Store Opening Times In Phillipsburg?

[rickcop44]

Our February cruise on Valor puts us in St. Maarten at 7:00 a.m. mid-week and we'll be there until 6:00 p.m. I'm quite sure the shops by the pier will be open and going full bore when the ship lets its passengers go ashore. But can anyone tell me what time the stores in Phillipsburg open? I can't imagine them being open at 7:00 in the morning, but I guess one can always hope.

[CaribbeanBlue]

The majority of shops open at 9 am. The early morning is a wonderful time to stroll around, stop in at one of the French bakeries and have some yummy pastries and coffee. You will need this energy for yur power shopping in the world class shopping port.

 

CaribbeanBlue

 

http://www.*****.org

 

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[m steve]

usually gets a little extra discount with Indian shopkeepers as they consider it good luck.

[gtaylor]

I found an interesting document at the US Department of Justice website:

 

The document, Tales of the Bazaar: Interest-Based Negotiation Across Cultures covers the subject in 18 (mostly) interesting pages.

 

I found one section of special interest (below) but there's lots of interesting information.

 

I was initially impressed with the power of worsening the other side’s alternatives by getting up early to become an Indian seller’s first customer of the day, as noted earlier. How-ever, the luster of the "first sale of the day" dimmed somewhat when I later found merchants who told me that the "last sale of the day" was particularly important to them. They said completing this sale would give them luck for the following day. Still others told me that sales on Sunday would be especially favorable, offering their special "Sunday price." On further trips, I discovered that the importance of the "first sale of the day" is not really a Hindu belief, as merchants also talk about it in China, Nepal, and Turkey, among other countries.

 

It seems that instead of being an article of religious faith, the "first sale of the day" is a shrewd negotiating ploy that merchants around the world use to manipulate customers.

 

gary

[m steve]

I knew you can always trust the jewelery salesperson on STM to tell the truth. That's why the $4000 ring I bought last year ended up costing me $800. When negotiating keep pushing until you get the price you want to pay and don't worry about looking cheap or hurting their feelings. They are out to S---- you for as much as they can. Stick to items where you know the real retail cost.