The best fashion and gift stores Barbados

Timetable

In Barbados, service opening hours follow a different rhythm to those in France. They open earlier, but also close earlier. As a rough guide, here are some opening hours:

Banks: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Thursday and until 5 p.m. on Fridays.

Stores: 8am/8.30pm to 5pm Monday to Friday and 8.30am to 1pm on Saturday. In high season (December to end March), some stores remain open on Sundays.

Supermarkets: 8am (sometimes earlier) to 8pm Monday to Saturday, and Sunday mornings (usually to 2pm) in high season.

Covered markets: generally open from early morning to late afternoon, and may be closed at weekends. Market addicts will find Cheapside Market in Bridgetown open every day, and Palmetto Mall open Monday to Saturday.

Pharmacies: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday; 8 a.m. to sunset on Fridays; 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Sundays.

Budget & Tips

Prices are a little higher than in France, except for local products (such as rum). As Barbados is on the cruise itinerary, you'll find quite a few duty-free stores (including the famous Bridgetown Duty Free, Colombian Emeralds or the luxurious Limegrove Lifestyle Centre in Holetown). You'll just need to show your boarding pass (if you're on a cruise) or your return ticket (if you're flying back) and your passport to benefit from duty-free prices. The difference in price can vary from 20% to 40%, so it's not hard to see why.

Stores accept credit cards, but bring cash just in case.

Sales

There is no sale season in Barbados, although the Christmas period is a good time for price reductions.

What's very local

Don't hesitate to visit the markets, which are frequented daily by Bajans. The fruit sections are particularly attractive, with species not found in Europe (acerola, breadfruit, soursop, apple-cinnamon, tamarind, mobin...). Open every day, the Cheapside public market in Bridgetown is the island's largest farmers' market. Visiting it is an experience in itself. If you can cook in your accommodation, why not pick up some freshly caught fish? The best known is Oistins, and for those staying on the west coast, a detour to the pretty little port of Six Men's Bay is well worth the effort.

Bargaining is not a common practice in Barbados, unless you buy a large quantity at the market (to round up the price) or go to a street vendor.

Tourist traps

All three species of sea turtle (green, hawksbill and leatherback) are protected species, and it is forbidden to own one, or to possess anything that might come from a turtle (meat, eggs, shells, etc.). If you happen to come across a tortoise shell that is not an antique, this is poaching and it is illegal to possess it in Barbados, as well as to import it.