I have a question about the Costco store memberships. There has been a lot of talk on the various hotel boards about folks using their Costco entrance to save big bucks on food, snacks, and souvenirs in the Hawaiian Islands.

We are headed there in early January and I was wondering if a new membership was really worth it? We live in Iowa and DO NOT have any Costco's around us, so we would most likely not be able to take advantage of the store beyond our trip.

Is the $45 membership fee really worth it then? Is there any other kind of "short-term" membership or trial membership we could get for the 10 days we will be on the islands? Or maybe there are some other types of specials deals out there for discounted membership.

Any details would be greatly appreciated!

Yes, there is a short term (either 1 day pass) or a trial 3 month membership you can use. I am not sure of the cost.

As far as the membership, it is worth it if you were going more than once. But if there is no Costco near you at home...I would not bother.

Also bear in mind that Costco is not the kind of place you can dash in and grab a little something for a snack (except at their outdoor prepared food place). There are usually long checkout lines - not optimal for a vacation.

You do not need a membership card to buy their outdoor food, which is a real bargain.

I'd only do this if you are near one -driving out of the way wouldn't be worth it -
But, if you plan on going to Hanauma Bay for snorkeling (which you should) you will be near the Hawaii Kai Costco.

Most of the mass retailers don't deviate much from a national pricing model. Go to any Costco, Kmart, or Wal-Mart in Hawaii, and the prices will look about the same as they do at home. That takes care of your cheap t-shirts, film, snacks, etc.

As for grocery stores (Safeway, etc.), expect prices to be higher. Coming from Northern California, prices seemed somewhat higher, but not way out there (except milk, which is a rip-off). Seeing as you're from Iowa, you may experience some sticker shock.

I would say it's not worth the Costco membership unless you plan on using it at home as well.

[This message has been edited by channa (edited 09-22-2002).]

I don't know if they still have it, but previously Costco had an offer with AMEX where you could get a one day trial membership by showing your card.

If you've never been to Costco then you don't know that everything is pretty much sold in bulk, that's why it's cheaper. Unless you're staying in a condo and you are a whole family, I don't really see where you would make use of all that you would buy. There are enough cheap places to eat and shop at if you take the time to do research. I have a lot of free time thus I have spent time on Zagat.com, visit-oahu.com, digital city hawaii.com, planethawaii.com,travelhawaii.com and lots of other sites whish recommend cheap and expensive restaurants, bargain activities and such. Don't think Costco would make it worth your while. Just my opinion.

I'm not clear on the topic's ties to "MilesBuzz", so I'm moving it to Omni.

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Craig6z
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