Cruise Ships Financially Exploit Onshore Stores

On Wed, 23 May 2012 12:18:03 -0700 (PDT), unfrostedpoptart
wrote:

On Monday, May 21, 2012 7:13:20 PM UTC-7, Go Fig wrote:
Convinced that the stores on their easy-to-follow map will lead them
to the greatest onshore deals, the eager tourists are unaware that the
cruise line's recommendations are driven solely by profit. They are
unaware that the maps are leading them to stores whose revenue goes
straight back to the ship.

Before cruise passengers go onshore to one of their ship's
destinations, they are given shopping lectures and store maps with the
industry's recommendations for the best deals and the highest quality
products. But what the passengers aren't told is that these stores
have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual fees to be
listed.

If the people were paying attention (or weren't so greedy), or if they
had ever been to a cruise ship destination like Cozumel when they were
not on a cruise, this wouldn't be a surprise to them. It's no worse
than those art auctions.