STOCKPILING??????

Great question! I used to know the answer to this, but I'm anxious to hear what wise islanders have to say ; )

No reason to stockpile.

There are plenty of places to go and get the "stuff" of life without spending a fortune. The grocery stores are not outrageous, and there are K-Marts on the island for that kind of stuff. It will cost you more to ship it then it will to just buy it.

I used to answer Ghiradelli Brownie Mix, but was pointed to Cost-U-Less for them by a message board regular, so I'd just suggest that one item of possible interest in bringing with - might be a couple extra pair of shorts and shirts. But now, the mail service in Red Hook has set it up so you can have Amazon and any other store that you can order merchandise from, online, can be shipped to their office in North Carolina and they will then get it to the Red Hook mail service for no addiitional charge. This was set up as many of the online suppliers do not ship to the USVirgin Islands.

I'd still suggest an extra pair or two of shorts and a selection of short sleeved or stuff like that of your choice. Think island. I know that L.L. Bean has some sunblocker stuff built right into a line of clothing....so heh!

Soon come! We look forward to meeting you all.

Island Paul and ExResident,

Thanks for the information, Island Paul. My copies of the Daily News, Avis, and Island Trader came today, and it is good to know that so much of what is available stateside is also available in the islands.

If I'm used to a favorite multivitamin that I can only get from my local health food store, however, I should bring a supply of something like that, eh? Not so many bottles that they will get stale, but still enough to see me thru till my next trip to the mainland ... what do you think?

When I was bopping back and forth to Abaco in 1995, I found prices on canned goods, meat, health and beauty aids, etc., to be hideously expensive there. It sounds like the same is not true of VI.

Thanks again for your help! I'm looking forward to meeting you all at the Sept. get-together (if there is one, and I'm sure there will be).

Kinsey

Meat (at least good cuts) can be a little pricy, but the non-perishable stuff is not so bad.

I'm trying to wrack my brain and remember if there is a health food type store where they might carry your type of vitamin (or at least order them for you with their stock)...but memory doesn't serve.

I haven't been back for any real length of time in over three years (mostly 3-4 day visits where we were doing more housework than anything)...I just can't remember!!!

There are two health food stores as well as a GNC store here now.
Ronnie

I go to the GNC store at Havensight and Vitamin World at TuTu mall for a lot of my supplements. The one thing I stockpile or purchase on line is running gear. The Footlockers and Champs store here carry mainly fashion shoes and not functional running shoes or gear. I was paranoid when I was planning my move here that I would not be able to get a lot of the items I am used to in the states. I have been pleasantly suprised to find everything I need and in most cases in vast quantities. The only difference has been some times it takes 2-3 stops when shopping for multiple items. You definitely dont have to worry about St. Thomas being anything like the Bahamas. I can remember paying $47 for a case of Miller Lite on Paradise Island and $5 for some chapstick. St. Thomas is nothing like that. All the prices I have found are comprable to what I am used to with the exception of a quality cut of meat.

I am in complete agreement with David.

However, my sport of choice was swimming (did it competitively for 16 years), and never had a problem finding suits and quality gear in the VI!

Booze and beer are VERY cheap, and the shopping is very good. He is right about having multiple stops to make on shopping day. I would K-Mart it for toiletries, laundry soap, cleaning supplies, and such. Then go to Marina Market for groceries and meat (I only went to Pueblo if it was something non-perishable and I HAD TO HAVE IT and didn't have time to go to the East End), and Cost-U-Less for booze and beer.

The VI are coming up in the world....A GNC? Wow.

What else new is there....I heard there was a Home Depot now? Is that true? What else?

i am transfering w/ home depot in oct. can any one tell me what part of the island it is located at ????
thank you

It is located on the eastern end of the island. Near Cost u less.
Market Square East.
Mallory what state are you from. My husband is doing a transfer down there too. He works for Home Depot in Florida.

Good morning, everyone,

I'm assuming that the stores mentioned above are on STT. What stores are on STX? I think I've read that there's a fairly large mall near C'sted, but I don't know what stores are there.

