When you enter you are greeted immediately, a shell lei is placed around your neck and you are offered coffee, and samples of the delicious candies they sell. Imagine a very large store ablaze with the multi-colors of tropical Hawaiian prints, hundreds of choices, up to size 5X!!! They have books, nick nacks and jewelry plus. You can find a coupon in the weekly isand giveaway magazines for a free mug or sarong or a discount. The numerous staff bend over backwards to assist and are friendly and knowledgeable. The bathrooms are large and clean, with a good sized parking area next to the store. Prices generally are moderate with good sales. read more

Souvenir junk made in china and very nice customer service.

My friends come to this store every time they visit Lihue. It was our first time in Hawaii so the last place we hit before the Airport was this store. They were really nice when we came in they gave us a lie made out of small shells and some candy samples. My friends were infatuated by the pick your own oysters and find a pearl thing. She actually got a pendant and some earrings made out of the pearls she got. The pearls were nice and she got them mount on to a 14k white gold pendant and earrings, it came out really nice for a ridiculous price, but she was excited and happy. When it comes to the souvenirs it was a bit pricier but overall a really nice store to look around. read more

as other yelpers have pointed out, this is really just a tourist trap of a store that sells foreign.made goods from like china n' the philippines. i don't know much about manufacturing labour in the pilipinas; but in general, i _try_ to avoid products made in china cos of bad labour practices and health/safety violations. anyway, again, as other yelpers have pointed out, you can even find more local goods at the neighbouring wal*mart! i mean, we _all_ know that wal*mart is evil; but heck, even _they're_ doing more good than this store! the only reason i came to this hilo hattie store is cos they had a good coupon in some tourist publication that gives you a free sarang ($6.99) value w/ any $10 purchase. my wife said she needed a nice hawai'ian sun dress for her birthday dinner, so i agreed to go there. oh; one nice thing is that, as you enter the store, a nice lady greets you and places a free puka necklace around her neck. that's nice. in the parking lot, we a very cute chicken family. my wife took 50.something pics of the hen and her chicks. i notice that they have a special tour bus entrance to the store. this is obviously a tourist trap. i felt the saleswomen at the jewelry shop were a bit pushy. the treasure chest game was free, but they kept pushing that pearl.in.an.oyster game for $14.95. you get to draw a coupon out of a little cage. the coupon gives you a discount on the pearl.in.oyster game. the maximum discount is 60%, but we drew out 40%; not worth it. they have the typical tourist souvenirs: plenty of aloha hawai'ian shirts and t.shirts. if you ask me, the best souvenir shirts are kaua'i chicken shirts from the meyvn skate shop in kukui grove center! they also sell kaua'i chicken mugs there. read more

Overpriced place for souvenirs. Might as well go to the street market were you can buy the same quality stuff for the fraction of the price.

Fun stop! Shell leis, pearl diving, fun gifts and oh so delicious Dole pineapple whip. Gotta stop!

Tourist trap. They start the scam the minute you walk in. My daughter was genuinely creeped out. We didn't even bother to ask for the free t shirt offered with our car rental. Just ran... read more

Tourist trap. Read reviews in travel books that this was THE place to go. I would have been fine not going. They definetly try everything under the sun to get your money. Staff was friendly and helpful. read more

Ugh! Avoid stepping into this tourist trap! Nothing was a 'deal' and we headed to costco and purchase like clothing products for a fraction of their 'deeply discounted' items. read more

Krystal was very helpful & patient with me! (& could not find my shipping addresses!)

Basic tourist gift shop. Everything from tees, dresses, hawaiian shirts, coffee, candles, jewlery, and lots of other tacky nick nacks to take home for your friends. read more

Totally kitschy, but some good deals (some not so good deals). Definitely a great place to watch senior citizens jump off their tour bus and play with toys - it can be quite entertaining. They give you free leis, and if you take it off, walk out and walk back in, they'll give you another (all tourists look the same, right?) Worth a stop just to look, but don't plan your whole trip around it :) read more

Great selection! I wanted to buy matching outfits for me, my mother and my 18 month old daughter. COMPLETE SUCCESS!!!! Granted it was a bit costly...our 3 dresses was $165...but well worth it. I searched everywhere for dresses prior to going to this store and found nothing appropriate for all three of us. I wish I went here first. Would definitely recommend. read more

Hard to categorize this chain of stores. They are essentially the same assortment of island type clothing, food, and souvenirs no matter if you go to this store, one on the Big Island, or even on the mainland. Again, for me it's about getting those goodies my family like to eat, or maybe a dress for my mom. read more

Fun place. Basically one-stop shopping for all the touristy things you could possibly want. If you like shopping local, then be careful as they carry a lot of stuff that was made in China and the like. Read the labels before buying. read more

Nice store to buy upscale Hawaiian shirts, dresses, jewelry etc. you can find good deals here. Authentic looking items.

I liked it but I knew the oyster pick was a bit too good to be true after the first oyster turned up two pearls, which then led to mounting them on one or two items. $$$ On top of that we got to pick FOR FREE( nothing in this world is free accept the gift Jesus gave us when He died for us) another oyster. This led the sales Representative to try and get us to spend more, which I didn't circum to. The clincher was the 2nd oyster also had two pearls. I bet they all did. read more

Same stuff u can find in most of Hawaii. Maybe I'm a little numb from all the other shops I've seen while here. Prices not much better either. Recommended by a lot of the locals but I didn't see anything I was that impressed with. Went to the sal-mart right next store right after and saw a lot if the same stuff for cheaper. read more

Good place to hit up for last minute souvenirs. Just like everything on the island prices a little high. We bought a pic frame and mug.

This store was incredibly rude and the Manger didn't give us are REGULAR dole whip. The manager gave us a sample. This store has the worst costumer service I have ever been to. 7/11/15 6:00pm read more

The costumer service was definitely five star. I liked that you get lei'd as soon as you walk in the door, it made it feel very Hawaiian. I was here at the beginning of June and the A/C was still not working but with several big fans going I didn't think it was to uncomfortable. Thankfully the dole whip machine was working because I had been trying to find a place on Kauai that sold it since arriving there a week before. Dole whip was the only thing my husband and I ended up buying because we had already bought a lot of souvenirs before finding this place. I did look at a few things and thought the prices were a little on the high side but I'm willing to pay more if the customer service is good. read more

I was looking forward to shopping here but the pathway from the parking lot is uneven with low spots that I fell flat on my belly. Lucky I caught myself with my hands and scraped my knee badly or I would have broke my glasses and who knows what. The staff did not seem to understand that I needed help as I was shaky and nauseous and bleeding. My friend ran to get wet towels and I found a place to sit. Finally someone brought me bandaids. Will never go back until it is safer. read more

Don't like getting scammed by the stupid pick a paper for a coupon...pick an oyster, get a pearl. What fun...oh by they way...you gotta pay for it. They make it seem in a cute little game. Well..game was played...on me. Enjoy your 8 bucks Hilo hatties. I will tell everyone I know!!! Would give zero stars if that were an option. read more

For good or bad, Hilo Hattie's just about exemplifies the Hawaiian souvenir shopping experience. From the moment you walk in, you are greeted with a welcome, free shell lei, and a cold drink. Ok, maybe it seems too well practiced but the service is friendly and helpful nonetheless. The store is literally a one-stop shop for all your travel junk needs. Clothing, food items, jewelry, this place has it all in a clean, well organized, and efficient environment. And most importantly, clean bathrooms! Unless you take the Kapule Highway (Hwy 51) when coming in from the north, you can't miss Hilo Hattie's on the way to the airport. You will also pass it if you are traveling from the south to the north side of the island. That should give you a good opportunity to visit at least once during your Kauai trip. One thing regarding some comments about items made in China, the Philippines, and elsewhere. It is true that Hilo Hatties has some things are made outside of Hawaii (including some clothing), but there are plenty of items made on the islands as well. The neighboring Wal Mart also has island-made shirts, but the quality and selection of the designs are iffy. If you want a generic loud shirt and call it an 'Aloha Shirt', then Wal Mart is probably fine. But if you want a better selection of shirt designs, then Hilo Hatties is the place to go. I'd rather see local businesses benefit from sales rather than Bentonville, Arkansas. But if you truly want to support local businesses, then stop by Hula Girl up in Kapaa. A couple of tips. Check the free travel guides at the airport, flyers, or even your car rental agreement for Hilo Hattie coupons. Bring these in and you can get free stuff (usually with a minimum purchase). The free offerings vary, so go through several coupons to find what you want the most. Also, as of 2012, Hawaiian-made Aloha Shirts just about everywhere in Hawaii generally ran around $24 and up; foreign made shirts ran around $15 to $20. I checked Hilo Hatties, ABC Stores, and independent vendors and the prices are around this range. read more

We have gone to your store for many years, first visiting friends, and then becoming local. We have always spent hundreds of dollars per year purchasing dresses, shirts, hat/cap combinations plus many home and gift items. One visit per vacation usually results in a second because there was something we were contemplating and then just had to have. After the shell lei, you are offered free juice and THEN those pearl women descend on you offering free pearls, just select the oyster, you always get one, then the hard sell really begins. These women use every tactic, just short of jerking you back by your hair to sell you those pearl settings. Ever notice there are more women pushing pearls than there are at the checkout line, which is usually long and very slow. There was no one to help in the dressing room. When we were in there recently, we were not greeted with the shell leis, but there were customers in the store who wore these leis. I asked the girl at the door "Why no lei greeting?" She told me they no longer do the leis in the store, but their tour bus drivers do give them out on their tours to Hilo Hattie's. SHAME ON YOU Hilo Hattie's!!! These leis are cheap to buy elsewhere, but how much do these cost wholesale? We have frequent visits from family and friends from the mainland. Hilo Hattie's was always a must because of the lei greeting and the variety and uniqueness of your inventory. Our visitors would usually spend quite a lot, and come back for further gifts for their friends and families. I will no longer subject my visitors to your "free" pearl scam and pushiness. The shell lei greeting at least took some of the embarrassment away from your pushy pearl women, and what is just short of bait and switch; but without the lei greeting, I am embarassed to subject my visitors to the hard sell "free" pearl scam for jewelry settings right after we enter your establishment. "Hey help yourself to some free juice, now you get a free pearl and then let us twist our arm behind our backs while you push your pearl settings (not free), makes me want to ruin back out the front door without shopping. ABC stores would be a better choice, or Walmart, or the many other shops and craft fairs that have the the same products, but at lower prices. read more

Great shopping venue, with a lot to select from. Prices aren't too bad. It's always nice to check out what out what's in stock.

Do NOT believe the back of their receipt! It says customer satisfaction guaranteed and this is completely untrue. My daughter needed new shoes (her's broke on our first day in Kauai) and we bought a pair here. She wore them out and got blisters within the first 30 minutes. She was unable to wear them again (they were imitation Crocs, should have known!). Tried to return them, given their 'satisfaction guaranteed' policy listed on the back of their receipt, but the manager refused saying they could not be sold again. That is not 'satisfaction guaranteed.' Hilo Hatties needs to reword their receipt. Do not buy anything here unless you are absolutely sure you want it! read more

Wow I couldn't believe it when we walked in. We have been going to this Hilo Hattie for 12 years. The merchandise is horrible the restrooms were disgusting the staff look miserable and hot. I have never felt that way at any HH. The entire trinket and tshirt section was old looking merchandise and could barely find anything that actually said Kauai. They didn't even have calendars. I hope they bounce back. This was so disappointing read more

We were at Hilo Hattie stores many years back when we went to Big Island and Maui. So just for sake of memories we walked into the only Hilo Hattie store in Lihue. The other reason we went in was because they give you free beads garland when you walk in...so 5 of us walked in and we got 5 bead Leis :-) Stuff inside is horribly over-priced and quality is way poor. This store had dole whip but we did not try it. There are restrooms at the back of the store. read more

Nothing like I remember. No variety and such a sad atmosphere. No liveliness like it used to be. I'm really bummed that it changed so much

