A Cuban YouTuber recently visited a newly opened store in Holguín that operates exclusively in U.S. dollars, marking a first for the province. Katy Catarina, known as Aprendedora on social media, decided to experience firsthand the pricing at Las Maravillas, a store under the Tiendas Caribe chain offering toiletries, perfumes, cleaning products, household items, and baby supplies.
The young woman ventured into the store with just a $10 bill from her father. "In this video, I’m taking you with me to a supermarket in Cuba that only accepts U.S. dollars (USD). It's a completely different experience compared to shopping at local stores that accept Cuban pesos. Prepare to be shocked by the high prices!" she announced to her followers.
After exploring the store, she found it well-stocked but chose not to make any purchases, despite needing some items. She questioned, "Why didn't I buy anything?" and revealed she returned home with the $10 bill intact. "The prices seemed similar to those in MLC stores, and I could even buy some products in small private businesses with Cuban pesos," she explained.
She concluded that spending dollars, a currency that retains its value, wasn't a wise investment. "On the other hand, it's better to use the Cuban peso, which unfortunately devalues daily," she noted.
One of the most criticized aspects of these stores is the practice of giving change in candy. She wanted to purchase hair gel priced slightly over a dollar but refused to accept candy as change instead of actual currency.
"In summary, what we found was the same as what was available in MLC but priced in dollars. There wasn’t much of a difference, so it was somewhat disappointing. Plus, the dollar is more expensive than the MLC," she emphasized.
The new Agua y Jabón store in dollars is located on Frexes Street, between Maceo and Mártires, previously operating under MLC currency. It opened with this payment option on February 18 amid a power outage. The store's hours are from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm, though they close an hour early to allow staff to manually count sales due to electricity cuts preventing machine use.
The Cuban government is increasingly expanding dollar-based commerce across the nation. Payments can be made in cash or with USD bank cards, both international and the locally available Clásica cards through CADECAS.
This type of store is part of the government's strategy to gather foreign currency, while the supply in the national currency remains inadequate. For most of the population earning salaries in Cuban pesos, these stores exacerbate social disparities and fail to address the ongoing crisis.
Understanding Cuba's Dollar-Only Stores
Why are dollar-only stores being opened in Cuba?
The Cuban government is opening dollar-only stores to collect foreign currency as part of their economic strategy, given the insufficient supply of goods in the national currency.
What items are sold in these dollar-only stores?
These stores offer a variety of items including toiletries, perfumes, cleaning products, household goods, and baby supplies.
How do dollar-only stores affect Cuban citizens?
For most Cubans who earn their income in Cuban pesos, these stores increase social inequality as they cannot easily access goods priced in dollars.