Shopping in Barbados
Gas Stations
In a pinch gas stations are also mini convenience stores and while not the cheapest option, you can pick up stuff long after the supermarkets are closed. They sell basic groceries, light bulbs, shavers and even fuses for cars. It's also the primary place people buy ice.
Groceries
At Shoreshire villa in Dover, St. Lawrence gap the closest option is Dover Market. This store is not as well stocked as the larger supermarkets but you can still find produce, cooked food, snacks, sodas, beer, wine, flip flops and suntan lotion. You're going to need to go to a real supermarket if you want to cook anything more than basic. However it's a convenient option for someone without a car since it's just steps away.
Here are the main stores where you can stock up your kitchen in preparation for a meal.
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Massy Stores Supermarket
Launched in 2014 in Barbados, Massy Stores are now located throughout the Caribbean.
They have several locations on the island and the one closest to Dover and Shoreshire villa is Massy Supermarket Worthing, formerly known as Big B Supermarket, and it's a 25 minute walk away.
You can look here for all the other locations on the island.
This is one of the larger grocery stores on the island and it is fully stocked with just about any type of food you can imagine. Massy’s imports lots of fruits and vegetables from other countries so you will find those intermixed with locally grown produce. Many items that appeal to tourists are also stocked including things like kefir. In addition they have an extensive alcohol section selling both hard alcohol and wine.
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Trimart Supermarket
There are three Trimart Supermarket locations in Barbados. The closest one to Dover and Shoreshire villa is in Rendezvous on the main road to the left and it's about a 22 minute walk away.
You can look here for their other locations.
I find that they are not as well stocked as Massy in recent years but they do have most of the stuff you would need.
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Jordans Supermarket
There are three Jordans Supermarkets in Barbados.
You can look here for their locations. There's one in Bridgetown, the capitol of Barbados.
You will use this supermarket mostly only if you live on west coast.
It also is well stocked and has a wide selection of quality groceries that you would expect to find at any international supermarket.
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PriceSmart
PriceSmart is a membership based shopping franchise with a location in Barbados. If you do purchase an annual membership and you have a car to get there it's a great place to shop. Located in Lodge Hill, PriceSmart also has an excellent grocery store with affordable prices but some of the items are sold in large quantities so you will have to see if that works for you. Prepared foods such as whole cooked rotisserie chicken etc are also offered for sale.
At PriceSmart, it's also a one stop shop for electronics, clothes, appliances and furniture etc.. So pretty much anything you are looking for is usually available here.
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Oistin's Fish Market
Oistin's fish market, in Christ Church, is where you generally go to get fresh fish. Barbadians almost never buy fish at the supermarket.
From Shoreshire villa in Dover it's a 38 minute walk so I wouldn't recommend you walking. Follow my post about getting around Barbados to determine transportation options.
While you're in Oistins also look over the fresh vegetables sold there and in the immediate vicinity on the main road. You may find that Oistin's is actually your most economical place to shop if you're a fish lover.
What I do is ask random people "who sells good fish?" and they will point you to their favorite person that they shop with. Use your judgement and you will find someone good.
The fish doesn't get much fresher than this because the boats are right on the other side of this building.
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- People Cleaning Fish
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- Person Cleaning Fish
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- Fish
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Wine World
Wine World is the leading retailer of wine and spirits in Barbados. Sure you can buy wine at the supermarket but you will get it at a much better price here especially if you buy it by the case.
They sell all alcohol types, not just wine. They have several convenient locations throughout the island.
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West India Coffee Co. (Nespresso Refills)
Shoreshire villa has a Nespresso machine and we recommend you bring your own supply of capsules from overseas to maintain your coffee high. If you run out of capsules or forget to bring them you can buy them at twice the price here and they will deliver them to you if you order enough of a quantity.
Clothes, Electronics, Hardware and Furniture
One would expect that on vacation, you bring all the clothes you need, but in the rare event you need them or have decided to move to Barbados, I thought you might want to know where to go. And since you're moving, I figure you might want to start furnishing and fixing your house, so I've included that too.
Since almost everything is imported, I wouldn't say that Barbados is a destination for shopping, unless you can't get it elsewhere. However some of the stores sell duty-free to tourists so at least you will be able to buy stuff for cheaper than a local person.
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Bridgetown Duty Free (formally known as Cave Shepherd)
Cave Shepherd had been in existence since 1906, after being originally opened by Mr R. G. Cave and Mr J. P. Shepherd, two well respected Barbadian businessmen of the time.
When I was growing up this was one of the main places to go to shop and as a kid it was something to look forward to in hopes of getting some nice toy you didn't have before.
Where, then, on Broad street, it was one big multi-floor department store, now it has become more of a mall with independent business owners selling their products. In January 2021 the mall was renamed to Bridgetown Duty Free after Cave Shepherd withdrew from the partnership. This is sad considering it's place in history.
Unless you are in that area, most likely getting off a cruise ship for few hours, I can't see why anyone would go there anymore at this point. There are so many more convenient options now.
The only reason I can think of is that Bridgetown Duty Free still offers the largest selection of duty free items on the island. You can save up to 25% off US prices and if you missed buying liquor at the airport you can get a hefty discount off liquor as well. You need to bring your passport or license and know your airline departure flight in order to avail yourself of the discount.
The various vendors sell beachwear, perfume and cosmetics, souvenirs, jewelry and accessories, all forms of clothing, shoes, and houseware. They also sell furniture, kitchen appliances, and electronics.
There are other locations of Bridgetown Duty Free off Broad street which are more convenient in my opinion but they may not have everything available in the main branch. There is one next to the gas station that's next to Trimart in Rendezvous mentioned above. So save yourself a trip to town unless you absolutely have to go.
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Sheraton Mall
This site was originally housed by Intel as a chip manufacturing plant before it was converted to a mall after Intel closed it's subsidiary here.
If you have an electrician working at your house and they need some specialized electronics, most likely this is where they are going to go.
If you need furniture this is where you're going to go. Courts is one of the shops.
If your phone is broken or needs an adapter or even a new sim card from Digicel, this is where you go.
Contact Sheraton Mall 's shuttle service at 437-0970 to arrange your pick up from South Coast Hotels & Guesthouses
Here is additional information from their website
"Sheraton Mall has the distinction of being the first as well as the largest mall on the island with over 120 stores and services including a Food Court and multiplex cinema."
The mall features two floors and several outside shops that carry accessories and apparel, electronics, health and nutrition, home accessories and more.
The mall is centrally located on the South Coast, only a few minutes from St. Lawrence Gap, with ample free parking and late shopping until 6:00pm, Monday through Saturday. With one-stop duty-free shopping in a contemporary style, Sheraton is truly the mall that has it all."
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Surf Shak
If you need to buy surfwear or swimsuits in Barbados Surf Shak is your place. Lazy Days went out of business years ago and now Surf Shak is the largest Surf/Lifestyle Shop chain in Barbados with five locations- Quayside, Sheraton Mall, Sky Mall, Welches & Speightstown.
From board shorts, to beach toys and slippers, they’ve got everything you need for a weekend spent in the sand or by the pool.
They also sell surf equipment like surfboards, skateboards and sunglasses.
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Carter's
This is the premier hardware store in Barbados. If you can't find what you need here then you would then either check Sheraton Mall or PriceSmart (if you have a membership).
This would have the same kind of stuff you would find in a Homedepot in the US or a general hardware store elsewhere.
I grew up in Barbados and now reside in Boston primarily working as a software developer. I'm also a licensed real estate professional so I know what it takes to be a trusted responsive short term rental host. Hopefully i've hired the best on premise staff who have thought of everything, but I myself am always only a phone call away. Being a local (we go back frequently) I know all the things to do, when to do them and I can get you in contact with the right people to facilitate it. My wife, who is russian, and I love nice restaurants and drinks as well so we can point you to our favorite places to go. You can expect a reasonable and timely response from me should you need any assistance. Enjoy your vacation!