Stores?

Also, how's the auto market on the island? My Fiancee's father works for ford, so we get a family plan discount, but were wondering about the quality/honesty (relative term dealing with auto people, I know) of the Ford place there. Would it be easier (and less expensive) to ship a car to the island, or get one locally?

Geoff-

Go to the top of the forum home page and click on search.. then type in whatever keyword of information you are looking for... any questions that you might have about any topic that you need to know about will most likely be able to be found this way.. if not, then ask a question on the board. I too am moving to the VI's and I have found this board extremely helpful... you just have to take the time to look and research. From what I have read, there is a Home Depot, but, most other chains...no.

Geoff:

Radio Shack, Home Depot, K-Mart (2 stores), Cost U Less (like Costco) and of course McDonalds, Wendy's, Pizza Hut, KFC, etc.

However, if you're really thinking of moving to STT it would be best if you tried a vacation (or pre move visit) there first.

F.I.

Hi Geoff-
If you're worried about being able to acquire consumer goods whenever and wherever you like then St Thomas may not be the island for you. We don't have Walmart or Walgreens or any other store which may start with the Wal prefix.
We do have 2 k-marts, but selections can sometimes be limited. I have a favorite shower gel carried by kmart, but the scent I prefer is usually sold out so when it is there I buy several.
There are a couple of Pueblo supermarkets, but they aren't the same as supermarkets in the states. Don't plan on doing your banking, video renting, dry cleaning, florist, etc. services all in the supermarket. It takes several trips to several locations spread across the island to do all of these things. You can also buy groceries at Marina Market, Food Center, Gourmet Gallery and many, many neighborhood shops.
There are a few shops which sell "label" clothes, but not many and selection is extremely limited. I've been able to get Patagonia and Columbia shorts in a shop in Red Hook, but there may have only been 4 or 5 styles to choose from and some sizes weren't available. Men seem to have an easier time with clothing and a bigger selection in my opinion. It's hard to get clothes here that don't look "touristy" or something your great aunt might wear on a cruise ship. There are a few shops in Tutu mall for clothes and shoes, but it seems to me that the selections are geared for 20 somethings and younger.
A lot of people go to Puerto Rico to shop. Plan on spending around 100 to 150 bucks for airfare for the short hop of a flight.
Luckily, most of my favorite stores have online shopping and will ship here.
There's also a Tommy Hilfiger store downtown and a White House/Black Market which carries clothes for women and a few other shops downtown, but just finding a basic pair of shorts for women can be difficult. You have to be willing to spend a lot of time searching. That's why I turn to the internet.
Speaking of which....we have high speed internet at our apartment and it's been very, very reliable and customer service is great, but it comes at a price. Where I lived in Florida I had a cable modem and it was 24 dollars a month with no contract. Here, we spend one hundred dollars a month and it took a few weeks to get connected. We haven't really shopped around for an internet provider because we're very happy with what we have. I do know you can get dial up for a lot less, but then you have to deal with having a land line which is a whole other story I don't deal with since I only use a cell phone.
As far as buying a car here I don't really know anything, but I have heard in order for you to apply for a loan with one of the local banks you have to have lived here for quite some time. But, again, I really don't know much about that. If you have a car you like and it's paid off then shipping it will cost in the neighborhood of $1000 (give or take a couple hundred depending on the model of car) from the Ft Lauderdale area. A lot of the people I know here have bought "island" cars for cash. They may be a little ugly, but they do the job. Most of the cars here have dents and dings and scrapes.
I hope this long rambling has helped. May I ask from where you may be moving and why?