Groceries on STT vs STJ

SusieQT · Post by **SusieQT** » Mon Feb 17, 2014 2:33 pm

We will be shopping for our group of 9. We need to prioritize what to buy on STT as we know everything won't fit in our jeep. We barely got it all in when we were just a group of 4.

The other families are vetoing packing a cooler on the plane, so we will need to buy everything. Meat, dairy, veggies, alcohol, etc.

What are the priorities to buy on STT?

Thank you!

gmanka · Post by **gmanka** » Mon Feb 17, 2014 3:18 pm

Definitely alcohol especially beer wine etc. Last year beer was nearly half price on stt.We also make sure to buy meats, sandwich and steak, plus cheese and salsa dips.

shoemak38 · Post by **shoemak38** » Mon Feb 17, 2014 4:30 pm

Is beer really that much cheaper on St. Thomas? Since we don’t have to rent a car I was just going to have a taxi take us straight to Redhook. If I remember correctly from previous posts on this forum the grocery store across the street from the ferry terminal is no longer there? If you rent a private Taxi will they stop and wait for you to do a booze run?

kklay · Post by **kklay** » Mon Feb 17, 2014 8:03 pm

Our group has stopped at Cost U Less several times over the past few years (we rent our vehicle on STT) and we found beer to be between $3 and $4 cheaper per case than On STJ. Eggs were also a good buy as well as cranberry juice. Those are the items that stick out in my mind. We also pack a cooler with lunch meats, cheeses, steak, spaghetti sauce and hot dogs. We just fill In with other items on the island.

RickG · Post by **RickG** » Tue Feb 18, 2014 3:30 pm

The things we find the greatest cost difference between STT and STJ:
- cases of individual bottled water (500ml/16oz)
- frozen prepared food (chicken nuggets)
- deli meats
- condiments
- dairy/cheese
- European and US craft beer

For freshness, we like to buy our baked goods on STT.

...and we bring water bottles and refill from cheap St. John Water gallon jugs.

But, we buy on STT because it is convenient and faster. The shopping on the Cruz Bay side of St. John has gotten remarkably better over the last ten years. You can easily do 100% of your shopping on St. John. We generally budget $100 per person per week for in-villa/beach food and alcohol.

Cheers, RickG

Bigcheeze · Post by **Bigcheeze** » Wed Feb 19, 2014 7:03 am

We have never shopped on STT so I can't comment...so why am I?

I'm guessing there might be some savings of 10-30% on many items but, in the grand scheme of things whether I pay $20 vs $24 for a case of Bud Light on STJ its still cheaper than bar prices of $2-5 per beer at the bar(excluding Ice Cold Long neck Coors Light for a $1 at Woodys for happy hour). Therefore the price savings is not big enough to buy on STT.

Yes a pound of fresh Ground Chuck at Starfish or St john Market(by he Westin) might set you back $7-10 per pound...we can get 4 nice quarter pounders on the villa grill and save the $10-12 per burger cost at a restaurant.

So, I like to compare the relative costs of dining in vs out. And believe you me...we are on a budget too.

And when possible, we like to support the local island businesses.

Bigcheeze · Post by **Bigcheeze** » Wed Feb 19, 2014 7:35 am

We also buy the whole chickens at St John Market, they are about $7 a piece. We do the beer can chickens on the grill for dinner and use the left over meat for sandwiches, chicken salad and chicken soup. Two chickens are more than enough to feed 6 people with lots of left overs.

kklay · Post by **kklay** » Wed Feb 19, 2014 7:58 am

Hey Bigcheese, I follow you logic. For a BIG group that drinks alot of beer (that might be our Ohio group

, it seems to make some sense for us to stock up at Cost-U Less, I also agree with the previous poster about the cost of water on STT vs STJ, quite a difference!

Ok - so about 23 days since I am on island. Maybe I'll even try and do a trip report this time!

toes in the sand · Post by **toes in the sand** » Wed Feb 19, 2014 11:18 am

I shop for villa food on StJ so I cannot provide input on STT prices but the thing I notice that is one of the most expensive in comparison to mainland prices are on items like chips and cereal. Can someone give an idea on the price comparisons between STT and StJ prices on low density items like chips and cereal?

kklay · Post by **kklay** » Wed Feb 19, 2014 11:28 am

I can't help with cereal however TOSTITOS chips were $3.79 a bag on STT at C-U-L and they were $3.99 at Starfish. Doesn't sound like much difference although the bag at C-U-L was big, about twice the size of the one we purchased on STJ at Starfish. We also found orange juice to be much cheaper at C-U-L, they had gallon jugs for $9.99 a gallon and it was $7.99 for a 1/2 gallon at Starfish, both were Tropicana brand.

mindehankins · Post by **mindehankins** » Wed Feb 19, 2014 3:26 pm

If your group drinks a lot of soda, you should ask about price comparisons on that. We drink a lot of Diet Coke, and we prefer to buy it in 2L bottles. We've seen prices over $4/bottle on STJ, and I believe they were under $3/bottle on STT. For a large group, soda could be a big savings.

Bigcheeze · Post by **Bigcheeze** » Wed Feb 19, 2014 8:16 pm

mindehankins wrote:If your group drinks a lot of soda, you should ask about price comparisons on that. We drink a lot of Diet Coke, and we prefer to buy it in 2L bottles. We've seen prices over $4/bottle on STJ, and I believe they were under $3/bottle on STT. For a large group, soda could be a big savings.

We drink a few diet sodas with our rum...someone told me to start drinking straight rum or rum and water since the soda is more expensive than the rum.

Reminds me of the bars that allowed you to do your own pour of rum...but would take the half used can of soda and put it behind the bar for the next person....

kklay · Post by **kklay** » Thu Feb 20, 2014 9:58 am

Yes, I remember the days of Larry's Landing! Had a Newbie that required some assistance getting back to the Westin that night!

RickG · Post by **RickG** » Thu Feb 20, 2014 10:26 am

Good point on the soda. We are water drinkers and Pepsi, Ginger Beer and Ting are mixers. Cost U Less is not always the cheapest for beer or soda. Depending on your payload, you may do better at Plaza Extra.

We're shopping at Pueblo and Gourmet Gallery on March 8 for a sailing trip. For three of us, its not worth trekking further from French Town to save less than taxi fare. Pueblo is a less polished experience than Cost U Less, Plaza Extra and any of the Cruz Bay markets. But, its good enough.

Gets me to thinking, with a group bigger than four people the drinking habits seem to drive the expenses more than eating. The more we visit, the more Presidente and Cruzan meet our needs.

If you ever want grocery store envy, stop into Riteway in Road Town, Tortola.

Cheers, RickG

mahojim · Post by **mahojim** » Sat Feb 22, 2014 4:18 am

Have to agree with a few of yous folks about hitting Cost U Less- we grab a few things there, alright,- salad dressings, soda,water,...but honestly don't go too crazy. Don't get me wrong. We are just getting off of a flight,( undoubtedly without much sleep) and after we walk down the steps from the plane and cross the hot tarmac, we're revitalized with excitement about what our upcoming week will show us. That said, we just kinda' fly by the seat of our pants and splurge on a bunch of stuff; rum, vodka, drink mixers, breakfast stuff, rolls, bread, spaghetti's & sauce, etc...hell,- vaca is on!!! (besides,- doesn't everyone have a "spaghetti night", or is it just us?!?) Then I try my damnedest to hit Duffy's Love shack for wings before we hit jump on the car ferry, go up top and drink a chilly beer and feel the breeze of re-entry to STJ. Friggin' WONDERFUL experience every time...
Like most of you, we all end up hitting the market almost everyday on STJ to constantly get the daily needs, anyway,(ice, salad, more beer, juices...) I still like the idea of bringing down a soft-sided cooler with burgers, steaks, dogs, porkroll, bacon, frozen oj from concentrate, etc... so's to have our place for the week a little stocked. NOT so we save money, but moreso for the "less time at/getting to & from the market" situation.
I'm rambling...sorry.
Larry's Landing?!?! Found that joint on a Thursday night after I booked a parasailing trip for the next morning at 9 a.m. ...

Drank @ 2 bottles of dark rum with Gary from Mixology Warehouse. Thank GOD I survived and can laugh about it now.
Hope I helped, doubt it...
All the same-
Smiles!
MJ

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