“You take a thousand pesos, and they don’t give you enough for the day.” This is how Mercedes Upia described the difficulties she faces in buying the necessary household products amid rising prices in the basic basket.
During a tour of different markets in Greater Santo Domingo, buyers and homemakers expressed concern about rising food prices. They said they need to allocate more money to buy products they used to buy on a lower budget.
With a tone that betrayed the concern shared by Dominican families, Mercedes pointed out that, “housewives cannot live as prices are.” In addition, he said the rise in prices has been “too much,” making it difficult for him to cover the household’s needs.
“You take a thousand pesos, and they don’t give you for the day; a thousand pesos they don’t give you for anything. You bought a lot of things with a thousand pesos, you went to the supermarket and brought a lot of things, and not anymore, a thousand pesos don’t give for anything, they don’t give for the day,” he said.
Fewer products, more money
Fewer products can be bought with the same budget is another difficulty consumers pointed out.
Miriam Peña explained that months ago, she could buy certain vegetables with 20 pesos and use them for two days, while now she needs 70 pesos to buy enough to cover the same number of days.
“It has affected me a lot, because the basket is more expensive. When prices go up, you have the same amount of money to deal with the higher prices; that is, that the basket is shrinking. One has to buy fewer products to support oneself,” he said.
Similarly, Máximo Amparo complained about rising product prices and said the situation affects both market and supermarket purchases.
“It’s too expensive; it’s increased too much. Supermarkets are expensive, people are screaming,” he said.
Financial aid falls short.
For households that depend on financial aid, rising prices make it harder to complete purchases.
Leonidas Linares, a housewife consulted during the tour, described the situation as “very bad” and explained that the money she receives through the Government’s aid card runs out quickly.
“Every time I go to take the card, I have to carry more and more because they go away in a flash. Prices go up every day,” he said.
Linares also pointed out that medicine costs affect his budget. According to her, prices can change in a matter of days, which sometimes forces her to look for alternatives from other laboratories.
“When you return after 15 days, they already have a different price. Sometimes I have to change the medicines. Find another one from another laboratory that is the same,” he explained.
While buyers look for alternatives to make their income work, their testimonies agree that the money that previously let them buy more products is now insufficient to cover household needs.