www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Do you guys know of any can't miss deals that you can get from Centro Mercado? I'm talking about electronics, books, clothing, basically STUFF. I remember watching an episode of Anthony Bourdain where he was in India and he bought a nice fully tailored suit for $20 or something crazy like that. Is there any kind of bargain like that? Would it be expensive to ship stuff back vs. checking in a second bag at the airport?

Or does Centro Mercado just kind of sell food and souvenir type junk?

Mercado Central sells almost everything from soup to nuts to toilets.

The prices for everything are usually very good, especially for food...... maybe the best prices in San Jose. But the quality of goods can be sketchy. Not so with the food.....that's great.

Look carefully before you buy......... and keep your hand on your wallet in that neighborhood. It's generally safe during the day, but it's always good to keep your street-smarts functioning.

Mercado Central encompasses an entire city block. There are MANY storefronts surrounding Mercado Central in that neighborhood. Those storefronts are good to explore, too.

The perimeter areas have the most tourist / trinket items. You will find just about any household type good or specialty item any person will need. However I have not seen any large appliance stores inside. The center is where most of the fresh food and restaurants are located. It is a great place to eat locally at a reasonable price.
Just wonder the shops for what you are looking for and don't be afraid to try and bargain down a little.
If you like coffee to take back home there is a great place there as well.

The artist market a few blocks from the Del Rey has some interesting shops to browse if looking for trinkets and tourist items as well.

Also, good quality clothing, electronics, shoes, in fact just about anything, the prices here are often higher than in the States. The import taxes here are very high and Costa Rica manufactures virtually nothing!! many items for sale here are now imported "junk" from China!! There are stores (mostly in the upscale malls) that sale good high quality clothing (Often imported from Colombia) but you will pay! It ain't cheap!! Just as in the States one of the cheapest places to buy things like electronics is WalMart because of their volume buying. But even at WalMart a TV will cost 50% more that the same TV in the States. In my opinion Costa Rica is not the place to go to shop for anything more than small local souvenirs.

The one good thing to buy and take back is the local coffee. Britt is the tourist "rip-off" brand-costs 2-3 times what the other brands cost. And many of them taste just as good and some even better than Britt. There are 3-4 places in and next to the Mercado that sale very good coffee. There are a couple of places just inside on the NW corner of the Mercado that will even pack it in sealed bags for carrying back. 1812 and Montana brands available in the groceries are also very good!

The one thing available in the Mercado at the San Cristabol restaurants (4 small places in a group just inside off Ave. Central about mid way east and west.) is the "Guanabana con leche" fruit drink. Not only does it taste great, it is very good for you. Guanabana is the only proven natural cancer inhibitor!!

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Old and retired but still bang, and bang, and bang!!!

BB, where's that 'second-hand' pawn-shop-type place near Pension Monicas? The place the chicas go to sell the 'gringo presents' that they receive? They had a Canon t5 for half the amazon rate the last time I walked through. Other stuff too (along with tons of crap), but I wasn't looking for anything.

I can't recall the exact streets it is on.

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!

Sorry, I do not recall which pawn-shop it was. In that area there must be at least 20 pawn-shops. Sometimes you can find a real bargain, but usually they are rip-offs (frequently you can buy new off Amazon for less than what they want for used. Hell I have seen appliances and TVs for more than what you can buy the same thing for new even here in Costa Rica. A few years ago a chica friend wanted a Sankey TV in one of those places. We went to Walmart and the same TV (but new) was c15000 less.

And in most of those places much of the merchandise (especially phones) are stolen.

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Old and retired but still bang, and bang, and bang!!!

The Mercado is a fun place to spend an hour or two. Many items are negotiable, while some items (like food) are not. As far as food goes, I normally purchase fresh fruit and cheese to eat as a snack. If I stayed in a place with kitchen privileges, I would be taking advantage of the fresh seafood. I always bought coffee in bulk at the Moku coffee stand... they would give me a little bit of a volume discount. Back in the day, I bought CR-themed t-shirts, and was always able to negotiate a discount off the rack rate. I still have my heavy steel folding knife that I purchased 10 years ago for 5000 colones. (You couldn't touch a knife like that in the States for $10). Although, there are plenty of handmade tico artisanal goods to be found in Mercado Central, I go to "La Casona" artisan emporium on Calle Central (between Ave Central and 1). I found the quality of many items, especially the woodwork for which CR is famous, is better than the stuff one finds in Mercado Central. On my last trip to CR, I dropped over 100,000 colones on woodworked items. The vendors have no problem negotiating prices. I would highly recommend checking out La Casona for souvenirs after taking a tour of Mercado Central. I was never really impressed with the electronics offered at the Mercado. I think the best deals for electronics are at the Zona Francas in Golfito and the CR/Panama border ( a long drive from San Jose ). Anyway, check out Mercado Central... it's on every San Jose walking tour checklist.

BlueDevil,

I think I have some bad news for you!! La Casona is just about "no more"! I had noticed in recent weeks many empty areas. I was by there just a couple days ago and it seemed that the majority of the places were gone and part of the building is even closed up! It is a shame because as you stated, they have/had much better merchandise!

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Old and retired but still bang, and bang, and bang!!!

Sorry to hear that. La Casona had been around for a long time...

Thanks for all the tips! I especially appreciated the pawn shop tip. It'd be interesting just to see what they have.

The coffee, that is roasted in century old charcoal fired machines and ground on the spot at two stores on the street side, west of Mercado Central, is a great value compared with Britt. Another thing that is of good quality in Costa Rica for discount prices is leather goods. A good place to look for boots, belts and bags is the area just west of Parada de Autobus Coca Cola off of Paseo Colone. There are two stores that I know of there. Similar items are offered in Mercado Central but the selection is not as good and neither is the price. This area is about another quarter mile west of the Mercado Central.

Some types of jewelry may be of extra value here at exclusive stores. One store I know of is Sabana Sur in a residential area and requires knowledge to find and get inside. There is no sign.

Most things like televisions, phones, computers, cars and cameras cost double in Costa Rica what you can by them in the states.

Yeah, I'm definitely getting some coffee, since everyone recommends it. Probably some leather goods too. Not too big on jewelry or anything. I'd rather blow my load (ha pun) on ticas haha

How do you feel about the malls? Anything worthy of interest or just standard fair of American malls?

Keep an eye out when in the malls you will usually spot more than a few part-time or full time working girls walking around, or employed at the shops. If you speak Spanish it can be a very target rich environment.

Definitely will. Thanks for the tip!

This Thread is an excellent demo of the non-dollar value of CRT. Love that phrase "target-rich environment". You'll also note that with 1 exception, the responses came from VIPs (and Bro BD has been so helpful over the years, he gets a free pass from my usual nag).

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED