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Your best bets are the Plaza Extra stores in St. Croix and St. Thomas, Starfish Market in St. John, and Riteway or Bobby’s in Tortola. Virgin Gorda has a few small grocery stores, including Buck’s Food Market. The outer BVI islands don’t have supermarkets.

While the warehouse stores in St. Thomas and St. Croix pale in comparison to those found on the US mainland, they do sell items in bulk and often at lower prices than the supermarket. Cost-U-Less in these two islands has no membership fee.

If you shop right after a shipment arrives, you may find crisp vegetables and fruit. But shipping takes its toll and the farther you get from St. Thomas and St. Croix, the more wilted the produce. You can get local produce at roadside stands, but supply is erratic.

Some supermarkets have delicatessen counters that whip up sandwiches to go. They often have take-out foods ideal for picnics or meals at your vacation abode.

If you’re cooking at your condominium or vacation villa, don’t fix your menu until you go shopping. Sometimes all the stores are out of an item that may be essential to your favorite dish.

Liquor is sold at duty-free prices in the USVI. Tourist areas have a few liquor stores, but you’ll find a large selection and usually lower prices for common items such as gin at supermarkets and warehouse stores.

Convenience stores carrying snacks and basic staples are scattered around the larger islands. In the outer BVI islands, these stores are the main shopping spots; unless you want to use precious vacation time heading to the larger islands, you’ll have to make do with them for your needs.

Gaily painted trucks sit along the roads on larger islands, stocked with all manner of West Indian food. A few have tables outside, but usually you’ll have to take your lunch elsewhere to eat.

If you are chartering a bare boat (seeSailing in the British Virgin Islands), the company will stock it with foods of your choosing. Your villa manager will usually do the same. This saves you time and possibly money since the provisioners often deal with wholesalers.

Islands with large rosters of vacation villas have private chefs to cook tasty meals at your villa. They’ll clean up as well. And they’ll create just what you ordered.