| �� <<< Note 27.3 by ZENDIA::FLEMMING >>>
�� -< Wouldn't shop for jewelery in San Juan >-
�� I've picked up some pretty good deals on all sorts of jewelery at
�� Little Switzerland in St. Thomas.
I've always found Little Switzerland to be a bit of a yawn.
I was in St. Thomas about two weeks ago, and we were
interested in a Rolex watch; $3075 at LS in St. Thomas and
$2950 at LS in St. Maarten. We bought the watch in New
Hampshire for $2200 from a registered Rolex dealer. We did
negotiate a bit, and paid cash, rather than using a credit
card. LS was unwilling to negotiate, and had the attitude
that there would be another million tourists coming to St.
Thomas this year. (And they're right!) At that LS price,
we would have had to pay some duty as well, as it would have
put us over our allowance.
I was also looking for a particular CD player. $259 at
Lechmere, $245 at BrandsMart in Miami; $250-$280 at the
electronics stores in St. Thomas. I said to one clerk,
'this is cheaper in Miami'. He said 'I know'. Such
a deal. You can buy the Miami Herald in St. Thomas,
and read the ads right there.
The other thing that is such a scam is the ship - store
tie-ins. The ships get a kick-back from the stores for
sending customers there. Some of them are subtle, and some
have the NCL REGISTERED MERCHANT signs posted. Last spring
we were on a store with the NCL sign. (We were on a different
cruise line.) I said to my wife, 'I wonder if we can get the
kick-back as a discount if we're not on NCL'; the shop-keeper
overheard me, and told me that I could.
As far as I can tell, St. Thomas might have had bargains in
some past age, but no longer; now their big claim is no
sales tax. Since I live in NH, I don't care about the sales
tax; I can buy locally for the same price, not have to worry
about duty or shlepping the stuff, and be able to easily
return to the merchant if there is a problem.
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