HAVANA, (Reuters) – Cash-starved Cuba this month opened the first grocery store to accept hard U.S. currency on the island in nearly two decades, the latest sign in a trend towards dollarization in the Communist-run country. The store, open just a few weeks, garners praise from the lucky few with dollars on an island where, just four years ago, banks stopped accepting cash deposits in greenbacks.
“This supermarket is quite good … but not everyone has the possibility to buy here,” said Yuliani González as she left the white-washed grocery store.
The shop lies in the shadow of a newly built hotel complex near the sea in Miramar, a neighborhood popular with foreign diplomats.
Cubans with access to dollars can also purchase gasoline without waiting in long lines, reserve a rental car or fancy hotel room and soon, top up their cellular data plans.