Hi rh1958,

If you look on other pages of this message board there is a lot of correspondence about groceries....very useful info (at least I thought so).

I wouldn't bother picking them up on STT. You won't see much difference in prices between the islands.

I beg to differ with Chris@work

The prices on St thomas or far cheaper than on St. John. Rememeber everything that goes to St John has to pass through St thomas, therefore there is an added cost to ship items to St.John. Also the grocery stores on St.Thomas are chain operations in comparison to St.John where they are mom and pop. Usually the chain stores has better buying power with the distributors therefore they can offer better prices. There are no K-marts, Pueblos, Cost U-Less, or Plaza Extra on st John.

I would say this:

Yes, grocery prices for the most part are cheaper on St. Thomas. I look at buying groceries and going way out of your way to buy them on your vacation as a waste of time. Two things to consider.

One, the lines are musch busier so if you do go to Cost_u_less or kmart or whatever, you may wait in longer lines. To me, if you are on vacation, you have paid many dollars to enjoy yourself to go through the hassle of going to STT buy groceries an come back, it's a wasted half day to save maybe fifty bucks if that.

Second, it isn't the easiest way to go, you get on the ferry(dont forget you have to wait for to seperate boats) and you will pay to go back and forth and more for bags you can't sit with you. I was exhausted whenever I went back and forth.

Yes, the locals go to STT often to buy groceries but take these factors in mind. First, most hate doing it. Second, they live there and it is one of the few ways to cut costs in a very expensive place to live.

My advice, relax and enjoy St. John and don't give St. Thomas a second thought until it is time to fly back. St. John is a place to pamper yourself, not to pinch pennies. If you wanted to pinch pennies, you could go to STT and stay for much less. But then you are on St. Thomas.

You are right Chris why go through the hassle when you are on vacation.

Someone else asked about costs of food in another post and this is what I said...If you want to save money on food, pack a cooler and check it as one of your bags (who needs two bags for shorts and T-shirts anyway). Buy all your meats and anything else you can fit in the cooler before you get to St. John and you'll save a ton. Just make sure you wrap it with a baggage strap because they'll search it before it goes on the plane and you can't have it taped.

Wow Chris...very offensive to St Thomas. I'm surprised. Perhaps if things were straightened out with the land being stolen from the natives on St John all of those St John natives could move back across the channel and un-congest St Thomas - which would make the St Thomians very happy.

Then again, that would kind of take away the allure of St John's "paradise by design", and the high prices that trickery allows STJ to command, even if it is at the expense of the native people. So, why do what's right for the natives?

The irony of it all.

Shheesh, Chris! You moved away and you are still a St John snob, huh? 😉