Related videos:
The reopening of the state-run sales point Pastorita in the city of Matanzas has sparked controversy on social media, after images surfaced showing shelves stocked with food and hygiene products sold in hard currency, amidst the ongoing crisis of scarcity in Cuba.
The page Tiendas Caribe Matanzas enthusiastically announced that the store has opened "with a new sales service" and has received "very good acceptance," offering market goods, personal care items, and fresh products. However, what caught the most attention was that the establishment accepts payments through cards associated with foreign currencies, such as VISA, MasterCard, and MIR, in addition to AIS, Viajero, and Clásica cards.
The shared photos show prices that many consider impossible for the average Cuban: a box of chicken thighs priced at $29.00, a package of chicken at $11.85, ham at $14.00, and ground beef starting at $1.20.
The reaction in the comments was immediate. Some users questioned the origin of the products. "That must be from the donations that arrived a few days ago," suggested one user. Others directly attacked the state policy of selling food in foreign currency while the majority survive on salaries in pesos.
"Question: ‘When are they going to pay us in the currency in which they sell that range of products?' wrote an internet user. Another message summed up the outrage with a phrase that has echoed on social media: ‘If they want, let them close again with those prices.'"
There were also those who pointed out the double standard with which private sellers are criticized while the State imposes high prices in dollars. “Where are those who criticize the TCP so much?… look there, take a look at the extremely high prices in a foreign currency that they don't pay in Cuba,” commented a user.
Amid the complaints, dozens of people were asking for the exact address of the store and whether they accepted cash or transfers, reflecting the daily desperation to acquire basic food items. The official account of Tiendas Caribe itself responded that payment can be made “by POS with your card or in cash,” although it did not clarify in which currency the final value is set.
The debate comes at a particularly sensitive time, as Cuba is experiencing prolonged blackouts, an energy crisis, and receives international aid, while social discontent grows due to the existence of well-stocked stores that are only accessible to those who have access to foreign currency or remittances.
"They should be ashamed. The people are dying of hunger and you are only thinking about dollars," wrote a user in one of the harshest comments.
The reopening of Pastorita, far from being celebrated as good news, ended up becoming another symbol of the inequality that divides Cubans today: those who can buy and those who can only watch.
Filed under: