The state chain Tiendas Caribe sparked a wave of outrage on social media after posting two food product combos on Facebook that include cooking oil, priced at around 12 dollars and payable exclusively with a Classic Card, at a time when this basic item is scarce and soaring in the informal Cuban market.
Publications tagged with the hashtag «#CaribeTeAyuda» and directed to the store located at Autopista and 266, Reparto San Agustín, in Havana, present two options. The Combo 1 includes three ZER oils for 2.65 USD each, two Delizio tomato sauces, a jar of Vima olives with pits, and a Vima bag, for a total of 12.10 USD. The Combo 2 replaces the sauces and olives with a KDM tomato paste and a package of elbow macaroni, priced at 11.85 USD.
In response to the criticism, the chain itself commented that the bundles belong to its E-Commerce Division and that cash payment is not possible: “The products presented in the Combos section belong to the E-Commerce Division, where our virtual stores are located. For this reason, payment is exclusively made using the Classic Card. [...] We apologize for the difficulties caused by the inability to make payment in cash.”
That clarification did not calm users. One internet user pointed out that the restriction on card payments harms most of the population: "Well, you are not very smart with the management of your store because the vast majority have cash and not the complicated card. Get it together, as the State is interested in collecting dollars."
Another comment pointed directly at the chain's commercial strategy: "They get you hooked with slow-moving oil products to move them out." This same idea was summarized more directly by another user: "Clearing out the warehouse, they put the hook oil on sale."
But the most incisive criticism was the one that referred to the double standards of the Cuban regime regarding private businesses: "And what is your profit percentage, because it's over 30 percent, and why aren't the inspectors fining you?"
The reference to 30% has a specific context: since July 2024, the Government launched a national inspection campaign and imposed massive fines for price violations, in a context marked by the enforcement of Resolution 225/2024, which established maximum retail prices for six basic products and recognized a profit margin of up to 30% over costs and expenses for them.
Among the set prices was that of cooking oil —excluding olive oil—, at 990 CUP per liter. By November of that year, the Government reported that the fines imposed nationwide through price verification actions exceeded 600 million pesos.
Another internet user made a sarcastic geographical comparison: "Almost 12 USD for 4 little things?... but where is this? In Switzerland?". A user who identified herself as a doctor was even more straightforward about the gap between prices and salaries: "Wow!! what a deal for my salary as a doctor. Can you believe it!!".
The context worsens the perception of abuse. In August 2026, cooking oil reaches between 2,500 CUP in Havana and up to 7,000 CUP in some areas of the country on the informal market, following the removal of price caps on imported oils through Resolution 150/2026, approved in June of this year.
In response to the escalation, several provincial governments attempted to set reference prices, including Guantánamo, Holguín, Matanzas, and Pinar del Río, but none of these measures succeeded in curbing the rise. In this context, paying 2.65 USD for a bottle of oil—part of a package that requires purchasing other less in-demand products—becomes unattainable for most Cubans, who earn salaries in pesos and lack access to foreign currency.
Related videos:
Filed under: