Hawaii Price Survey Puts Don Quijote on Top

SN STAFF

HONOLULU — A price survey by Hawaii Business magazine rated the Don Quijote chain as having the best prices overall on a basket of grocery items among four major chains, the magazine reported Friday.

The Foodland banner come in second in the pricing survey, followed by the Times banner and then Safeway. Discounts and club pricing were factored into the pricing comparisons.

On the basket of 27 common items, Don Quijote — which is owned by a Japanese firm and operates only a handful of stores in Hawaii — tallied a total bill of $110.43, compared with $111.74 at Foodland (a locally owned chain), $124.02 at Safeway (based in Pleasanton, Calif.) and $113.22 at Times (another California company).

The report found tradeoffs at Don Quijote, however, including longer lines, more crowds and more out-of-stocks.

The price comparisons were conducted at several outlets in each manner during a three-week period in May.