Luisito Comunica visits a supermarket in Venezuela to experience and document the current economic crisis and food shortages firsthand. He notes the empty shelves, high prices, and regulated products, which are limited per person. The minimum monthly salary in Venezuela is approximately $40, and basic necessities like bread, rice, and mayonnaise are scarce. The supermarket has a fingerprint system to control purchases, and prices are extremely high, with a bag of soap costing 6,000 bolivars. Luisito reflects on how this experience has opened his eyes to the difficulties people face in Venezuela and encourages viewers to share their thoughts in the comments.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The minimum monthly salary in Venezuela is 200,000 bolivars.
2. 200,000 bolivars is equivalent to 40 dollars a month.
3. 135,000 bolivars of the minimum monthly salary is paid in food vouchers.
4. The Venezuelan economy is experiencing a crisis, leading to shortages of food and basic necessities.
5. The crisis is caused by a situation of inflation.
6. The supermarket visited by the narrator has a lot of security measures, including bars and people checking everything.
7. The supermarket has a limited selection of products, including food and household items.
8. The narrator notes that the supermarket is "a bit empty" and that many shelves are bare.
9. The price of a liter of milk is regulated, and it cannot cost more than a certain amount.
10. To get around this regulation, some stores sell "dairy drinks" instead of milk.
11. The narrator is told that it is difficult to find mayonnaise in Venezuela.
12. The narrator is shown a type of mayonnaise supplement that is available, but not real mayonnaise.
13. The narrator notes that the lines to pay at the supermarket are not very long.
14. However, the process of paying is slow and complicated, requiring a fingerprint scan for regulated products.
15. Each person has a limit on the amount of regulated products they can buy, such as 2 kilos of rice per day.
16. The narrator reflects that visiting the supermarket has opened his eyes to the difficulties of shopping in Venezuela.
17. He notes that experiencing different realities, such as shopping in different parts of the world, can be eye-opening and change one's perspective.