You can always count on these stores to get last minute items to bring back. Although I try to buy random stuff for friends & family that is more unique, I always run in to Hilo Hattie's for extra chocolates or something on my way to the airport. This trip was no different. The staff was as freindly as always from the minute you walk in and get the shell necklace and free juice. Got a bunch of candy to bring to the office, an Aloha shirt for my dog, and some more coffee & teas for friends. They carry the Kauai Coffee Company & Kona Joe which I love. So, I paid the $145 and left. Got to the car and realized that I had a coupon from the airline for either a mug (for $25+) or a Hawaiian Airline insulated mug (for $45+). I got the coupon went back in and they were very quick to help me out and get me on my way. I have been to many of their stores in HI and it is always good service and edible items. The other stuff is not high quality, but if you wanna get somebody something to take home...look in the more local places and put some more thought into the souviniers. read more

I had a great time here, the service is great. Found a lot of clothing made in hawaii

This is definitely a touristy place, but you can visit for the Hawaiian experience. As soon as you walk in, you're greeted with a free shell lei, you can then sample some free juice and coffees. On this trip, a lady told us to pick a key to try to open the "treasure chest." One key out of the bowl opens the chest and if it opens, you get to choose a gift inside. My key didn't open it, and neither did my daughter's key, but my husband's key opened it! They rang a bell and everyone around yelled Aloha! He got to pick between a jewelry case, a Hilo Hattie mug, or a silver dolphin necklace, so he picked the necklace (that also had 60% off coupon for "Pick a Pearl" inside the package.) A note about the "discount coupons" - everything about the treasure chest etc. is to get you to bite on "Pick a Pearl"! So even if your key doesn't open the chest, you get a discount coupon on selecting an oyster to open (normally $14.99). If you've never done it before, it's actually pretty fun and you're guaranteed a pearl, but do know that they certainly want to get you to pick that pearl! I got a 40% off coupon, but since my husband got the 60% off coupon (which is the highest), we let our 11 year old daughter (who already did this when she was 7) pick an oyster. Supposedly, the "uglier and hairier" the oyster, the more beautiful the pearl - so she looked for an ugly one and the oyster she picked had 2 black pearls inside and she was really excited! And THEN I realized why the push for Pick a Pearl. The sales lady tried to up-sell us to set it in a pendant or ring ranging from $200 - $300+! No thank you! That's when I felt like I wanted to get out of there. So my advice...get your coupon, go shop and look around, and then do the Pick a Pearl on the way out if you want to - that way you won't be annoyed by the up-sell the whole time you're there! By the way, it's a company policy that no photos or videotaping can be taken inside the store. The prices here are higher than at Walmart or Kmart, but again, you can visit here for the Hawaiian experience, as long as you know about the touristy trap of up-selling. read more

We never come to Hawaii without stopping in Hilo's at least once. Bring coupon from guide books for free stuff with purchase!

Tourist trap, tourist trap. Go to Walmart, alittle further up the street, you get things half of what you pay at hilo hatties.

While the staff is delightful, the store is not. After having visited the Hilo Hattie on Maui, I was expecting a lot more. There wasn't as much merchandise. The store was also super hot and muggy. read more

Big sales but nothing to buy other than kitschy Hawaiian clothing that no Hawaiian would ever be caught in. We bought some ice cream sandwiches and drumsticks which were reasonably priced for the island and left. We really wanted some kind of moment but everything i picked up was made in china. read more

Hilo Hattie's used to be one of our most favorite places to go...a must stop for a variety of quality merchandise and really nice Hawaiian clothing. We have been going there for the past 12 years and likely WILL NOT return! No AC in the middle of July! When asked how long it had been down....the associate indicated 2 MONTHS...really. Giant fans just don't cut it in the middle of July in Kauai! The merchandise is scarce and the sizes of clothing are very, very limited and the selections are lack luster. WATCH out for the coupons...their "FREE" Dole slush is merely a sample. Their free mug is the least popular mug as they have it behind the counter. The free shirt they offer is one choice of their selection in a Large or Extra Large such a joke since it does not indicate on their coupon it is only in a few sizes and or in one choice, just indicates selections may vary. BAIT and SWITCH at its finest and such a disappointment as Hilo Hattie's used to be one of our most favorite stops when visiting Kauai. read more