New Store Near Boquete

A new supermarket opened a couple of weeks ago, a few miles south of Boquete. It’s owned by the same people that own the Alto Dorado building where I’m living now. This one is called Dorado Plus, and it’s much bigger and nicer than the store here – plus, it has ample parking. It doesn’t get much better than that!

There are several large gated American-style communities near there, and they’re really happy to have a well-stocked store closer to them. In fact, when I move next month, it will be about as close to me as going to the stores in downtown Boquete, so I’ll likely do most of my shopping at the new Dorado Plus and avoid Boquete’s torn-up roads. I’ll still buy fresh fruits and vegetables at the farmer’s market, though.

They’re having a grand opening celebration today with free samples, gift bag drawings, a bounce house for the kids, and fireworks. There will eventually be a hardware store and restaurant in the building, so they will do very well.

They have pretty much anything that’s available at an American-style supermarket, including American brand names – but you’ll pay a price for those! I don’t know how much a can of Hormel chili is in the US, but here it’s $4.85! There are other local versions of many familiar brands, at much lower prices, and so far the quality has been comparable.

They also have a really big selection of wines and liquors in the store – we’re not used to buying liquor at the grocery stores in Oklahoma (not yet, anyway)! Food items are exempt from sales tax, but there is a 10% tax on liquor and wine, and a 7% tax on non-food items like cleaning supplies.

I found everything on my list today and it was a pleasant shopping trip, even though it was pretty crowded due to the grand opening activities. I’ll be back, for sure!