that the good thing about Costco is, they don't carry any bad brands...anything you buy at Costco is good quality, for good prices. They are pretty consistent on this.

I don't know about BJs, as I don't think I've seen one in my home town. But maybe the Costco near your home will have some deals that BJs doesn't have. We love Costco for food for parties. You can't beat their prices in San diego. Also Costco has travel packages for good prices, though we haven't used them yet, we have been looking at them. They also have good deals on good tires.

Hope this helps!

I agree with Jacketwatch. (Hey, Larry! :-) ) Especially since you say you're going to do "all the cooking" for seven people for a week. Too, I go to Costco, not just to save money on some things, but because many of their products are outstanding quality, better than my supermarket's. Their rotisseried chickens are huge and the best I've eaten; you can't buy a chicken and roast it at home, for $5.00. The bakery products are wonderful, and you can use the larger sizes of products, if you have seven people eating in everyday.

The only thing I wouldn't like about shopping at Costco in Hawaii? LONG LINES at certain times; my time is so precious there ........ I avoid certain days and times here at home, for that matter!

By the way, Stash, I find BJ's and Costco's to be different in many ways. I belong to both; I think the quality in Costco is just a notch or so higher in some things.

Have a wonderful trip to Maui!

Costco: good meat at good prices, also fish and specialty food items, cooked chicken is very convenient and inexpensive, and you can pick salted nuts, etc. For less than a dollar a week, you will save money on that vacation week and have purchasing options for the rest of the year.

For poke, see

http://www.hawaii.rr.com/leisure/rev...ajatpphigh.htm

Here is a list of farmer's markets on all islands. There are 8 listed for Maui.

http://www.hawaiiag.org/Markets/marketslist.htm