Grocery shopping on North and Middle Caicos is a bit different from doing it on Provo (Providenciales). There is no equivalent to a big supermarket; stores are small, fitting grocery basics into shops the size of a corner convenience store. Still, if you approach grocery shopping as an adventure, you should be able to find what you need if you are staying at a rental place for a week or more. Here are some tips for grocery shopping on North and Middle Caicos.
- Go everywhere. We don’t have a big, all-inclusive supermarket, so you’re not going to find everything you want in one place. Different stores have different things. If you can’t find it here, you might find it there.
- Go often. Restocking occurs on a shifting basis, because sometimes the barge doesn’t get here on its usual day, or there was a shipping delay. If you can’t find it today, you might find it tomorrow.
- Go with a smile. The service economy here is personal. Don’t be offended or impatient if a longtime customer and friend gets served first or has a long chat with the clerk or owner.
- Explore the store. Things might be categorized a bit differently from what you would do. And yes, open up those chest freezers! That’s where you’ll find meats as well as items normally in the freezer section.
- Don’t assume that everything is packaged the in the way you are used to. There might be some fresh milk in the cooler, but remember that you’re on an island and boxes of UHT milk might be on the shelves. Likewise, you might find good Jamaican cheddar in a can, and even tinned butter.
- Ask. If you can’t find something, ask about it. It can’t hurt.
- Don’t be cheap. Yes, I know the prices are high. So is the cost of getting things to the island. If you find that jar of Pace picante sauce or Grey Poupon mustard, and that’s what you want, just buy it without complaining about how much cheaper it is “back home.”
- Be prepared to compromise a little. As a Pittsburgh girl, I prefer Heinz ketchup, but I can’t always find Heinz. Suck it up, Jody, buy the Hunt’s.
- Stay flexible. This goes not only for willingness to try new brands, but also for your meal planning. Don’t be so rigid in your recipes that you can’t see a substitution or the possibility for something altogether different. I once made my Eggs Florentine recipe subbing shredded jack for the feta, sour cream for the cottage cheese and collards for spinach. It was still delicious!
No, North Caicos doesn’t have the vast variety and quick turnover of a place like Graceway on Provo. But there’s plenty available for those with some imagination and flexibility. Besides, think about what you’d have to give up to have all that convenience of what you want when you want it … the uncrowded spaces, relaxed pace and friendliness of North Caicos. I think the better choice is to think differently about shopping than to pave paradise.
For a list of grocery stores on North & Middle Caicos, click HERE.
This post was adapted from a blog post by Jody Rathgeb.
Jody hails from Greensburg, Pennsylvania and lives on North Caicos part-time. Her first visit to the island was in 1990. She chose to visit North Caicos from a side comment she saw in an article about Provo.
Learn more about Jody and follow her blog that shares both the joys and challenges of island living. It’s posted weekly on her Facebook page “Beyond the Parrot Paradise,” and at www.jodyrathgeb.com.
