The Huffington Post

“Everything costs twice as much as it does on the mainland,” one local told me after we arrived. That turned out to be an understatement. I dropped $40 on a lunch that should have cost less than $20. There’s a good reason for that: Everything must be imported to the island by boat, which makes it more expensive. But double? No, they’re more than covering their expenses. They’re unjustly profiting from their location.

A few years ago, when airports tried to encourage their merchants to offer “street prices” — in other words, require them to charge reasonable rates for food and beverages — it was a spectacular failure. The same thing would happen here too, I’m sure. But the reaction from visitors is worth noting: They shrug it off, open their purses, and pay up.

Christopher Elliott: Maine’s Most Memorable Tourist Trap?