Keeping money safe ….. | Debbie's Caribbean Resort Reviews Forums

Oh, and the price above is not an error. Cuba is the only country I know where raw sugar is cheaper than processed white sugar.

Is this the difference between CUC stores for visitors and CUP stores for local residents?

…..but mayo can be purchased all over Cuba. It’s one of those things always on the shelves of the kiosks and CUC markets. To the point that I don’ get it. Sometimes they have no beer, no soda and no cigarettes, but there’s 500 jars of 5 different types of mayo. But I guess ‘it’s Cuba’…

Well, good! One less thing for hubby to pack.Actually it was here that I was told no mayo. I’d have to hunt for the thread.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Oops! I’m sorry, it wasn’t here that I read about the mayo.It was here (under Food):

No Mayo in Cuba

"Also salad Cream or mayo – none in Cuba." I just looked back at that article, and the original comment was from back in 2007. And, knowing something about the source, I suspect it was based on experience at a resort. Possibly only one resort. Unfortunately, a lot of the articles on TA may get to be out of date without anybody realizing it. Or, they may be somewhat specific to resorts, and may not be accurate for the country overall. Not that anybody is at fault, as it is hard to keep on top of all the information, but here is an example of how we can learn something new, and make sure the information gets updated.Thanks, Benni, DonTomas and Spunky for contributing to the knowledge base.

CJ: and you’re a mod! Tsk, Tsk. For Spunky: have you never been in a CUP store? You should get out more.

The whole concept of ‘CUC stores’ honestly only exists inside the minds of tourists. No offense there Spunky, you’re the one who asked 🙂

But forget the idea of CUC for tourists, CUP for Cubans. While CUP is rarely of any use for the regular tourist, ALL Cubans need CUC and most have CUC. Especially in cities, some places way out in the sticks in Oriente there are a few Cubans who can get by only using CUP.

For me, I’ve always equated how things work or don’t work in Cuba with what we personally had experienced in the former East Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall. Very similar circumstances which is why getting around in Cuba wasn’t very daunting for us and there were few if any "surprises" in the early 1980s when we actually had a collaborative project with colleagues at the University of Havana. Our first all-inclusive vacation in Cuba back in 1999 was the real eye opener!

Actually, there are only a few of those articles that I have contributed to, but the ones I have worked on, I have tried to keep them as up to date as I can, but I am still learning about Cuba, too.

Sorry DT, was just being polite. I should have said "the difference in stores that price their goods for Yumas and those that price their goods for locals.

Now, if I can just get hubs to leave the peanut butter here!

Sund0g, the only CUP store in Cayo Largo is pretty much for workers only. I’ve stood outside and watched while a bundle of peso cigars were acquired.
What are some CUP stores in Varadero? We’re trying it out again for the first time in 7 years after falling in love with CL. Talk about being from the Styx, eh?

That’s the difference. And in 2015 most Cubans need some or many of those things only available in CUC. Of course Havana is a different country almost when compared to the rest of Cuba. In Havana you have a serious problem if you don’t have access to CUC and not just a few dollars per month. In some small village in the mountains between Guantánamo and Santiago most people live exclusively in the CUP economy.

When did the CUC come into existence? I ask because when I first went to Cuba (2003) we dealt in U.S. dollars, but a year or two later it became necessary to convert to CUC and U.S. currency was no longer accepted.

That’s about what I thought. I went to Cayo Largo in January ’04, and CUCs were in use but some would still take U.S.

I spent some time on the Boulevard in Santa Clara checking out the shops, barely a yuma in sight anywhere, 99.9% Cubans. It was interesting to see what was available and the prices, and seeing who was buying what. It was a real eye opener. Incredibly busy and a lot of people buying. I didn’t see an area like that in the short time I was in Havana, but I would imagine that there are areas where it is that times 10.

Griz, like every other Cuban city Havana has a ‘bulevar’. It’s called San Rafael and stretches from Parque Central to Galiano. Galiano also has lots of stores including La Epoca. And while the bulevar in Havana has as many or more shopping Cubans as any other Cuban city, the really big shopping in Havana goes on in malls and ferreterias in Vedado, Miramar, Playa, out that way.

Just for clarification … the CUC has been in circulation since 1994 (not 2004) although it was in limited transactions for the first several years. It was in 2004 that the US$ ceased to be accepted, and CUC became the official hard currency. The transition period for universal circulation of the CUC was rather long. This should allay the concerns that some people may have about the CUC being discontinued … my guess is that will also be a long process.

CJ and Spunky; I apologize for laughing at you. You’re the two I like to read because you’re both logical, honest & humourous. But I couldn’t resist, seeing that you had posted one after the other! Hope I’m forgiven, I promise to watch my fingers (rather than watching my tongue!).

I was also doing some comparison shopping recently. Refrigerators (unknown to me brand names) were equivalent to CDN pricing. A very nice stainless steel Westinghouse breadmaker with all the bells and whistles 113 CUC. Very similar to home.

Beside it was a basic 2 slice toaster ($20 @ sprawlmart) for 118 CUC.  Interesting how power consumption is taxed at the source.