Many Cubans on social networks questioned Marino Murillo, the head of the government’s economic adjustment, which as an achievement showed that 2,678 stores across the country are currently accepting payments in CUC.
Although Cuban authorities initially announced that CUC stores would continue to accept payments in that currency during the first six months of the monetary reform, many of them automatically switched to Cuban pesos, while the remaining stores have extremely limited supply.
“Don’t lie, most shops don’t accept CUC and those who accept it only sell water pipes”, replied a user identified as Yoan Carlos to the so-called “Tsar of the Cuban Economy”.
“With the offers they have, I think it would take six years to collect the CUC if that was the only way,” protested another user identified as Arian Pérez.
“Not everyone buys water, honey and rum. They know they will have a huge problem with the banks for decisions made by mediocre and clumsy like you”, added a user named Claudia González.
After the start of the Ordering Task, in January of this year, the Cubans discovered how, despite the promises of the government, a large part of the shops did not accept CUC and services like Servicupet and CIMEX gastronomy either.
“This morning I went for a walk in Havana, the state stores do not accept CUC, they say they have been given ‘a circular'”, Alina Menéndez said at the time with a photo of an Artex store.
Monetary unification is causing Cubans a lot of headaches, both because of the price increases and the devaluation of the national currency.
The Minister of Internal Trade, Betsy Díaz Velázquez, explained before the first complaints from the population in the state program Round table, which posed problems for the stores for the acceptance of CUC.
“From a technology standpoint, Caribe impacted the first media that worked in the collection boxes, they failed to build in everything they expected. It’s something that should happen in the next few days. The chains have also been driving the process forward. to provide service to all stores today (Monday), and at country level, 41% of Cimex stores and 67% of stores in the Caribbean will receive CUC, ”he explains.
“The Servicupet does not intend to receive CUC and Cimex gastronomy does not receive, nor will it receive CUC. The gastronomy of Palmares, Artex, Egrem is included. In other words, it is a network that has more reach of the population. and, of course, 94% don’t give the level of satisfaction. We have to keep checking it, ”he said
The Cuban government has established the stores that accept CUC until June 2021, the date scheduled for the end of their circulation. Approximately 784 commercial units of CIMEX and 1014 of the Caribe retail chain were authorized to receive the Cuban convertible pesos.