Whalers General Store

Located in the Kings shops, this is an awesome general store. They have a ton of everything, from food, drinks, booze, souvenirs of all kinds, apparel, groceries, and medicine. We grabbed some gourmet nuts and a few souvenirs in here, and were helped quickly at he register. This place is also pretty large, could take some time exploring it. Highly recommend stopping in here if you are in need of basically anything on your vacation. Short trip away from where we were staying at the four seasons, and was a perfect spot to kill a little time and spend a few bucks before our dinner at roys. They even have tables and chairs in front to enjoy a beverage, snack, or meal.

This store is overpriced. If you can drive to Foodland Farms in Mauna Lani your pocketbook will thank you. I came here to buy a few gifts for friends and ended up overpaying. Also pay close attention to food you purchase here. I bought some papaya salad dressing only to realize once I got to the car that it was expired. I went back in to exchange for a better code and saw all dressings but one on she lf were expired. This isn’t a big deal but the lady that I interacted with who had just rung me up acted put off as and rude as he’ll when I asked if I could exchange the item. She didn’t seem to understand that the dressing was expired despite my careful explaining. (I also work at a grocery store) Anyway she finally told me to just leave with no apology for the inconvenience. This is one of my top ten rude interactions.

I love this place! They have everything you could possibly need. If they don’t carry the exact brand, they’ll have something adjacent to compensate for it. The staff is always super friendly even though they have to deal with tourists ALL DAY.

It’s less of a tourist trap than Island Gourmet. Very easy to get in and out with the essentials.

This place is WAY cheaper than Islands! Good selection of the essentials. Plus the people working there were very nice.

Definitely on the ultra expensive side. Using green tea as a baseline, a overpriced resort gift shop such as ABC Store charges a 60% mark up. This place charges 120% markup.
Here’s a comparison for Itoen Tea.
Most super markets in Hawaii: $ 1.80 (baseline)
ABC Store: $ 2.99 (60% markup)
Whalers: $ 3.99 (120% markup)
If you’re in a pinch its a good place to stop by. But you don’t want to do any major grocery, fluid, gift shopping here.

This place is so expensive. Sure, I should not be surprised cause it is in a resort area. Still, I can usually find some good deals anywhere. Over here, I did not though. I bought a couple of souvenirs here because it was not as high as the hotel gift shop hence the 3 star rating.
If you want to save money though, then don’t shop here. For the convenience though, then this is the place to come to in the area.

Spent most of my time & money shopping here. Reasonable prices on toiletries for being in a high end resort area. Bought a reusable folding cooler bag to take picinic to the beach. Deceptive pricing on some chocolate covered macadamia nuts. Make sure you pay the price you think you should be paying.

We came here twice during our vacation as it is the closest grocery-​type store to the Marriott. Got a few souvenirs and some beer to save some $ on the hotel prices. Still, things are pricey compared to a regular grocery store but its worth the convience.

Good selection of do-​dads to get for other people or the kids. Good place to buy presents for the people back home.

Best deal here is 7 t-​shirts for $ 20. Otherwise, make sure you find get what you need when in Kona.

You’ll find a few good deals on tshirts and similar gifts but while Whalers was the only game in town for years, that’s not the case anymore and they have not caught up.
If you need more than a couple items to bring home, try the large market at the queen shops which has way more selection. For better prices and range on food, try foodland at the Mauna Launi. And of course if you really want options or to price down, head to Kona or better yet, Hilo,
But as other reviewers have said, if you think the prices are high… Know that while whalers is above the other options by a few percent, not only is everything coming via boat but this is smack in resort central.

Not bad. You’re paying for convenience. Prices high, but some good options. Sure it’s better to drive into Waikoloa for the regular grocery store, but hey, you’re not making that drive now are you.

if you’re surprised that things are more expensive here… Well, you shouldn’t be. You’re in resort central.
7 t shirts for $ 20 as family souvenirs. Can’t beat that. That’s all.

The Whalers General Store offers a little less crap than the ABC Stores do these days but, not by much. There are a few fun things to choose from but, not much. At least they put their Christmas merchandise on sale after the holidays — still, if you are in the islands just after Christmas and want to get a great deal on Hawaiian-​themed items you’re better off going to Target.

Whaler’s General Store in the King’s Shops is well stocked with snack items and souvenirs, plus some groceries and other essentials. Prices are very high; you will pay for the convenient location on the Waikoloa Resort.
If you’re looking for grocery store items, and have transportation, the prices and selection are much better at the Waikoloa Village Market (15 – 20 minutes up the Waikoloa Road to Waikoloa Village) or the Foodland Farms market at the Mauna Lani resort (about 10 minutes north). Island Gourmet, which is across the road at the Queen’s Shops, is another option for well stocked gourmet and fresh foods, plus souvenirs. It’s a bit pricey as well, because of its location, but has an excellent selection of fresh and prepared foods.

go here for the essentials that you forgot, and the hotel won’t provide, or the things like soda, beer, chips or whatnot. but be forewarned, it’s gonna cost you a pretty penny. only get stuff here if you are landlocked and don’t have access to your rental car nor the will to drive yourself into kailua to go to safeway, walmart, or costco.
i originally wanted to give this a 2, but considering its the only thing around, on a mere location basis, it gets a 3.

Beware tourists: you are about to be ripped off if you decide to buy anything, especially alcohol.
I have spent $ 5 on a 40oz at this place. Why? Because I am a damn fool.

This place makes no qualms about what it is, including that it has a lot of souvenirs. I didn’t spend much time in there, but along with your soda and the small variety of average foods, you can get sunglasses, a keychain with your name in English and in Hawaiian, and coconuts carved into monkeys. I just wanted postcards, and the regular 4×6 ones were 5/​$ 1, which is pretty good. And they had some unattractive ones of lava spilling across roads; not so scenic, but perhaps for your sciencey friend…

Supplying the staples.
This store amazes me with the sheer variety of merchandise they carry. If you’re vacationing on Waikoloa Drive, you can stop by to pick up groceries, booze, and items you thought you packed but didn’t. They also stock a ton of souvenirs.
I love that you don’t have to drive there from the hotels and condos nearby. It’s located in the Kings’ shops, so it’s not a bad walk even from the opposite end of the drive, or you could take one of the shuttles.