Nassau's shopping is essentially the Bay Street duty-free strip — watches, jewellery, perfume, and cigars at supposedly tax-free prices. John Bull is the biggest of the watch-and-jewellery emporiums, with smaller competitors on either side. The savings on high-end Swiss watches are real; on lower-end goods the prices may not be much better than at home.
The Straw Market at the western end of Bay Street is the souvenir bazaar — straw work, T-shirts, conch jewellery, knock-off handbags, all with bargaining expected. For local crafts of better quality, try the Plait Lady on Bay Street or the Doongalik Studios Art Gallery on Village Road. Bahamian rum (John Watling's Buena Vista, Ricardo) and Bahama Mama hot sauce are the best edible souvenirs.