The Nightmare Of Grocery Shopping In Venezuela

[CC27]

Rond Vidar (63 posts)

The Nightmare Of Grocery Shopping In Venezuela


http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/10/29/452636462/the-nightmare-of-grocery-shopping-in-venezuela?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=2054



For Caracas housewife Anny Valero, today is grocery day — whether she likes it or not. Here's why: It's Monday, and if Valero doesn't go now, she'll have to wait four more days to buy food. In Venezuela, government supermarkets sell price-controlled food, making them far cheaper than private stores. But Valero explains that people are allowed in state-run supermarkets just two days per week, based on their ID card numbers. The system is designed to prevent shoppers from buying more than they need and then reselling goods on the black market at a huge markup.

Venezuela is rich in oil, but now poor in just about everything else. Economic mismanagement combined with low oil prices and high inflation has created one of the world's most troubled economies. The government has stopped giving regular economic statistics, but many independent economists say inflation is now north of 100 percent annually.
Anny Valero and Yossmy Benaventi came away from a recent shopping trip with sardines, diapers, detergent and a few other items. They had to produce their son's birth certificate to prove the baby was theirs and that they really did need the diapers. Anny Valero and Yossmy Benaventi came away from a recent shopping trip with sardines, diapers, detergent and a few other items. They had to produce their son's birth certificate to prove the baby was theirs and that they really did need the diapers.

Valero says goodbye to her 7- and 9-year-old daughters. They will skip school and stay home alone in a Caracas slum, with the door locked. That's because Valero sometimes spends all day standing in line at grocery stores and can't pick up the girls after class. Valero brings along Jeremy, her 6-month-old son. We are also joined by her husband, Yossmy Benaventi. He's skipping work at an auto repair shop to help look after the baby and ward off thieves who snatch people's grocery bags. We stop at a state-run store. There are no lines outside, but that often means there's not much food left. Inside, the meat department is a barren landscape.

"There's just unplugged display cases, flies and a bad odor," Valero says. She settles for three cans of sardines. She also finds diapers for Jeremy. But checkout is like clearing customs in a hostile foreign country. The checkout clerk scrutinizes Valero's ID card and tells her to hold her index finger over a fingerprint scanner. The clerk scans the merchandise and then informs Anny that, because of rationing, she can buy just two of the three cans of sardines. Then, Valero and Benaventi must produce Jeremy's birth certificate to prove the baby is theirs and that they really do need the diapers.

(remainder of article at link)

Check this out.

fasttense (16,521 posts)
2. A nightmare? It's a dream.

Yes the price controled stores provided by the government sell out quickly. But she could always shop at the capatalist stores that overcharge for everything. It's like using the military commissary. You make a major food buy at the commissary and yes many of the good deals sell out very quickly. There are plenty of empty shelves at the commissary especially at the end of the week and the lines were huge. But if you really want or need something you can buy at the regular grocery stores that cost more.

It's great that the government provides an alternative to the overpriced grocery stores. Too bad capatalism can't compete.

**** you DUmmie.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027302814

[Patriot Guard Rider]

fasttense (16,521 posts)
2. A nightmare? It's a dream.

Yes the price controled stores provided by the government sell out quickly. But she could always shop at the capatalist stores that overcharge for everything. It's like using the military commissary. You make a major food buy at the commissary and yes many of the good deals sell out very quickly. There are plenty of empty shelves at the commissary especially at the end of the week and the lines were huge. But if you really want or need something you can buy at the regular grocery stores that cost more.

It's great that the government provides an alternative to the overpriced grocery stores. Too bad capatalism can't compete.

Yes, because jobs in Venezuela, if you can find one, pay so much you'll be able to afford to pay 3 to 4 times (A guess on my part. It may be higher or lower) the price. Hey DUmmie, why don't you move there for a year, earn per week what a normal Venezuelan does and go to the capitalist store and see what you come away with, leaving enough left over for miscellaneous expenses.

I'll wait for your report.

[Maxiest]

Capitalism can't compete?  There is no such thing as competing when it's subsidized by other people.  What's crazy is it's probably the taxes that the "capitalists" stores are paying that pay for the subsidy of the government stores.

[jb2u11]

fasttense (16,521 posts)
2. A nightmare? It's a dream.

Yes the price controled stores provided by the government sell out quickly. But she could always shop at the capatalist stores that overcharge for everything. It's like using the military commissary. You make a major food buy at the commissary and yes many of the good deals sell out very quickly. There are plenty of empty shelves at the commissary especially at the end of the week and the lines were huge. But if you really want or need something you can buy at the regular grocery stores that cost more.

It's great that the government provides an alternative to the overpriced grocery stores. Too bad capatalism can't compete.

It's amazing how stupid these people can be.  I say if they want socialism so much they should move there.

[Patriot Guard Rider]

It's amazing how stupid these people can be.  I say if they want socialism so much they should move there.

I can't decide if that poster is using sarcasm or not.

[Ralph Wiggum]

So much stupidity in reply #2...

[Ralph Wiggum]

I can't decide if that poster is using sarcasm or not.

Probably not.  There is a small but dedicated faction of the Dump that always defends anything that happens in Venezuela.

[BannedFromDU]

It's amazing how stupid these people can be.  I say if they want socialism so much they should move there.

