Please Register / Login to take part in discussions about the Virgin Islands.
Folks
Thought you might like to know.
I was in the Fruit Bowl in STT last week, before I left for NJ, and saw some Little Debbie cakes there. So I was at a dollar store over the weekend in NJ and they sell from 1.29 to 1.49, up from 99c when I left for STT in January. Guess what the price was at the Fruit Bowl? 5.39. I know things cost a little more in STT but not that much. Only a mark up of almost 400%. These cakes don't really have an expiration date on them. Most are 6 months or so it is not like they will go bad.
And while was I was there I stopped at Cost You Less. They were a deal at 4.29!!!
So I guess we should eat cake that is almost four times the mainland rate. I for one put them down as I refuse to feed the fat cats that live off the the blood of us folks.
Billd
billd
LOL....couldn't agree more. I saw them at Cost U Less looked at the price and didn't even touch them...Kept my buggy moving!
Cost U Less...is getting to be Cost U MORE
They're actually doing you/us a favor. Cut down on the consumption of junk food - especially those Little Debbies!
Uh, I think some of that dollar store food is close to expiration, but most junk foods last forever regardless.
Maybe we should start a thread "Reasonably Priced Things on STT."
That would be a VERY short thread! 😀
I've got one to post. I'm going to start the thread.
I agree that it is junk food for the junk food junkies. That was not really the point I was trying to make. To be more blunt there are MANY things that are for sale on STT. Some warrant a much larger price than on the main land. However many do not. A simple example. Take the gas price. You can't tell me that it costs a dollar a gallon to get it from ST. Croix to STT. Nothing anyone has done in the government has had an effect on the price. Even the governor wanted the stations to pass on to the people the break that they got from HOVSA. No such luck.
But so it goes in STT. PAY ME NOW OR PAY ME LATER, BUT PAY MORE THAN WE SHOULD!
BILLD
billd: with all due respect, do you have any idea what Hovensa has done for the community in general on STX? Scholarships, local job ops, worker rentals, worker contributions in re buying basic goods and SO much more. Do you really know what it costs to ship the gas from STX to STT and STJ? Are the prices for the Hovensa gas that disparate from the prices charged by Domino which imports directly from PR and who often runs out because of barge problems?
In all honesty I don't understand the kvetching about gas prices at the worst of times. Unless you're a traveling salesman here or a distributor who is driving all day long, the price of gas really doesn't mean a whole lot.
Because I plan my trips very carefully, I actually bought a gas-guzzlijng used car at a MOST reasonable price a few months ago to replace my little dying Toyota island car and haven't really seen any major problems where running it from a cost perspective is concerned. Yes, when I first filled it up the gas prices were at peak and it cost me $70 but a fill-up now is around $50 and, as I said, because I plan my trips, that tankful lasts me several weeks. I don't run the AC (which is super cold) unless I have to have the windows up during a rain shower. Otherwise an open window works fine. Would you prefer to have European gas prices? Check them out when you have a chance and I've no doubt you'd drop your knickers in a heartbeat.
It's so easy to compare stateside prices with island prices but that's a futile game. So if Debbie Does Dallas cakes are so expensive in comparison then don't buy them here. Bring them with you. Honestly I don't even know what they are. I can tell you that if they're muffin-type sweeties then Plaza Xtra on STT sells some sinfully good store-baked muffins which are to die for.
Shopping wisely and carefully is the norm here for locals and the DLCA regularly puts out price comparisons in the media both on gas and food prices. The top notchers on both STT and STX are Plaza Xtra and Cost U Less. Cheers!
Must say that Little Debbie cakes - pretty much regardless of price - are a must for the hurricane stash! Sorry!
STT Resident, I am with you all the way. Think about it. We have no winter clothes to worry about. . Haven't had on a suit in years. I wear shorts and camisoles to work with flip flops not three piece business suits except on rare, rare occasions. I pay for dry cleaning maybe twice a year instead of weekly. My car insurance is cheaper here. I find I go to the doctor less often. Bad moods are cured with a few hours in the water. The air is cleaner. The stars are unbelievable. I personally don't mind paying a little extra to live in paradise.
Yes things cost more on an island. I make less money here perhaps but it is all a trade off. I buy fewer disposable products because of the hassle of disposing of them. I reuse-recycle-reduce without thinking much of it. If there are doctor bills or vet bills the doctor/vet is always good about a payment plan. It's a small town. It's actually a pretty good small town despite the problems.
14 years and counting .... still loving it here! It's a perfect place to live for this aging hippie!
Pamela
IT ID NOT HOVASA THAT I AM QUESTIONING IT IS THE MERCHANTS THAT CHARGE MUCH TO MUCH ON ST. THOMAS, NOT ST. CROIX!!!
BILLD
Oh Bill, don't shout. You brought up Hovensa after all. So you think prices on STX are less than on STT? I seem to be missing your general point but I tend to get a bit deaf when people shout. Time for a nap methinks!
Geeze Folks- I think I'll talk to "Islander" about starting a Forum on this site for people who live there so you can yell at one another on that.
I have been reading this Forum for a few months now and it seems to me that the economy is really effecting tolerance levels for those that live there. Understandably, to a point. The economy is effecting everyone in this country. "You're not alone" down there in paradise!
Islander....where are you :S
Deb
Debfishes: There IS a forum for people who live here- it is the Relocation Board. And when the children start fighting just I-G-N-O-R-E. 😉
