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The branch of CIMEX in Sancti Spíritus announced this Friday on Facebook the reopening of La Esquina Store with a festive message that omitted an essential detail: the currency in which the establishment operates.
That omission was enough to unleash a flood of ironic, sarcastic, and indignant comments that turned the post into a subject of widespread mockery.
Under the hashtag #CimexTeInvita, the state-owned company celebrated the opening with phrases such as "after waiting, you can now enjoy a variety of offers and products again" and "everything you need for your daily shopping, all in one place!".
The photos showed stocked shelves, customers shopping, and staff in red t-shirts. What they didn’t show was the price or the currency needed for purchases.
Internet users quickly filled the comments section with a mix of anger and irony. "That's a meme," wrote one. "Good job on the meme, CIMEX is firing its last shots," added another.
Several users joked that the store would operate "in CUP and by transfer," while others directly asked, "Will it be in CUP?"
The outrage also took on a more direct tone. "Don't be so abusive and filthy with the people, for goodness' sake. When these markets appear, in foreign currency and, on top of that, ridiculously expensive, at least keep quiet. A small piece of cheese can cost a poor worker a whole month's salary. No good news, just bad news," wrote an internet user.
Another pointed out that a pound of cheese costs six dollars in those types of stores, "a great deal for those who receive American dollars."
The question that no one at CIMEX answered — in what currency it is sold — was the common thread in almost all the comments. “Is the basic salary of workers in Sancti Spíritus already in foreign currency? Look, I didn't know that,” someone wrote sarcastically.
A retiree was more succinct: "I can't even make it to the corner of my house to buy a candy." Another internet user summed up the situation accurately: "We live in two parallel worlds... we need to synchronize."
The episode replicates a pattern that has been repeating throughout Cuba since the regime accelerated the dollarization of retail trade: festive official announcement, omission of the currency, and a flood of sarcastic comments.
By May 2025, at least 85 stores in Cuba were operating exclusively in dollars, exceeding the 7% limit that CIMEX and Tiendas Caribe had promised to adhere to.
The minimum wage in Cuba is CUP 2,100 per month, and the average in the state sector is around CUP 7,000, figures that make these establishments practically inaccessible for most Cuban workers, who do not receive their salary in foreign currency.
In December 2024, the government formalized the so-called "partial dollarization" through an official document, and the expansion of dollar stores continued during 2025 and 2026 in provinces such as Havana, Holguín, Ciego de Ávila, and Matanzas.
"If it’s in dollars, the surprise will bring suffering, not joy," wrote an internet user, summarizing in one sentence what dozens of people from Sancti Spíritus expressed in the comments of a post that promised good news.
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