Got Amazon Prime? Hawai‘i Shoppers Can Now Get Discounts at Whole Foods

Plus, we’ve got a few other hacks to save money at the retail giant.

June 12, 2018

Robbie Dingeman,

Photo: Courtesy of Whole Foods

Hawai‘i shoppers who are Amazon Prime members will start to see lower prices on select items at Whole Foods Market beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, June 13th.

The company announced that Amazon Prime benefits at Whole Foods stores begin in 10 new states including Hawai‘i, California, Arizona and Nevada this week. The deals were already available in 13 states.

Some of the pricier options at the chain store earlier earned it the nickname Whole Paycheck, but savvy shoppers have already learned that the retail giant has consistently low prices on 365 store brands, offers frequent sales Wednesdays and weekends, and has dropped produce prices on avocados, fresh berries and other seasonal fruits since last year’s Amazon buyout.

If you’re already an Amazon Prime member, it’s pretty simple to go to the Whole Foods app or website and sign in to supply your Amazon info. With the app, customers receive a Prime code to be scanned at the store register. The other way to opt in is to use a mobile phone number to sign in at the stores for the discount so you don’t have to use the app at checkout.

The initial rollout includes these prices:

Organic yellow nectarines and peaches, $1.99/pound, half the regular price
Made-in-house pork sausage, $3.99/ pound, save $3/ pound
Wild sustainably caught yellowfin tuna steaks, $15.99/ pound, save $9/pound
Annie’s Natural Macaroni & Cheese, buy one, get one free
An additional 10 percent off sale items throughout the store

Sure, we could still spend $75 for a not-too-heavy bag of groceries without trying, but it’s kind of refreshing to see shoppers receive a discount, instead of the all-too-familiar phrase, “these prices not available in Alaska and Hawai‘i.”

The company had no information about any deals unique to Hawai‘i. The added discounts may encourage more shoppers to check out at the Mainland chain, though it’s clear that some local store discounts will remain competitive.

We’ve seen deals pop up by following a store online or showing up and checking them out. For example, Hawai‘i’s newest Whole Foods, on Queen Street, currently has a Facebook deal for $15 off any purchase of $50 or more at that store through June 27.

We’ve learned a few other savings tips:

Check out the cheese-under-$5 bin. It’s a less stressful way to sample some unusual cheeses.
Watch your email. There was a deal for 20 tulips for $10 the week of Mother’s Day for Amazon Prime members.
Try something! If you aren’t sure you want to buy something, Whole Foods has an overall policy where employees are encouraged to open products for customers to sample. That means they will also cut a smaller portion of cheese, meat or fish (and even debone or skin the fish) at the counters.
Use the coupons from the app for things you’re planning to buy anyway. Many items turn up regularly, so you if you love Jason lavender body wash or Garden of Eatin’ Taco kits, wait, then stock up.
Look at seasonal discounts. Sure, there are usually big Black Friday discounts of at least 20 percent on alcohol, but also sometimes on clothes, toys and beauty products. And, the chain runs specials on lesser-known holidays: Think pie on March 14 (Pi day).
Go big! Buy a case of almost anything, the store says, and get a 10 percent discount.
Bring your own bags for a 5-cent credit on each, while helping save the planet.
Store food counters also serve regular specials: Puka’s at the Kahāla store has been running a Taco Tuesday special of three tacos and a draft beer for $12.
Folks in 10 other cities can get free two-hour delivery on orders over $35 from Whole Foods Market. Corporate says that is expanding throughout 2018 but no word on when and where.

As the nation’s 9th largest food retailer, Whole Foods now operates more than 470 stores in 42 states, the United Kingdom and Canada, employing 89,000 people, with annual sales in excess of $15 billion.