Shopping in Waikiki Oahu Hawaii

Waikele Premium Outlet

My first port of call is Waikele Premium outlet, they way I see it is – you should go to the outlets first to see what you can buy discounted then to the full price shops.

Waikele has a shuttle from Waikiki or you can get a tour bus or better still drive yourself and make a day of it.

If you sign up online as a VIP member you can get extra discounts. You can print the discount vouchers off their website.

 http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=29 

Saks Off Fifth Avenue has great bargains and you can signup for extra discounts with their discount card.

For kids they have Old Navy, Gymboree, The Childrens Place and Carters.

The also have the standard fair of fashion

·         Banana Republic

·         Tommy Hilfiger

·         Calvin Klein

·         Guess

·         True Religion

·         Levis

And for accessories

• Coach
• Michael Kors
• Sunglass Hut

There is also a great Sports Authority store.  NB Sports Authority and Old Navy are to your right when you drive in the main drive and the other outlet stores are to your left.

Waikele Premium Outlets

94-790 Lumiaina Street
Waipahu, HI 96797

Another store like Saks Off Fifth Ave for discounted designer clothes, shoes and accessories is Nordstom Rack.  This can be found within walking distance from Ala Moana Shopping Centre.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/C/nordstrom-rack

333 Kamakee St

Honolulu HI 96814

Ala Moana Shopping Centre

Ala Moana Center is a premier international and local shopping destination with over 290 shops and restaurants. From beachwear to high fashion, casual dining to fine dining, you'll find everything at Ala Moana Center, all in a beautiful open-air setting filled with lush tropical landscaping and koi ponds. (This is from their website)

The cheapest and easiest way to get there is by the pink line trolley, costing $2 each way (as at Ju;y 2011).

This has the normal range of US stores such as

Banana Republic www.bananarepublic.com

Gap www.gap.com

Old Navy www.oldnavy.com

Abercrombie and Fitch www.abercrombie.com

Victorias Secret www.victoriassecret.com

I have added a new favourite Sephora, great for makeup and perfume.

And many more

It also has the follow department stores

Macys www.macys.com

Neiman Marcus www.neimanmarcus.com

Nordstorms www.nordstoms.com

Sears www.sears.com

It also has high end designers such as

Tiffany www.tiffany.com

Chanel www.chanel.com

Miu Miu www.miumiu.com

Burberry www.us.burberry.com/store

And more

 

Kalahaua Ave

Shopping

Many of the shops at Ala Moana are repeated on

Kalakaua Avenue, including the luxury brands. But for some more affordable options there is:

 

The International Market

This is great for souvenirs, such as T-shirts, hula outfits, necklaces (if you like the nut necklace you will have to declare it and have it fumigated) and ukuleles. You can bargain with the stall holders especially at the end of the night.

 ABC Stores

These are everywhere, about every 6 shops or so (I am not kidding).  They sell everything from lilos and blow up water rings, to alcohol, food and drink, to t-shirts, towels and souvenirs.

We usually buy lilos and get them blown up, and snorkeling masks and flippers.

Stores are open 7am to midnight daily.

Also worth a look is the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center located in front of Royal Hawaiian Hotel and Sheraton Waikiki, just minutes from Waikiki Beach

Five Quick Tips for Clothes Shopping

Tip One

Take a friend who will be honest with you shopping, NEVER rely on shop assistants – they are paid to tell you that you look good even when you don’t.

Tip Two

When trying on ask yourself or a trustworthy friend if it flatters you.  It should suit your shape, the colour should be great and the size should fit (or be taken to a tailor to fit properly).

Tip Three

Do you have somewhere to wear it?  For example will you wear it to work, a party or casual or will it hang in your wardrobe only to get admired.  No point in having a great piece of clothing that you will never wear anywhere (I know I have a great jacket that has nowhere appropriate to wear it).

Tip Four

Is the item worth the cost?  Think about cost per wear.  If you live in jeans then I think it is okay to buy a great pair even if they are expensive as the cost per wear is minimal.  Then there is the expensive dress that gets worn once, which is really not that economical, so think about where else you can wear the dress.

There is also the reverse of this – the sale item that seems like a bargain but never gets worn.  Don’t be seduced by the sale item, take a step back and think would you buy this at full price if you could afford it? If the answer yes, buy it; if the answer is no, leave it.

Tip Five

Does it go with something in your wardrobe? There is nothing worse than getting home and realising the items goes with absolutely nothing you have, unless you want to go and buy a whole lot of other items.

Happy Shopping