A Cuban residing in the United States, known on TikTok as @sherezadesj0, posted a video nearly three minutes long this Monday walking through the aisles of a Dollar Tree and showcasing the products she buys to send to her family in Cuba.
The video, tagged with the hashtags #sherezadecuba and #santiagodecuba, suggests connections of the creator with Santiago de Cuba, the second most important city in the country.
Among the highlighted items are crystal pieces for $1.50, microwave covers at the same price, plate sets of various sizes, plastic glasses and containers, kitchen sponges and scrubs, and a special soap dish for $1.25 per package of two units.
"All of this is crystal. Look at this, how beautiful! Only for one fifty! For everyone who is starting from scratch. As I say, this is one of the best stores, with incredible offers," comments the creator as she walks through the aisles.
This practice of shopping at dollar stores to send products to the island has become a well-established trend among the Cuban community in the United States, documented since at least November 2024.
The phenomenon is directly related to the severe crisis that Cuba is experiencing, where citizens face power outages of up to twenty hours a day and uncontrolled inflation, making it practically impossible to access basic products in the domestic market.
In this context, items shipped from abroad are resold on the island with profit margins of up to 240% on essential products, turning each family package into a small economic survival venture.
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