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On the 7
day cruise, your ports of call will include the
Eastern Caribbean islands of St Maarten and St.
Thomas, with shore excursions available to St.
John.
While there
are many things to see and do, shopping seems
to be one of the main attractions on each of the
islands. If you're in the mood to buy jewelry,
clothes or electronics, there are some good deals
to be found.
In general,
the shopping areas seem to be broken up into main
areas and off areas. Shops in the main areas are
less likely to negotiate too much on price, where
those shops off the beaten path will negotiate
quite a bit. For example, a watch in one store
that listed at $995 (retail), was selling regularly
at $617. Attempts to negotiate were futile. However,
a block in off the main area, stores were willing
to go as low as $525 for the exact same watch.
We saw the same thing with jewelry. All stores
have tagged the merchandise with the full retail
price, and will immediately offer you 30-50% off.
The fact is, even in the states, these items will
never sell at that retail price, so there is no
real bargain there. It's only when the stores
will negotiate below that 50% off price that you'll
find some excellent deals, and they are plentiful.
Be patient, visit several stores, and don't be
afraid to negotiate with them. If they won't negotiate,
walk out and find a store that will.
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