Proud to be a Caymanian in time of “concession”
Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 02/23/2012 - 17:17
I would like to firstly and personally thank the AL Thompson Group for being a true cornerstone in the Caymanian community. Recently, I have had the pleasure to work with AL Thompson’s appliance gallery team in special ordering appliances for my home, to my surprise I saved both monetary and time wise. I was able to equip my kitchen with top of line Whirlpool appliances for the same cost as though I would have purchased them in the US less the shipping and customs hassle which also included a one year warranty! Their friendly and professional staffs are always ready and waiting to assist you with your needs.
My ultimate gratitude came when I made an everyday purchase in January 2012 and upon reviewing my receipt there was a note that stated “Promo: Price reduced due to import duty”! Beaming with pride to know that a Company, “my home depot” (the only one to date) that I have shopped at, that has extended the Government Duty Concession reduction cost to me, their consumer.
Therefore, I would like to encourage the community to shop with AL Thompson’s, a company that is clearly looking out for their consumers’ best interest and not only the all mighty dollar. From my family to yours, I wish God’s continued blessings for you throughout 2012 and beyond. Author: Proud Young Caymanian
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I am renovating a home here
I am renovating a home here and priced everything up, on and off island.
I decided on buying the appliances on Island mainly due to the warranty issue, until I strayed into an appliance store in Florida.
The staff there immediately wiped my sales tax off the price as it was destined for overseas and massively discounted the price if I bought all four appliances that I wanted.
3,600 US dollars later I had four, top of the range, stainless steel appliances on the way.
For one of the same appliances in white, on Island, it is over 2000 cayman dollars.
So, the moral is, even if two of them break down and are without warranty, the cost to repair or replace them will still leave me in pocket, as I will buy again off Island.
Even after duty, additional fees and every other mind blowing bureaucratic hurdle!
It is for ths reason that I suspect, local stores in Cayman are using CNS to try their own version of subliminal advertising!
Sadly, it is a very transparent and weak attempt.
I will still continue to buy overseas whenever I can and encourage others to do so.
Profit margin for local
Profit margin for local companies are too high. However no one should cry as everything in cayman is overpriced.
"3,600 US dollars later I had
"3,600 US dollars later I had four, top of the range, stainless steel appliances on the way. For one of the same appliances in white, on Island, it is over 2000 cayman dollars".
I am sorry but there is something about this that I don't find credible. You carefully omitted any reference to what these applicances were but there is no way for example that you could get four Sub-Zero stainless steel fridges for US$3,600. It is also a but misleading to quote for ONE of the items in Cayman since that might imply that the applicances were equally priced (so that the total would be CI$8,000) rather than by far the most expensive appliance of the four. In any event what you need to compare is the cost of the items plus freight and duty.
You were totally off the
You were totally off the mark. The equivalent price in Cayman dollars was over ten thousand for the same purchases.
Do the research.
How can I? So far you have
How can I? So far you have not said what applicances or what brands are involved. Since there is nothing personal in that information I have to conclude that you are deliberating withholding the information necessary to make a proper comparison which you suggests that you are being economical with the truth.
Thank you for your post Anon
Thank you for your post Anon 13:33!
This woman might have these little LG or Frigidaire appliances and then talking about saving “millions” when they were on clearance sale at the Flea Market of Hialeah. (smile readers)
However, my post was about Kitchen Aid Soft touch Cooktop, French door refrigerator, Microwave/Oven combo…etc NOTHING and I mean NOTHING from Kitchen Aid gallery NOT EVEN the MIXER is less that $500 CI OR US
No pun intended! I’m not boasting for it is only material things but is for the reader to do their research.
How much did your trip
How much did your trip overseas cost and how much was the shipping and duty (usually over 50%). Just askin'.
If it wasn't worth doing, I
If it wasn't worth doing, I would not have done it.
people do irrational things
people do irrational things all the time.
This post says a
This post says a lot.
Basically the story is "Store decided not to gouge me (as much) following tax reduction and this made me happy".
On a trip to Grand Cayman, I
On a trip to Grand Cayman, I went to buy a faucet in AL Thompson's thinking it wiould be cheaper than Brac. It was more expensive than Brac. That shouldn't happen since the merchant in Brac has to add on shipping rates to Brac. I was quite surprised.
The one big disadvantage of
The one big disadvantage of buying applicances in particular overseas is that you do not get a warranty and follow up service. You cannot realistically return the item if it is defective and you may be unable to obtain the necessary repairs locally. Some unscrupulous merchants overseas are keenly aware of that handicap and may deliberately foist defective products on unsuspecting overseas buyers. Persons building homes where the contractors purchase their applicances overseas in order to increase his profit margin should bear that in mind. Once the house is complete and the contractor has been fully paid he washes his hands of you and you are on your own.
Yeah but with thousands of
Yeah but with thousands of dollars still in my pocket, I can afford to deal with any appliance repairs. And the plumbing fixtures last forever anyway.
I am not sure which thousands
I am not sure which thousands of dollars in your pocket you are referring to. If you buy something and it is a dud and you have to buy a new one you haven't saved anything. You are in the red. If your contractor buys it, it is money in his pocket as he maximises his profit and you are left holding the bag.
Are you hard of hearing? A
Are you hard of hearing? A kitchen full of appliances costs a good bit. So does a houseful of plumbing fixtures. I think I have expressed clearly that in my case there was a 35% saving by buying in the US, notwithstanding shipping. travel, duty, taxes, etc. The list of items requested was exactly the same in Cayman and in the US. Between the kitchen and the baths, I personally saved a five figure sum (that means--more than $10,000. This will more than cover dealing with any "dud" that may appear.
I tried but I really couldn't
I tried but I really couldn't hear anything from my computer screen.
That sounds like gross exaggeration if you are including travel, accommodation and transportation while there.
Please stop try to talk sense
Please stop try to talk sense to someone who can only see that if he agrees with you then he has been a fool. There is a reason why many people on Cayman would still shop on Cayman and spend so much to get so little. It works for them. Look at what they spend on their government and what they get for it.
Reply to Anonymous @ 18:08 and Patricia X @ 7:21
Anonymous @ 18:08:
The point of the article was to show that you have Companies like AL Thompson's that care about the consumers and not taking the extra 15% Duty Concession for themselves as additional profit! You might think you are coming out on top by 35% but in the event of damages, it takes the shipping companies 30 days to settle for you to do it all over again plus installation and an additional personal expense in the absence of warranty.
Patricia X @ 7:21:
You my love should not be here in Cayman if you are only here to take and not invest honestly in the community.
Help stimulate the economy, shop locally!
God Bless
I agree with the sentiment
I agree with the sentiment and shop locally whenever it makes sense. I don't mind paying a little extra to keep the shops on island going since it means added convenience for me in the long run. However, I will admit I have a bit of trouble shopping at A.L. Thompson's after seeing that house in South Sound... I'm all for supporting the local economy, but I draw the line at supporting astronomical individual wealth at my own (dear) expense.
Dear "The Author", please do
Dear "The Author", please do not waste time commenting on posts from Patricia X. I gave up a long time ago as they all bear the the same nasty anti Cayman/I'm grabbing my money and getting out content which is designed to wind up reasonable people, both Caymanian and non Caymanian alike There's nothing you can do about her kind of person. I give thanks every time I am reminded of her existence that I do not have to wake up beside her in the morning.
And given your sanctimonious
And given your sanctimonious attitude, this gold-digger is very glad she does not wake up next to you either. I don't discirminate when it comes to rich men.
Ho, ho ho!
Ho, ho ho!
Mmm! I love it when you talk
Mmm! I love it when you talk dirty, Pat.
Anon 1107 you do realize that
Anon 1107 you do realize that AL is perhaps the most expensive store of its kind on the island?
Please dont try to paint a picture otherwise. They have their profit margin well covered.
All of that is not really
All of that is not really worth the five figure sum that is still in my pocket that I can use for repairs in the unlikely event any are required. Does having a beach place in Cayman really mean I am supposed to pay whatever ridiculous price is charged locally? There is no justification for the prices on Cayman. As to the duty concession, I got that too. In case you forgot, it was given to encourage people to build, which is what I am doing. The attitude you express makes one wonder if I made a mistake.
My attitude via the post was
My attitude via the post was insight and extending kindness of knowledge.
Your mistake was to put that much effort in bringing down my honest & humble opinion for material things.
You have your 35% thousands of dollars savings, your appliances and the trip to Joe’s Crab Shack so I that’s good for you.
One tip I received before I
One tip I received before I moved to Cayman was buy nothing locally unless you have to. That advice has served me very well over the years, and other than groceries and duty free items I manage to follow that advice succesfully to save a fortune.
You've got to be kidding! I
You've got to be kidding! I too am building a house and all appliances and plumbing fixtures are coming from Miami. There's really no comparison--the price I'm paying is 35% cheaper than the exact same items at AL Thompson, including the cost of duty and shipping and staying over in Miami to do the buying (and going to Joe's Stone Crabs.) Maybe you can save some time, but I'm saving 5 figures by not buying on Cayman.
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