Shopping for Hello Kitty items in Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii…read more..
I first learned about the Vera Bradley brand from one of my high school friends. She told me how she really liked the durable, washable, lightweight, and colorful fabric. She's a smart shopper, so, I trusted her. However, at the time, I was a poor college student.
Later in life, I learned about how this successful company started:
From humble beginnings, two friends noticed how luggage - back in the day - was so drab and boring. They decided to market their unique products through college students...
(there was no internet yet)
and the rest is history!
On the Island of O'ahu, there's a Vera Bradley shop in Waipahu at Waikele Premium Outlet. They won't have the latest prints such as this new collaboration with Hello Kitty. They do have discounted prices on older prints and styles.
That's why I had to go to the Flagship Store in Waikiki. Located on the ground level of the International Marketplace -
closer to the Kuhio Avenue side -
Vera Bradley currently has Hello Kitty products in the display windows!
I waited outside of the store until it opened at 11am. Luckily, it was a holiday (King Kamehameha Day) and I parked on the street for free. (I didn't want the stress of only getting two hours free with a $10 purchase at International Marketplace.
I hadn't planned on going shopping. I was across the street at breakfast when I remembered that my friend, Angel, showed me photos of the new Hello Kitty items... Uhg!)
I couldn't decide on what to get. I overheard the salespeople mentioning that it's "sold out online" and that they're getting calls from the mainland because they're the only store that still has Hello Kitty merchandise...
Oh, the pressure!
I looked at the blankets, towels, pillows, backpacks, notebooks, luggage tags, cosmetic bags, socks, flip flops, scrunchies, tumblers, bathrobes, sleepwear, etc.
I figured that even if I could buy online, I would be saving money by not having to pay for shipping...
So - I should get something now -
while I'm there...
I finally decided on a wristlet that can hold credit cards, coins, money, and cell phone! Taking my wristlet to the friendly cashier, she entered my information into the system and gave me a new "fresh" wristlet in a plastic bag from the drawer below! Yay!
It's a "clean" one!
I'm quite happy with my purchase!
However...
I looked online at home and saw that the Hello Kitty x Vera Bradley items are NOT sold out. I was disappointed to discover that this Limited Edition was released on June 1, 2023.
How can they be sold out in just twelve days?
Oh, well...
We learn something new daily...
I didn't want to buy online anyway...