STT Home Depot questions....

I would suggest you buy your appliances at Gallows Bay Hardware; if there is a problem, it will be much easier to have repairs made by them.

I have found the HD to be consistently 20% above stateside HD. That, I assume, is attributable in part to shipping costs. I went with HD for my washer, dryer and refrigerator. All other appliances that were more niche or specialty items, I purchased stateside.

You might want to check out the local appliance stores, as suggested above. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Appliances PLus (our local) was reasonably priced for some items I special ordered.

My husband and I have spent the last 2 yrs finishing the house we purchased on STX "as-is where-is". Nothing but concrete walls when purchased. We took a trip over to STT to the Home Depot with the intent of buying everything to finish the house. We were very disappointed. Prices were higher than stateside Home Depot and choices of what we were looking for were limited. We ended up flying back on the seaplane with one light fixture for our hallway. We ended up buying all our appliances at Gallows Bay Appliance and shopping locally for the convenience of tile, etc. We shipped bathroom sinks, toilets, Hunter ceiling fans, etc from Home Depot Export out of Miami. These items were shipped at a lesser price (including freight through VI Cargo) than having bought in STT. Buying in STT would have been quicker, but there was the difficulty of co-ordinating shipping to STX. Go figure, it's only 40 miles or so. Shipping from Florida was much easier. We also ended up shipping a 20' container from Houston, TX with the bulk of our home items after a trip home. We purchased bamboo flooring, granite countertops and many other items for a fraction of STX & STT prices.

I absolutely agree with the recommendation of Gallows Bay Hardware.
We have been renovating a condo in STX for the past year, basically spending all of our vacation time working on it. We have found the Gallows Bay Hardware a real asset to this project and found ourselves there on an almost daily basis. The staff is knowledgeable, friendly and efficient, customer service seems to be a priority for them. They are also polite and understanding when something you purchased is not quite what was really need ed and has to be returned.
The prices are as good or better than other places on the Island and reasonable when shipping is taken into consideration. We have also found that they make every effort to order things for you if they don't have it in stock. Their new bath and kitchen warehouse/showroom has some great stuff. We highly recommend them.
And no, we don't work for them or get a discount for plugging their store.
Tecara

One would think that it is easy to coordinate shipments between STT and STX but it is very difficult. I believe there is only one boat a week. and goods must be picked up within 2-4 hours of arrival at Gallows Bay.

How about Oscar's? They have good stuff as well.

RL

Well, our experience is different. Yes, we buy alot from GBH, but only what what we need instantly or when something is a good or reasonable price. We find generally the pricing to be twice what an item retails for in the states--now always, but often, so if it is not a necessity we often carry down from the states, or have things sent using the flat rate priority mailing through the post office. We don't mind paying a reasonable upcharge for buying on island, and actually like to support local businesses whenever possible, but don't consider twice retail to be reasonable. No way does the shipping, excise and gross receipts justify that sort of markup. If you're only a casual homeowner making occasional repairs you just chalk it up to the convenience, but if you're doing an extensive or long-term project it gets crazy. Somewhat different thing with Tropical Plumbing, STX Trading, Floor Specialists, -if you know your prices, often these stores are quite reasonable considering, but on some items they are outrageous,.... but if it's on island and you need it right away....
We also have been quite successful with ordering bigger items from HD in Puerto Rico, and can get a three-day turnaround--ie. order Wednesday, available at the dock on STX on Friday or Monday. Shipping thus far has been quite reasonable. Ordering from HD in FL takes longer, shipping is more, but there are more and sometimes different things available than in PR. Having HD ship from either place eliminates the sales tax you pay when you pick the items up yourself, which somewhat offsets their delivery charge.
We find the tile choice on island limited, but if you can live with the selection it is usually reasonable in price, (depending on which store, that is) and for the setting materials also, plus they are there and usually freshly ordered, considering how often they are out of stock.
Appliance repair service from GB hardware is also not all it used to be. Plus they are not participating in the rebate program. Found Best Furniture does, and also supports the 5-year stateside warranty on refrigs, no one else on island does more than a year. Lately we've bought from HD, from Sears.com and had items delivered right to VI Cargo, and from Best. Prefer to buy something like a refrig on island, other appliances it's not such an issue, and with the rebate the price is comparable to stateside.

Thanks everyone for the advice.

Really great stuff, and it gives me a good idea.

THANKS AGAIN!