Top 10 Needed Commodities of the Island...

robob, i know but there is nothing like browsing the aisles of a cvs, juanita, so correct about divi divi

Taco Bell??? - maybe the worst food I have never eaten.
Starbucks?? - overpriced ridiculous products - a Trenta??? - they are even taking the name Starbucks off their own advertising company-wide and going with a logo alone.
We send all the Chinese immigrants who struggle and try to enter here illegally , off island to NY to be deported.
Burger King?? cmon we have McD and Wendys and they are terrible in all aspects.
.

Thank you Exit Zero! Well said. Why would you want to turn the Virgin Islands, with such a wonderful sense of place, into "anywhere, USA"? Isn't that what Florida is for? I may not have lived here long enough, but I certainly have lived long enough to know that's not where I want to be.

Where's the "like" button zero? 🙂

No kidding! I completely agree.

So you guys think Puerto Rico is just like the States then?? Come on these are stores they DO NOT destroy culture, people do that.

Why would everyone want all the chain stores that have homogenized the American culture to relocate here??
fast food restaurants - big box department stores - stores run by corporate bean counters who have no understanding of Island life -- Thankfully those same bean counters already realize a VI outpost is a big time money losing waste of investment -- we have all seen them come and go -- when they compare same store sales and costs the USVI is always a proven anomaly - long supply lines, power problems, staffing difficulties, etc. and this is evident to companies who have stores around the world.
If you want all those chain stores move back to where they are on every road coming and going - and every corner!
Taco Bell??? - maybe the worst food I have never eaten.
Starbucks?? - overpriced ridiculous products - a Trenta??? - they are even taking the name Starbucks off their own advertising company-wide and going with a logo alone.
We send all the Chinese immigrants who struggle and try to enter here illegally , off island to NY to be deported.
Burger King?? cmon we have McD and Wendys and they are terrible in all aspects.

Shop online if you think this accumulation process is the ultimate way to live the American Dream.
The stateside attitude of" buying things I don't need, with money I don't have, to impress people I don't like" will hopefully never take hold here in the VI where people are not perceived as a product of what they own.

Better Power company - better and cheaper real food - cheaper petroleum products - public transportation - and treating your fellow Virgin Islander residents in a respectful and more helpful way - those are some commodities I think we are in need of.

(tu):@)

One of the reasons I'd like to see a Taco Bell is to be able to get a normal size taco or burrito and NOT have to wait 20 minutes for it, and spend $12 plus tip for it.

One of the reasons people want a Target is because Target has better quality stuff than Kmart, nicer stores, more than two registers open, and MAYBE might train their employees better.

Why would everyone want all the chain stores that have homogenized the American culture to relocate here??
fast food restaurants - big box department stores - stores run by corporate bean counters who have no understanding of Island life -- Thankfully those same bean counters already realize a VI outpost is a big time money losing waste of investment -- we have all seen them come and go -- when they compare same store sales and costs the USVI is always a proven anomaly - long supply lines, power problems, staffing difficulties, etc. and this is evident to companies who have stores around the world.
If you want all those chain stores move back to where they are on every road coming and going - and every corner!
Taco Bell??? - maybe the worst food I have never eaten.
Starbucks?? - overpriced ridiculous products - a Trenta??? - they are even taking the name Starbucks off their own advertising company-wide and going with a logo alone.
We send all the Chinese immigrants who struggle and try to enter here illegally , off island to NY to be deported.
Burger King?? cmon we have McD and Wendys and they are terrible in all aspects.

Shop online if you think this accumulation process is the ultimate way to live the American Dream.
The stateside attitude of" buying things I don't need, with money I don't have, to impress people I don't like" will hopefully never take hold here in the VI where people are not perceived as a product of what they own.

Better Power company - better and cheaper real food - cheaper petroleum products - public transportation - and treating your fellow Virgin Islander residents in a respectful and more helpful way - those are some commodities I think we are in need of.

Couldn't agree more(tu)8-)

We need cheaper electricity. From this flows everything else. This would lower the cost for all goods and services across the board, which would in turn increase sales at the stores, which would provide more jobs.

The biggest thing that this would lead to is cheaper groceries. But even without cheaper electricity I think there is probably room for a major grocery chain to come in here, lower prices signficantly, benefiting all residents of the island (except for those who own grocery stores).

Sean

What has always amazed me is how some stores let their cold storage areas waste so much energy. If you live here, you probably know what I'm talking about. I'm sure they just pass those costs on to the their customers.

I would love to see a new made in VI tourist friendly product such as scotch bonnet peanut brittle.
I had some jalapeno, bot a

Thank you Exit Zero! Well said. Why would you want to turn the Virgin Islands, with such a wonderful sense of place, into "anywhere, USA"? Isn't that what Florida is for? I may not have lived here long enough, but I certainly have lived long enough to know that's not where I want to be.

Riiiiight. Cuz those Kmarts add SO much "local culture".

IT

I agree that you have to be insane to come to USVI and want all that crap like Starbucks and Costco from the mainland you wanted to escape in the first place. Local made, organic grown is the future. Community gardens, local self-sufficiency, solar, green stuff is what's coming. People who like simple living, home school support, connection to nature and health.

Coming here to escape is always a recipe for disaster.

Coming here to escape is always a recipe for disaster.

+1

I wanted to escape cold weather. That was a realistic expectation.

I didn't want to escape from Costco. I definitely didn't come here expecting the island to turn into a commune. I don't even want to change the island in any big way. I wouldn't mind swapping some of the fast food we have (and I never eat) for the only one that I actually enjoy (Taco Bell).

I didn't want to escape from Costco (or Walmart) either.
I don't want them "on every corner' but, just one is fine with me!
The island alternatives are too expensive & oppressive!
That said, I do enjoy my yearly stateside shopping & shipping spree, though i'd prefer to spend that time just enjoying the USof A when i visit.
I do, & wouldn't mind shopping local if the prices were proportionate to the extra costs of living here(they need to get rid of that greed/captive audience factor).

I would rather have one good store like a super walmart or super target then have to go to three different grocery stores in one week. I don't see any reason why a store would in any way shape or form change "culture", that's just silly. We are never going to have chain stores on every corner. IMO some of the mom and pop stores do a great job, like Scuba or Samson House, etc... but most have mediocre products at extremely high prices. And all the grocery stores here are horrible in one way or another. It's definitely something you get used to and adapt, but wouldn't it me nice to not be ripped off for the money you work so hard for, especially here?

A recycling plan. VT

Please aklow me to amend my last posit: A recylcling plan that most everybody subscribes to. VT

I would love a Target here on the island- but expecting one is a totally different story.

For those of you that wanted a quick oil change place- there are local businesses that come out to your house (Yes, even here in Cotton Valley) and do it for you. They're quick & professional.

I don't have the number with me, but I'm sure you could find it.

I heard a rumor about a Walgreens...maybe idle talk, but I'd be glad to have one!

Taco Bell (not kidding)

Hey, Neil: Still want a Taco Bell here? 🙂

Bernie

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- An Alabama law firm claims in a lawsuit that Taco Bell is using false advertising when it refers to using "seasoned ground beef" or "seasoned beef" in its products.

The meat mixture sold by Taco Bell restaurants contains binders and extenders and does not meet the minimum requirements set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be labeled as "beef," according to the legal complaint.

a way to recycle that gets everyone doing it!

One of the reasons I'd like to see a Taco Bell is to be able to get a normal size taco or burrito and NOT have to wait 20 minutes for it, and spend $12 plus tip for it.

One of the reasons people want a Target is because Target has better quality stuff than Kmart, nicer stores, more than two registers open, and MAYBE might train their employees better.

Neil - Really? Have you been to McDonald's or Subway on this Island? You think you won't have to wait 20 Min. for a Burrito if we had a Taco Bell on this Island?

I agree with the Recycle thing - but at least SOMEBODY's working on that.
The Road issue - if it could be fixed!? Should be another "project"

There are a few other things that were mentioned - like Whole Foods - I think there was a purchasing Co-op through whole-foods where people were getting together to purchase large amounts of food from there.

Being a professional couple - we could use a little competition in the Dry-cleaning business... there's only 1 shop in town - well, 2 owned by the same person... up go the prices!

Here's a follow up to the Taco Bell lawsuit comment.

Imagine ordering: "I'd like a taco meat filling burrito please"
Taco Bell "meat" is 64% filler and binder

Taco Bell is horrible gut rot. Chipolte and Qdoba style joints that prepare the meal in front of you is the way to go. At least you can see that they have nothing to hide.

Here's a follow up to the Taco Bell lawsuit comment.

Imagine ordering: "I'd like a taco meat filling burrito please"
Taco Bell "meat" is 64% filler and binder

Taco Bell is horrible gut rot. Chipolte and Qdoba style joints that prepare the meal in front of you is the way to go. At least you can see that they have nothing to hide.

Dear Chefy.... Which of these natural ingredients are you defining as "horrible gut rot" ??

Beef, water, isolated oat product, salt, chili pepper, onion powder, tomato powder, oats (wheat), soy lecithin, sugar, spices, maltodextrin (a polysaccharide that is absorbed as glucose), soybean oil (anti-dusting agent), garlic powder, autolyzed yeast extract, citric acid, caramel color, cocoa powder, silicon dioxide (anti-caking agent), natural flavors, yeast, modified corn starch, natural smoke flavor, salt, sodium phosphate, less than 2% of beef broth, potassium phosphate, and potassium lactate.

Let's not all pretend to be surprised that our processed foods aren't "whole" foods.

Neil - Exactly! When was the last time you ate at a restaurant where the food prepared didn't include anything that had been canned, dried, pickled or otherwise processed and artificially preserved before being used as an ingredient? I'd say that experience was pretty rare. Go into any commercial kitchen and you will find all kinds of processed items used in their menus, whether as seasonings, thickening agents, etc. Even basic things like rice are treated to prolong shelf life and prevent rot. Fruits and veggies are often sprayed with chemicals while growing and then protective coatings prior to shipping. Meats are treated with antibiotics and growth hormones. I hardly object to a little "filler" that is probably grain byproducts given all the other processed additives that have become the norm in the food industry.

Given the choice between Taco Bell and many of the restaurants on this island... I'd choose Taco Bell more often than not. Although if I could eat at Bacchus for the same price, they'd win every time. lol