     Put two grocery stores across the street from each other. Call one "Barack's," and make it price controlled, so that everyone's incentives are completely ****ed up all of the time.

     Call the other one "Albertson's," and have it function as it does now, down to the letter.


     Barack's will have zero customers within a month.

[Patriot Guard Rider]

     Put two grocery stores across the street from each other. Call one "Barack's," and make it price controlled, so that everyone's incentives are completely ****ed up all of the time.

     Call the other one "Albertson's," and have it function as it does now, down to the letter.


     Barack's will have zero customers within a month.

Then open a Giant Eagle next to Albertsons and Albertsons will be out of business within a month..

[jb2u11]

I can't decide if that poster is using sarcasm or not.

Highly unlikely but I suppose possible.  Pretty sure he is just that dumb.

[franksolich]

Where oh where is Beth when the Hugo-loving primitives need her?

[Mr Mannn]

You know your economy is a failure when the black market sells...FOOD.

[Patriot Guard Rider]

Where oh where is Beth when the Hugo-loving primitives need her?

Venezuela just didn't institute socialism the right way. The primitives here know how to do it. Just gotta trust 'em.

[Lacarnut]

The greedy leaders of V. are responsible. Several years ago when oil prices were high, they decided to screw Exxon and another US producer by decreasing the amount of revenue paid to them per barrel for production. Since they could only make a minute amount of profit, Exxon left resulting in a large decrease in production.

[RayRaytheSBS]

fasttense (16,521 posts)
2. A nightmare? It's a dream.

Yes the price controled stores provided by the government sell out quickly. But she could always shop at the capatalist stores that overcharge for everything. It's like using the military commissary. You make a major food buy at the commissary and yes many of the good deals sell out very quickly. There are plenty of empty shelves at the commissary especially at the end of the week and the lines were huge. But if you really want or need something you can buy at the regular grocery stores that cost more.

It's great that the government provides an alternative to the overpriced grocery stores. Too bad capatalism can't compete.

Wow... So much Weapons-grade stupidity in one post. Someone better call Hans Blichs to come inspect this DUche's head. 

[Carl]

    fasttense (16,521 posts)
    2. A nightmare? It's a dream.

    Yes the price controled stores provided by the government sell out quickly. But she could always shop at the capatalist stores that overcharge for everything. It's like using the military commissary. You make a major food buy at the commissary and yes many of the good deals sell out very quickly. There are plenty of empty shelves at the commissary especially at the end of the week and the lines were huge. But if you really want or need something you can buy at the regular grocery stores that cost more.

    It's great that the government provides an alternative to the overpriced grocery stores. Too bad capatalism can't compete.

You are too stupid to breathe.

[I_B_Perky]

I'll bet the lady in the story would be more than happy to spend a little extra to have a nice selection and full shelves.

I have an idea!  How about we do a swap with Venezuala? Let all their citizens that want out of that socialist hellhole come here and we send them liberals and dummies. 

Sounds like a win-win!

[jukin]

Communists always use food as a weapon on their own people. Those empty shelves but for not being dark wood look exactly like the food store shelves when I was in Russia in 1987. Also no people other than clerks, doing nothing but staying for their full shift. Full employment in communist country.

[Tess Anderson]

You are too stupid to breathe.

yeah, it's pretty bad when even other DUmmies think you are crazy:

Response to fasttense (Reply #2)Fri Oct 30, 2015, 04:14 PM
EX500rider (2,611 posts)
7. "A nightmare? It's a dream."

yes.....they dream of buying meat and toilet paper and milk...etc.....lol

 

Response to fasttense (Reply #2)Fri Oct 30, 2015, 04:53 PM
Travis_0004 (3,681 posts)
9. I dream of waiting in line for 2 hours to buy toilet paper every night.

fattense fattense fattense . . .

[98ZJUSMC]

Probably not.  There is a small but dedicated faction of the Dump that always defends anything that happens in Venezuela.

True.  They're an even dumber herd of Walter Durantys.

[DumbAss Tanker]

Where oh where is Beth when the Hugo-loving primitives need her?

Great minds and all that, my first thought when I read the thread title was 'Where is the stupidest person on the internet, now that DU needs her?'

[docstew]

I don't think that person has been in a military commissary. I have rarely seen empty shelves, except on days when EBT gets reloaded.

[Ken8521]

Sounds like a Socialist utopia...

Maybe we can all chip in for the flights?  I'd be in for a few.

[obumazombie]

Venezuela just didn't institute socialism the right way. The primitives here know how to do it. Just gotta trust 'em.

Do you have any idea what libs/progs/primitives/DUmmies do to me ?
I have a strong sense that you do.

[SVPete]

Venezuela just didn't institute socialism the right way. The primitives here know how to do it. Just gotta trust 'em.

The USSR already went the partial-capitalism-till-government-drives-capitalists-and-farmers-out-of-business-and-into-graves-and-gulags route. It slaughters a nation's best people and, predictably, is a lame failure.

Whatever capitalism's fault - real, not parasites' fantasies and whines, faults - it works best because it allows the most freedom to innovate and create, and has vastly more intelligence in the factories, fields, and stores (i.e. where it's needed) than any central planning scheme could ever match.