Let's face it! Studying abroad comes in handy with a good shopping culture! Everyone wants to get time to explore markets and pick a few goodies to add to the cart list! Shopaholics welcome to Grenada, the land of beauty and charming crafts!
This is where your shopping impulse is put to the test. With numerous shopping malls, stalls, shops, and supermarkets Grenada will certainly take thy breath away!
While the country is not exactly a place to ‘shop until you drop’, there are a few options for visitors who would like to take some souvenirs home. The best places to shop are in local markets, situated in every city and town.
All are packed with souvenirs and handicrafts from all over the country. St. George’s, the country’s capital, has one of the larger shopping avenues in the country, although they're good markets everywhere.
Not only is bargaining and haggling common practice, but it's also a must-do. That mentioned, most traders in the country are not intent on ripping customers off and, even more importantly, are probably just trying to make a living.
It is essential that foreigners bargain respectively and fairly, and, more often than not, this method leads to a more positive outcome than the alternative.
Being an island nation, Grenada is not known for its shopping since it largely relies on imports. St George’s has one modern mall where you can buy many products and a duty-free shop.
Grenada is known as the “Spice Isle,” so nutmeg and cinnamon are available at bargain prices to whet your culinary appetite back home. If you visit the Gouyave Nutmeg Processing Station in St John’s, it has a good mall where you can purchase the leading spice of Grenada, as well as cinnamon and cocoa.
The shop also sells locally crafted ethnic clothing and other souvenir items, but for a real piece of heritage visit the stencil room to get a jute bag customized with words of your choosing.
Nutmeg and other spices are available all over the country, including a delicious nutmeg jam, which is readily available in food stores or directly from the De La Grenada factory in St Paul’s.
Another product worth bringing back is a bottle of the local rum. Rum is the number one tipple of Caribbean inhabitants, and a connoisseur would be able to tell you the hidden differences that make each blend unique to the country of origin. You can buy a bottle directly from the River Antoine Rum Factory.
When shopping in the local markets, feel free to bargain. If you want to get an idea of how much you should be paying, visit the state-run craft markets, which have steady prices. Shops here are mostly open all day. Most are closed at least once a week, usually on Sundays, but you will still find something open every day of the week.
"I enjoy shopping and I found it affordable but some of the clothes are definitely not of the highest quality." - Hassan from Turkey
