Many Cubans questioned on social media Marí Murillo, the head of the government’s economic adjustments, who showed as a success that 2,678 stores nationwide accept payments in CUC currently.
Although the Cuban authorities initially announced that during the first six months of the monetary reform, CUC stores would continue to accept payments in this currency, a large part of which was automatically converted to Cuban pesos, while those that remained have an extremely limited offer.
“Don’t lie, most stores don’t even accept the CUC and those that do only sell water knobs,” respond to a user identified as Yoan Carlos to the so-called “Tsar of the Cuban economy.”
“With the offers they have, I imagine that it will take six years to collect the CUC if this were the only way,” protested another user identified as Arian Pérez.
“Not everyone buys water, honey and rum. They know they’re going to have a huge problem in the banks because of decisions made by mediocre and inept people like you.” added a user named Claudia González.
After the start of the Ordenamento task, in January of this year, Cubans discovered how, despite government promises, a large part of the shops did not accept CUC and services such as Servicupet and CIMEX gastronomy either.
“This morning I went for a walk in Havana, the state stores do not accept CUC, they say they received ‘a circular’,” Alina Menéndez said at the time with a photo of an Artex store.
Monetary unification is becoming a major headache for Cubans, both because of rising prices and the devaluation of the national currency.
The Minister of Internal Trade, Betsy Díaz Velázquez, explained the first complaints of the population in the state program Roundtable, That the stores presented problems for the acceptance of CUC.
“From a technological point of view, Carib had an impact on the first media that were operating in the cash registers, they have not managed to get everything they planned to be incorporated. It is something that has to happen. In the next few days, the chains also advanced the process so that all the stores were providing service today (Monday), and at the country level it is achieved that 41% of Cimex establishments and 67% of those of Caribbean receive CUC, ”he detailed.
“The Servicupet if they do not plan to receive CUC and the gastronomy of Cimex is not receiving, nor will it receive CUC. This incorporates the gastronomy of Palmares, Artex, Egrem. In other words, it is a network that is more accessible to the population and, of course, 94% do not give the level of satisfaction. We need to keep checking, “he said.
The Cuban government established the stores that will accept CUC until June 2021, the date scheduled for the end of its circulation. Some 784 commercial units of CIMEX and 1,014 of the Caribbean chain of stores were enabled to receive the Cuban convertible pesos.