The news of the Cuban television announced that the minimum wage in Cuba
will be increased for the first time in many years, now it will be 400 Cuban pesos.
I remind you that $1 is quoted at approximately 25 pesos in the black market.
$16 per month. $0,75 per work day.
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Hello friends! Welcome to a new video.
I am Oscar Alejandro.
And this chapter that you are beginning to see is going to be very interesting
because we are about to enter a supermarket, here in Havana.
What is behind me is Plaza Carlos III,
which we could know in our countries as a shopping center.
I want to confess that before I started recording this video,
I already took a walk to explore the area and make this video as effective as possible
and obviously avoid being stopped while recording.
That is why I want to warn you that if you observe any variation in the quality of the video,
it is no accident because I will be using my two most discrete cameras.
The Go Pro, which is a fairly small camera, and so I can go unnoticed,
and I also want to introduce you to my spy lenses that I hope will not disappoint me
because there is no way to know if they are recording or not until the end of this video.
Are you ready to know what a mall and a supermarket in Cuba is like?
Join me because this is going to be quite interesting.
The Plaza Carlos III was inaugurated in 1957 during the Fulgencio Batista government
just two years before the triumph of the revolution,
until today it is considered the most modern commercial center of the island.
In this place more than 270 establishments operate, all managed by the Cuban state.
People recommended me to come here because it is the one that offers the greatest variety
and is the most frequented by the people.
To understand what we are about to see,
I want to remind you that the minimum wage in this country is 400 Cuban pesos ($20),
and the average salary is 1067 pesos, which is the same at $42.60 per month.
When we enter we realize that it is a fairly busy place,
it has three upper levels, and an area where there is a playground and a pizzeria.
It is not very difficult to understand that all stores are from the government simply by names,
look at the name of this store, "Fragrances", where they logically sell perfumes.
And look at this one called Glamour, boutique perfumery.
If you want to buy shoes there is "The shoe market",
and if you are looking for sewing things then we go to The Seamstress.
If we want to buy lamps we find Cristal.
And if we look for clothes for children, we have "Pinkie",
and next to it is a small, unnamed kiosk where they simply sell diapers.
For security measures in any supermarket in Cuba they let you in with a backpack,
that's why if you bring one you have to leave it in a special place at no cost.
I want to emphasize that whatever the situation the Cuban always attends to you with a smile.
-I want to store my bag. -Yes, of course, no problem...
After feeling confident I decided to point the camera at the windows,
the prices are always displayed in the two currencies that circulate in the country,
above are in convertible pesos and below in national currency.
I decided to lose my fear and put on my spy glasses to enter this appliance store.
The first thing we see is a water heater that costs $164,
and a gas cooker for $447,
a slightly more luxurious kitchen costs $712.
However, we can purchase these two gas burners for $28 each.
This juice extractor costs $78, and this other blender costs $53.70.
I decided to continue with the tour and I stumbled upon this casual clothing store called "Unico",
which I did not want to enter, but from the outside I could verify that these pants cost $33.
Later we can see the “Thousand ideas” store,
which sells home accessories,
and we appreciate that they were limiting the entrance to the store
even though there were few people inside.
Honestly, I don't know why.
Right next to it is the House of Electronics,
here we see hair dryers for $36, water heaters for $131,
automatic washing machines for $192,95,
Tv's made in Cuba, and even rice cookers for almost $23.
Returning to the hall I was struck by the "International Pharmacy",
it is as if in another place I did not visit in Cuba
there was the concept of National Products Pharmacy.
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Let’s move on!
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Well, it's lunchtime and everyone in this mall is eating pizza, and I'm already hungry.
So we will order a pizza and we will also order a soda.
In this pizzeria, obviously also run by the state, a pizza costs 1 CUC just like soda,
so the total lunch here was $2.
I was looking for a table to sit and eat this delicious pizza but the mall is full of people,
so I have to eat at this small wall.
I'm going to tell you how this pizza tastes right now.
With a full belly and a happy heart,
I took the courage and I entered the place where they sell food.
In the Plaza Carlos III the supermarket is not called that way but "The food and personal hygiene store",
the first thing we see when entering are two rows of people about to pay,
as anywhere in the world, and the first product we see is a NESCAFE that costs $6.75.
