Business

St. Thomas Shoppers Face $115.49 Gap Between Supermarkets, DLCA Survey Finds

Shoppers purchasing the same 88 grocery items on St. Thomas could pay as much as $115.49 more depending on which supermarket they visit, according to the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs' latest price comparison, which also identified differences of $43.18 on St. Croix and $45.38 on St. John. The survey, conducted during the week of October 19 and released Tuesday, October 27, found that Pueblo Long Bay offered the lowest overall grocery basket on St. Thomas at $505.13, compared with $620.62 at Food Center. The difference means the same selection of products cost approximately 23 percent more at the highest-priced supermarket. On St. Croix, Pueblo Golden Rock recorded the lowest total among five supermarkets surveyed, while Pine Peace Mini Mart offered the least expensive basket among three participating stores on St. John. DLCA Commissioner Nathalie Hodge announced the results as part of the department's Supermarket Comparative Study, which tracks the prices of identica...