The Honolulu, Hawaii daily the Star Bulletin published this nice look at Costco’s Kirkland Signature Private Brand. The article features the now standard Compare & Save instore promotion as well as a overview of the brand.

Let’s face it. We all head to Costco, and sometimes end up picking up a few more items — a DVD, iPod or a Prada handbag that was on sale — than we were planning to on the way in.

Costco Wholesale Corp. has a knack of tantalizing customers with an array of impulse items before you reach the produce at the back of the store. You actually might spend more money even though you’re supposed to be saving by shopping in bulk at a membership warehouse for $50 a year.

Still, everyone from the mom feeding a family of eight to the chief executive officer of your bank is shopping at Costco in Hawaii.

Here’s the deal: If you shop smartly, and go for Costco’s Kirkland Signature house brand, you can save money.

Costco wants to let consumers know how much they could save by buying its private, in-house Kirkland Signature brand. Some stores recently had a display — two shopping carts filled with items side by side — one with national brands amounting to $437.85 and the other one with the Kirkland brand amounting to $229.35. The resulting difference is $208.50, or 47.6 percent in savings.

Read the entire story.