I was honestly surprised not to see any national coffee brand.
In the next aisle we see a can of NESTUM at $2,30.
And ahead of that slightly empty shelf are some pineapple cans for $1.90.
We also found the wine for cooking at $1,85,
and next we see the liter of PRADERA brand milk at $2, and the evaporated milk at $1,20.
On one side I saw a counter with a padlock,
inside there were products as expensive as a can of olive oil at $70 dollars,
and bottles of rum that varied between $100 and $250.
Following the tour we find mustard at $2,25,
Caesar dressings at $4,10, and tomato sauce at $2,10,
all these prices are in convertible pesos, which is the same equivalent price in dollars.
I found this coffee container at $4,45 of a Spanish brand,
in the next hall that was a little empty you could see the spaghetti area,
this package was worth $ 0,45, and in front another slightly empty shelf
where they only displayed cans of peeled tomatoes at $1,75.
I went back to the half-empty shelf of spaghetti and found this spaghetti for $0.75 or CUC,
and this other brand at $1.
We keep moving forward and we find these shelves that only have oil and juice,
the liter oil was at $1,95, and on the other side were bottles of a liter of peach juice at $2,25.
We continue walking and we find this basket full of powdered detergent but without price,
although next to it were three shelves full of 1 kilo bags of ESPUMIL brand powdered detergent at $1,15.
In this same area of the supermarket
was the cash register where only personal and household toiletries could be paid,
I was surprised not to find toothpaste, toilet paper, or hand soap in that establishment.
We can say that the shortage in these items is 100%,
what there was in abundance was liquor,
the bottles of the HABANA CLUB national rum cost $10,90,
and there was this other CUBAY rum at $5,50.
Later there was a shelf with 1 liter bottles of pineapple nectar at $2,20.
I kept walking and arrived at the grain shelf,
there were these 1 kilo packages of chickpea at $1,60,
lentils at $1,45, and 1 kilo packages of beans at $1,95.
What we see inside this counter are tea boxes,
there was a shelf that offered bakery products
with all types of bread that they were supposed to sell,
this was the tour of this part of the establishment.
I can swear that I showed you everything I saw.
Think about what other products I did not mention,
and you will realize how big the shortage is in Cuba.
As you can see, people take what they find.
I left the supermarket through this door and found a line of approximately 10 people
who were waiting to buy something that was being sold in the aisle,
it was frozen chicken that had just arrived.
Right in front of "The food and personal hygiene store"
we find "The Corner of Taste", where they sell meat and frozen foods.
We entered with caution because there was security at the door,
within that space, as you can tell, the situation was more scarce,
the refrigerators and shelves almost empty are evident.
The little we can see are these Bolognese at $2,85.
The shelves that were next to it showed that they had a long time without being supplied.
The refrigerators that were in the middle did have some products.
The situation in the back hall was the most critical, there was absolutely nothing,
the fridges completely empty, there was only a mirror on the ceiling where I could find myself.
At the bottom of the store I realized that they were selling cheese
and I could ask the only question of this whole tour...
-What kind of cheese is this, friend? -CIBONEI.
CIBONEI cheese.
The prices of that cheese that I had never heard varied depending on the weight of the piece,
I searched and it was the only type of cheese they offered.
In that same fridge more than a little ham and a few sausages there was nothing more.
Later I looked at an ice cream fridge that was empty and turned off,
I could check the refrigerators in the center
and the only thing that was in abundance was frozen chicken,
and something they called chicken hash.
In the fridges in the back, there was some pork meat left for hamburgers that cost $1,20.
The line of people you see was to pay for the little variety of products they could find in that place.
Friends, what an interesting experience we just had at the Plaza Carlos III shopping center,
and I imagine that you will be asking yourself the same thing as me:
If the minimum salary is approximately $20 per month...
Do people have the money to buy things or no?
And if so, how do people get the money?
Where does the money come from so people can come to buy?
If you have any idea of the answers please I hope you write them here at the bottom of this video,
and don't forget to follow me on my Instagram as @Oscaralejandro.
It will be until the next adventure here in Havana.
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