The sales flyers that came with the island newspapers yesterday were very promising. It looks like just about everything available on the mainland can be found in the islands. I'm just not sure yet that they can be found on MY island. 🙂

My future landlady told me on the phone yesterday that cruise ships haven't been coming to STX lately. All go to STT. Is this true? While making for a "quieter" island, it certainly must be depressing the local economy there not to have the tourist dollars. Does anyone know anything about this?

Kinsey

KMuldoon

I can almost feel your anxietyy.. You will find that the every day problems you are worrying about are not much different than if you lived in some statesside locations.

You already know that srx or stt are not the same as any mid sized Stateside towns.

No, ...the cruise ships are not coming to STX, that is a curse and a blessing. It has a negative impact on the economy, but it makes it a more wonderful place to live.

The cruise ships are like a large elephant in your living room.....They bring in the dollars that are important for islanders, but they also destroy the quiet island living that "native" and immigrant residents have loved to loved.

StCroix is both blessed and cursed...We have this great place that no one has discovered...but WHAT if they do???

What I am trying to tell you....is that you have much to learn.

Nothing is simple here. Everything requires a second..3rd..4th...etc. LOOK...

Hello All,

Rumor is that a few ships have already booked tours to STX starting next January. I can't remember which ships, but it may change things on STX a bit. However, still more private there than STT, I am sure.

Teresa

If you talk to the local merchants and restaurants owners, cruise ship passengers have a much smaller impact on the economy than tourists who come and spend a week or two in paradise. Snowbirds who spend the entire season are the gold standard. STX , because it is less congested with cruise ship passengers, is very attractive to many snowbirds. STX also has other amenities that make it attractive to non cruise ship tourists; three golf courses vs STT's one course and a casino.

The biggest tourism boon on STX this year has been the direct charter flights from Copenhagen bringing in Danish tourists to STX two weeks in the VI.

Several off the local dive shops on STX have also gotten together to promote STX as a fantastic place for a diving vacation.

Longer term maybe one of the resorts/casino projects that has been written up in the papers will actually get built. This could have a major positive impact on tourism.

In order for STX to get direct airline service it needs to have 1,400 hotel rooms. The way the airlines count rooms now STX only has 800 rooms.

In my opinion cruise ship passengers will never be more than frosting on the cake. For STT it maybe different, but I don't ever see STX getting eight cruise ships a day in port.

Jim

STX has one major problem that prevents it from getting the kind of development - major hotels for the snowbirds and dive enthusiasts - and this is information from a person who was born and raised and who's family still lives on STX........until such time as the few wealthy land owners who control huge tracts of prime real estate (read that as ocean front property) decide to sell.........STX can pretty much expect to stay as quiet and secluded and.............?.....................from the rest of the islands.

Some folks enjoy that........and I'm not meaning to throw any sand on their parade. It just disturbs me to know that all this talk and attempts to "improve" tourism to St.Croix seems to be seriously impeded by the sale of desirable land. Life is good for the wealthy few, so why worry about the rest of the islands economy.

I have questioned several knowledgeable islanders about this information and feel that it is dead on target. Sad. I feel sorry for STX'ers that want to see an improved economy.

I'm confused. You feel SORRY for STXers who WANT to see an improved economy?

Can you explain what you mean by that? How is it a good thing to stay mired in a stangant, jobless economy that serves the narrow interests of the wealthy, white elite and ignores the abysmal living conditions (comparatively speaking) of many of the locals?

--

There is a new cruise line that will be stopping in F'sted this year. Can't tell you the specific name of the line, although I do recall that it is Italian and a bit smaller than those behemoths docking at Havensight.

--

As far as stockpiling goes, you can get pretty much anything you need down here (if not locally, than via the internet or mail order). The only difference is that you will pay a lot more money here. (If not in the form of higher local prices, than in shipping costs.) Food costs more, and specialty items cost *much* more. It depends entirely on what you use, what you can't live without, and what you're willing to pay for it. If you can't live without your special Thai fish sauce, or a certain shade of Clarins lipstick, you better bring it with you.

"Fairly reasonable" is a VERY subjective term. Is it "fairly reasonable" to pay $10 bucks for the same container of Tide that costs me $5 bucks in the states? Depends on how attached I am to Tide and how much money I'm willing to spend.

That said, disposable razor blades and Brita replacement water filters were my stockpiled luxury items for the move this time around. If I coulda figured out how to add several dozen Krispe Kremes, a full-blown Starbucks, and a crate of those lime-flavored Tostitos, I woulda shipped those, too.

VB

Sorry for them that want an improved economy over there - I quite honestly don't know if they all do - as they love their island for what it is and accept it's lack of people as a good thing - you know, no traffic, lots of open land. Not being a smart ass, but truly don't think some of the STX folks really want it to be different. And if different, as in more tourists, exactly how many do they really want? Change is never okay to some folks. I don't think it should have every stateside franchise....it nor should or are any of the islands - overrun with stateside food and other types of corporate businesses.

A Krispy Kreme would be good, but the minute I say that, and wish for a Barnes and Noble and perhaps a Starbucks........I am lambasted for wanting all the coporate conglomerates here! Can't win 'em all.

Since I'm not materialistic nor a big consumer, I like the idea that I'm going to be on the "quieter" island. And I, for one, hope that the simple life prevails for at least a little while longer.

As for luxuries, I cook everything from scratch (even my own ice cream!) and save a lot of money by not buying all the heavily salted and sugared products that the giants of the American food industry shovel down our throats. Has anyone read "The Informant" (about price fixing at Archer Daniels Midland)? It turned me off forever toward all those packaged foods in the grocery store with their long lists of preservatives, additives, colorings, and other unpronouncable ingredients.

I will need to replenish my artist supplies periodically (charcoal, pencils, watercolors, tubes of acrylic paint, canvases, etc.), and my passion is books, especially murder mysteries. I also like to garden. Once my cat comes over, he'll either have to change his diet (he's a Petco pet) or starve as I doubt that I'll be able to afford shipments of his favorite kibble very often. Poor kitty! 🙁

Thanks, stxer, for pointing out the fact that I was letting my anxieties get the better of me. I tend toward planning to the nth degree, and I drive my family nuts with my to-do lists and worries. 🙂 I'm getting better, however, at letting go and trusting to the good Lord to provide what I need when I need it. It makes for fewer wrinkles in the long run. Living in the islands will probably cure me forever of this problem.

When I started this thread, I was hoping to get an idea of what is not available at all and what costs a ton of money. Thanks to all who gave me so much great feedback!

You may want to know, then, that there is only one bookstore on STX (in Gallows Bay), and it is not very well stocked. Everyone I know orders online from B&N or Amazon. There IS a decent bookstore on STT, Dockside Books in Havensight, that not only has a good selection of magazines, fiction, and non-fiction, they've also got a fabulous collection of West Indian and Caribbean works.

Specialty artist supplies are also hard to come by, although I'm sure you can mail order anything. There's a decent artists community here, and I'm sure you will be able to devlop contacts who can give you the scoop on where they acquire their supplies.

There's a few pet stores here, too, that might be willing to special order your pet food for you and kitty.

If you're cooking from scratch, know that produce is very expensive. There's a farm stand on the East End two days a week (Monday and Saturday) and Princess Market in C'sted that have fresh produce. Again, expensive, and you have to remember which days they're open and receive shipments, but good stuff.

VB

People are funny. I live in a small coastal town on the gulf of mexico in florida. For years we were known as "the worlds luckiest fishing "village" then people who wanted to get away from the rat race where they lived and started moving to our lovely "village", as they moved they started bringing the things with them that they seemed to moving away from. Gated communities ,franchise stores, more traffic, nasty attitudes, etc. Now our lovely "village" has changed into a coastal version of the rat race they left and the "villager" have been priced out of the housing market and the quality of living has diminished, that is as far as I , and many others are concerned . We once had many mom and pop restuarants that served some of the best seafood around. Now all we have are the franchises and overpriced fine dining establishments, bumper to bumper traffic, Hummers , BMW's, Harley's with doctors and lawyers on them, wall to wall condo's that prevent one from getting to or seeing the beach and outrageous costs of living. We also used to have miles of unspoiled beaches. I seem to notice that many people want to move to the islands to get away from the rat race where they live but are dead set on bringing everything with them that they are wanting to leave. Go figure. Se la vie.

Take it from someone who moved from Europe to the US about 18 years ago. At first everything tast different. Boy could I taste the clorine in the soda when I first moved to Florida. I was looking everywhere to find a piece of my former homeland. At that time the choice where limited. The US had to yet discover how to make a good cup of coffee. I think it took me 5 years and a trip back to Europe to see that all I needed and wanted was right here in the US. Now when someone comes to visit me and ask what to ring along I tell them nothing. I know I can get it right here. So I totally understand how people from the mainland want to bring a little from home with them. It takes time to find just the right coffee, bread etc. one prefers. I love a good cup of coffee and travel with my favorid ground and a #2 filter so I can ensure I get at least one cup of good coffee a day. Trust me in all my travels that seems to be one thing most hotels can't do well.

What I did notice that lemonade seem nowhere to be found. Cherries and Strawberries are very expensive. The same goes for meat.

I am a littled puzzled why nobody seem to be interested in creating a farm industry on STX. The island could produce most all of their fresh produce right there with no prolem. That alone would provide for better produce and lower prices. Not to mention being independent from the mainland.

Iris

kmulhoon wrote:

> I'm assuming that the stores mentioned above are on STT. What
> stores are on STX? I think I've read that there's a fairly
> large mall near C'sted, but I don't know what stores are there.

Since no one has yet answered this question directly, I'd like to take a crack at it.

The malls that you hear of are strip malls, not the big indoor malls with air conditioning and a food court found on the mainland. There is one of those malls built on STX -- it's on the west end of the island,. in the same plaza as the western KMart and across the street from the greatest store on th island, Cost-U-Less. There are only a few stores that are actually opened in this mall (Mariannes and Mariannes Plus are the only two national chain names I recofnized) , and all of them are on the outside. The last few weekends, the mall interior has been used as a local craft and gift market featuring lopcal artisans etc. The story on the news said that the sponsors of this market hope to make it a permanent thing and even allow people to sell thjeir personal and houshold items there on consignment, which coluld make it a very interesting local flea market.

The main shopping center of the island is Sunny Isle, just about 10-15 minutes ourside of C'Sted. It is where you will find the majority of the stores that you recognize from the mainland: KMart East, Payless Shoes, Sam Goody, Radio Shack and a Do It Center hardware store. The remainder of the stores are local, including People's Pharmacy (which is always out of every prescription drug), a dollat-type store, a kids clothing store, another shoe store, plus many others. Several banks have ATMs or branches in Sunny Isle. There are also two movie theater complexes that offer eight screens between them and have shown all of the first run movies on the day they were released. Mainland fast food places at Sunny Isle are Wendys and a KFC -- local restaurants/bars there include a Chinese food place and the Loco Gecko (gets points just for the name).

There are two large grocery chains that operate on STX . Both Plaza Extra and Pueblo have multiple locations, and both carry everything you'd find in a mainland-type grocery store -- although maybe not in the brand you're used to. My hubby was worried that he would have to give up potato bread when we came here, but sure enough we've found it in several places, including Plaza Extra and Cost-U-Less. The really great thing (at least in my opinion) is that all of these store have an enormous selection of bulk food offerings (everything from cereal to frozen foods to candy), which really can save you a lot of money as long as you have the room to store it properly. Cost-U-Less if the bulk buyers heaven -- it is the island version of Sam's Club.Costco, but there is no membership fee required. I am totally hooked on it. There are also a large number of smaller markets around the island, but we've not explored enoughj of those to comment on.

A note on the two KMarts -- interestingly enough, I have found that the two stock very different inventories. For example, the Sunny Isle KMart carries a certain brand of toilet tissue I prefer and carries 12 packs of Diet Dr. Pepper (finding any other diet soda here besdies Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi is a real challenge). I think the KMart West is the place for home furnishings, clothing, etc. while the KMart East is the place to look for household items that you couldn't find at Cost-U-Less.

In the two months that we've been here, there isn't one single thing that I miss or cannot get down here. As someone said earlier, it may take you a couple of stops to get it, but you wil be able to find everything you want or need somewhere on STX.

Hope that helps.

HC

HipCrip thanks for the great explanation of stores and locations.
I was curious where exactly the west-end Kmart is relative to Frederiksted.
thanks
Chad

I accidentally typed Walmart, which surprisiningly enough doesn't exist on STX.