Several Cuban citizens denounced and regretted that while demanding national products (which are produced on the island) they are only sold in the current affairs in currencies.
In a report by 14ymedio, this situation was denounced on the occasion of Mother's Day in Cuba. Ana María, like so many others, went out hoping to buy a national perfume —a seemingly more affordable option than imported fragrances—, but his odyssey ended with empty hands and an empty pocket (due to a lack of dollars, of course).
She toured iconic stores like La Época, Chantilly, and Fragancias in Plaza Carlos III in Havana. The verdict?
National perfumes from brands such as Suchel Camacho, including classics like Impact, Mariposa Absolu, Alicia Intense or Vegueros, are now sold exclusively in foreign exchange.
Not a single Cuban peso accepted, not a trace of those times when with a few CUC It was enough to smell of this sought-after national product that is now only sold in foreign currency.
Another national product in foreign currency: the Cuban peso is worth less every day
According to insights, the store Nefertum, located on the ground floor of the Habana Libre hotel, is one of the few that still retains some national stock.
But be careful: prices in dollars and only with View, Mastercard or Classic card (for which, ironically, you also have to pay). As Ana María, mentioned above, rightly said: “A product that is national is not sold to the Cuban people in their own currency.”
In contrast, Fragancias, once a temple of affordable good smells, now boasts almost empty display cases. The Suchel brand decorates the shelves, but perfume is conspicuously absent. Instead, anecdotes and the occasional stale imported bottle remain, a testament to the shortage.
Online stores in foreign currencies show prices like these for domestically produced or imported perfumes. For example, in Essential Pack, no national perfumes are sold, only two Spanish ones, Aires de Sevilla and Poseidón, always above 14 euros.
However, in others that do, such as Shipments to CubaIn Cienfuegos, a Tropicana perfume costs more than $22 in stores, an "Agua Fresca" by Suchel Camacho costs more than $34, and Impacto for men costs almost $10. An "Alicia" revitalizing cream costs over $6.
Domestic perfumes, despite criticism about their quality (high alcohol content and unnatural scents), remain in demand due to their once "popular" price, an attribute that today seems more like a collectible.
With production reduced and sales in foreign currency monopolized by stores like MCM Camacho SA, the possibility of giving a Cuban fragrance without having access to dollars is as real as the CUC: A memory. For whom are national products manufactured today?
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12 comments
National products are manufactured for foreign tourists who want to take a souvenir from here to their country.
You have to learn to be invisible. The bad guys sleep well.
so why insist on what we all know
The bad guys sleep well.
Why comment...just for fun.
But if it were just a perfume, many things are only sold for cash dollars in our stores, a clear example is Malta Guajira, search and it is not in CUP nowhere, only in dollars and a thousand other products that only exist in those stores... that is to say, the exchange value of CUP It does not exist, it is a paper without exchange value that we have as a result of work….
And there are some items from the basket that are being sold at the convention for 1 for 120. This is the case with the pound of Cuban rice they sold us here in Artemisa as an additional purchase. In May.
Of course, this denotes arbitrariness, lack of control, and conveys distrust. It leads individuals to bid at higher prices.
And there are some items from the basket that are being sold at the convention for 1 for 120. This is the case with the pound of Cuban rice they sold us here in Artemisa as an additional purchase. In May.
Of course, this denotes arbitrariness, lack of control, and conveys distrust. It leads individuals to bid at higher prices.
For God's sake, why work with the state if our payment is worthless?
The collapse of the system will not be caused by any opposition group or dissidents in Cuba; it will be the government itself, driven by its desperate search for hard currency. The Cuban peso only serves to pay the wages of the working people, which is not enough. Every day, there are more dollar-denominated stores, and only basic staple foods are sold in Cuban pesos. And for what is available, I remember how many people served sentences for illegally possessing foreign currency, including the INTUR coins they exchanged for foreign tourists. Like every failed system, it must bow before the mighty dollar. Double standards are the roadmap. For the dollar, principles, dignity, and values are lost, and there are those who have lost even the most sacred things and have prostituted themselves. And that is what I see, the prostitution of the nation.
And there are some items from the basket that are being sold at the convention for 1 for 120. This is the case with the pound of Cuban rice they sold us here in Artemisa as an additional purchase. In May.
Of course, this denotes arbitrariness, lack of control, and conveys distrust. It leads individuals to bid at higher prices.
I agree with you.
I can only say one thing that sums up everything: how to survive in Cuba is becoming more difficult every day, this is invisible...