On Mon, 04 Jun 2012 12:56:25 -0700, RayC wrote:

On 6/3/2012 9:20 PM, wrote:

I have to say up front that I do not like to shop. My husband is the
shopper in the family. I sometimes buy some small useful item (if
possible a local product) as a gift for family when I'm on a trip, but
most of my grandchildren are too old to be happy to get those kinds of
things now.

I also found in Cozumel specifically that the cruise ship recommended
stores had fixed prices but the stores on the back streets(which the
cruise ship shopper said were unsafe and no one should go there) were
willing to bargain.

I have also been in a bargaining situation at one of those flea
markets and asked the woman if I bought three of the items that $3.00
each, how much of a discount she could give me. She said she would
give me three for $12.00. I don't know if she thought I wouldn't have
enough fingers to figure out that $12 for three items would be $4.00
each or what.

We used to lead diving groups to Cozumel several years ago before the
cruise ships came every day. And the number one piece of advice we gave
our travelers was to NOT shop on the day that the cruise ships arrived
and to NEVER shop the cruise ship "center". The pricing was easily 25%
higher than the day before. And as for the warning about back streets
... bunk. The most dangerous people in Cozumel are the tourists. If a
local is caught ripping you off, besides the local legal penalties (like
a VERY uncomfortable jail), they are barred from working there again.
Some of the best restaurants are on the back streets.

Yes we were in Cozumel for a week to dive. I felt safe by myself
everywhere in Cozumel. One woman said that he knew the prohibitions
of the cruise shopper person were true because she had seen a news
story on TV about a tourist in Mexico City that was robbed. That's SO
STUPID. It was the same thing when we visited the USVI before we
visited there on a cruise ship. It was supposed to be so much of a
crime problem there.

We had a lot of fun visiting various Cozumel restaurants, although I
had to learn to ask for the bill as they wouldn't try to hurry you up
to leave. Some of the cruise ship people were quite obnoxious. It
gave us a bad view of that kind of cruising and I had a hard time
convincing my husband to go on a cruise ship after that experience.