Related videos:
A new dollar store opened this Tuesday in the gallery of the Comodoro hotel in Havana, with prices that the vast majority of Cubans cannot afford: pork chop at nearly 130 dollars per piece, beef cheek at 100 dollars, and ribeye at 65, according to the independent outlet 14ymedio.
The establishment operates under the brand Supermix, although the group Caracol —associated with the Ministry of Tourism— announced it on social media over the weekend without mentioning that name.
Behind the business are Cimex, a subsidiary of the military conglomerate Gaesa, and Inversiones Pucara S.A. (Ipsa), a company established in Panama with Spanish shareholders that has been operating in Cuba since 1997.
The opening, however, could not have started off worse: the cash registers were misconfigured, it was impossible to pay by card, and the meat department had no cash for change.
"The IT staff are working to resolve the problem," an employee warned customers at the entrance.
The counter worker at the butcher shop, facing a lack of coins, asked: "Do you have a spare dollar? I would really appreciate it."
Beyond the technical issues of the first day, what defines the establishment are its prices.
Norwegian smoked salmon exceeds 100 dollars for a package of one and a half kilos; peeled prawn tails cost 18 dollars for 400 grams; and Brazilian chicken breast is sold for eight dollars per kilogram.
Basic products like powdered milk are priced at over 10 dollars per kilo, while in other stores that accept foreign currency, the price hovers around eight.
The liter of oil is priced at $3.50, compared to the usual $2.35 or $2.50, and a deodorant costs four dollars, while in other stores it is just over one.
“The meat is high-end, nothing like ground meat or hot dogs, and there are seafood options. This store is designed for a different kind of clientele, more VIP,” summarized a customer who visited the place, according to 14ymedio.
A retiree from Centro Habana with a daughter in Spain lamented, "Powdered milk is more expensive here than in other stores; it costs more than 10 dollars per kilo."
The contrast with the economic reality of most Cubans is stark. The average salary on the island amounts to between 10 and 16 dollars per month at the informal exchange rate, with the dollar trading at around 700 Cuban pesos.
The store also draws attention for its security measures: employees place customers' bags into sealed black cloth bags with locks for the duration of their visit. Shopping bags are not free; they are sold for three dollars each.
Regarding payment methods, the sign on the door indicates that, when the system is functioning, the Russian Mir card, the Chinese Union Pay, the prepaid Clásica, and Cuban national cards will be accepted.
Visa and Mastercard ceased operations in Cuba on June 6 following the sanctions imposed by the Trump administration on the processing bank associated with Fincimex.
Supermix had already opened a branch in the lower levels of the Focsa building about a year ago, following the same high-end foreign currency retail model. On the opening day at the Comodoro, only four customers were counted during the morning, one of whom was a foreigner.
An elderly man at the entrance of the establishment summed it up with a phrase that captures the reality of millions of Cubans: "It goes by different names, but it's all the same. Most of us can't afford it."
Filed under: