Bad things about Grenada – 3 surprising things

No matter where you live, there are some aspects you like about your area and some you don’t. Similarly, there are certain things I don’t like about the island. Here are 3 bad things about Grenada I’ve discovered in these 4 months.

1. Food runs out for weeks in Grenada

Before moving to Grenada, I never thought I’d have to worry about groceries running out on the island. But food does run out. And doesn’t come back in stock for weeks.

This is the second time now in 4 months that fresh chicken has been out of stock for several weeks. The first time, it was easily 3 weeks before it was back in stock. And this time we’re already at 3 weeks, with no idea of when we’ll have fresh chicken again.

Yes, there’s imported frozen chicken available. But the drumsticks are really large and difficult to cook all the way through. So if you try to cook it longer, you just end up with over-cooked chicken that still doesn’t taste like it’s adequately cooked. I know because I’ve tried several times. And after multiple bad experiences, I’ve decided to avoid frozen chicken as long as I can.

Aside from chicken, the grocery store often doesn’t carry or runs out of the most basic items. The store never has cucumbers or lettuce. It carries tomatoes but runs out for weeks, even though smaller vendors will have them. And it even runs out of potatoes for weeks. Potatoes, people, potatoes!

Surprisingly, I’ve noticed some convenience stores and local vendors selling items that run out at the main grocery store. Like cucumbers, tomatoes, and eggs (yes, eggs run out too). But I can’t go to 4 different places to get my basic groceries. There’s no time for that, especially without a car.

2. Electricity is very expensive in Grenada

Electricity is very expensive in Grenada. Why? Because there’s no fuel made on the island. Instead, almost all fuel is imported from Trinidad and Tobago and the Cayman Islands. And so, there are hefty import and service fees, which are obviously borne by the customers.

In Grenada, electricity is about CAD 65-70¢ per kWh. Compare that to the on-peak, so the most expensive rate of CAD 15.1¢ per kWh with Toronto Hydro during the winter months.

And in Grenada, there aren’t different time-of-use rates like in Ontario. Where it’s cheapest at night and on the weekends & holidays, and most expensive mid-day. So it’s like not like you can re-schedule some of your activities to align with the cheapest time. Unfortunately, there’s only one rate in Grenada so it doesn’t matter what time you use what appliance. It’s going to be expensive, no matter what.

What does this mean for students?

If you’re living on campus, you don’t have to pay utilities. Everything is included in your housing fee. So you don’t have to worry about this.

But if you’re living off campus and on a budget, you have to be very mindful of your electricity usage. You could easily end up with an electricity bill for several hundred dollars.

The most expensive appliances to use

For most students, the biggest electricity cost will probably be AC. Most apartments don’t have central AC here. Instead, there’s a window AC in the bedroom which can cool the entire apartment, but obviously it consumes a lot of energy. So most students, myself included, buy a fan to help cut down on AC usage.

If you use AC 24/7, it can cost around CAD $400 per month for a 1 bedroom apartment. And if you use AC only at night, you can expect CAD $200-250 per month. But that’s just for AC.

Some other appliances that can hike your electricity bill include: air fryer, microwave, hairdryer, and iron. After seeing my first electricity bill here, I was glad I ran out of room in my luggage and couldn’t bring my air fryer to the island. And I will not be brining it next term.

3. Customer service is very slow in Grenada

Whether it’s at the bank, the grocery store or a restaurant – the customer service in Grenada is terribly slow. There is no sense of urgency. Which means a lot of time is wasted waiting around. And I can’t begin to tell you how frustrating that is.

Banks

If you go to the bank on campus and there are 7-8 students in front of you, the wait time will easily be 15-20 minutes. Part of the problem seems to be an outdated banking system which requires the staff to do a lot of things manually.

But the other problem is slow staff. It took over 2 weeks of back and forth with staff to setup my bank account. And then it took another 2-3 weeks after that to actually get my bank card.

Grocery store

There’s one main grocery store that we all go to because it has the largest selection of items. And the bus goes to that market frequently, so it’s easier to access than other stores.

But this also means the store gets very, very busy. I wouldn’t even try going in the evenings or on the weekends. However, if you try to go early morning to avoid the rush, there’s another problem you run into. There are only 1-2 cashiers open, and the lines get very long very quickly. And like I said, the staff don’t work with any sense of urgency.

My friends and I have gone Friday mornings to avoid the rush. I think it took us 20 minutes at most to get our groceries. But we waited over 25 minutes in line to cash out.

Takeaways

The longer I’m on this island, the more and more grateful I am about living in Canada. Or more specifically, in an area close to a big city in Canada. Yes, it has its own issues. But I don’t think I would have realized exactly how good we have it unless I lived (not just vacationed) outside the country.

What do you like most about your country?

-M

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